Southwest Airlines Corporations

Southwest Airlines Corporations In year of 2006, Southwest Airlines celebrated its 34th consecutive year of profitability. While other airlines paces of profitability appear to be stagnant; Southwest Airlines was announced as one of the most admired corporations by Fortune 500 Magazine (Southwest 2006). Southwests success is deeply related to the new strategies that other airlines dont even dare to consider. The corporate culture and strategic philosophy stands out, making Southwest the leader in the whole airline industry. Southwest Airlines strategy can be described as â€Å"short-haul, low-fare, high-frequency, and point-to-point carrier (Fortune Magazine 2006)†. A lot of people consider that the marketing strategy that Southwest Airlines currently using is the low cost provider strategy. Low cost provider strategy is a strategy which is committed to driving down the cost through its value chain system (Broydrick 1995)†. This strategy allows companies to compete aggressively on price earning high pr ofit margins than rivals. But the low cost provider strategy is not the cure-all prescription for all the problems. If the quality of a product or service is not guaranteed, the low cost provider strategy is not likely to work. From a macro perspective, it seems that Southwest Airlines is using the low cost provider strategy to stand out among all other airlines. Rather, it is using the best cost provider strategy because from a competitive positioning standpoint, best cost strategies are a â€Å"hybrid, balancing a strategic emphasis on low cost against a strategic emphasis on differentiation (supervalue) (Entrepreneur 1995).† In order to analyze the factors which contributed to the success of Southwest Airline Corporation more efficiently, we can use the McKinsey 7-S Model. In Peter and Watermans masterpiece â€Å"In Search of Excellence†, the book summarized that in order for a corporation to be successful; there are factors which it must acquire. The reason why that they are considering the success in this way was because that successful corporations they picked from the top list of the Fortune Magazine all possessed seven criterion. That is the famous McKinsey 7-S framework that Southwest Airline based its strategies on, which guarantees that â€Å"any intelligent approach to eventual success of organizing had to encompass (Peters and Waterman, 1982)†. The McKinsey framework includes eight attributes: 1) A Bias for Action. This attribute is based on the principle of â€Å"can do, let try.† This means that the principle favors experimentation. Southwest often goes out of its way to â€Å"amuse, surprise and entertain† its passengers (Peters and Waterman, 1982).† 2) Close to the Customer. This implies that the closeness to customers are expressed as an attitude concentrating on â€Å"valued clients† rather than valued employees of Southwest Airlines treat the customers as â€Å"valued clients† rather than â€Å"valued wallets.† They care about the customers not only just for one trip, but their futures as well. Moreover, the letters from customers are answered personally rather than using a standardized formula. Southwests CEO Kelleher actively supported that because he declared that there are three advantages which could be drawn from the service. First, it is the employee performance. Kelleher considers it the best way to value its employees. Second, the inputs from the letters which are authentically wrote indicates the real deficiencies that Southwest might encounter. Third, there is no worry about the letters because if cu stomers are willing to spend time on writing it, there is a great possibility that their concern shown on the letters are true and realistic. Southwest rarely uses survey questions to test its customers to test customer satisfaction. Because most surveys are made up of multiple choices from scales such as from 1 to 10, or from excellent to bad. It is hard from customers to think that the corporation belongs to which category. The difference between scales 5 and 7 might be real close which confuse the customers (Dauble 2005). As a result, some customers filled up the answers in guessing way that they dont even know what they are doing. They just want to get over with it. 3) Autonomy and Entrepreneurship. This indicates that in the whole corporation, every employee is a leader. They are respected just like any top managers. Everyone is welcome to submit new ideas or weakness of the corporation, and it has no hierarchy. Moreover, their will be competition within the corporation, but not suppression. Every competition is conducted in friendly manners. Unlike other corporations that the CEOs rarely allows themselves to meet the employees, the employees of Southwest can have lunch with Kelleher any day at any time (Marcial 2005). All the departments often shower free ice creams, pizza and other good stuffs to celebrate for each other when an assignment gets well done. Some employees from different departments in other corporations dont even know each other. All they do is doing their own work. Therefore, once there is a problem, it is extremely difficult for departments to work as a whole to solve the problem because they hardly know each other. This will wastes a lot of time, have the possibility of leading the corporation into the wrong direction, and intensifies the relationship of managers between departments in the situation that when they are unable to reach consensus (Lynch 2005). Furthermore, Southwest welcomes failures as well as successes because it firmly believes that failure is the mother of success. When a failure appears, it means that the success is coming down the road. 4) Productivity through People. This strategy implies that there is no existence of personality tests. Sense of humor and an outgoing attitude is a must. At Southwest, communications are frequent and concerns of old people and young people are treated by old employees and young employees with outgoing attitudes and personalities. In this way, the negative effects and misunderstandings due to generation ga ps can be avoided. 5) Hand-on, Value-Driven. At Southwest, there is a policy that in every quarter, the top managers and executives must spend one day experiencing the jobs of their employees. By working on positions such as ticket agents, baggage handlers, or janitors, people from the top level will have an authentic feel of whats going on and where are difficulties and deficiencies (Bunz 1998). 6) Stick to the Knitting. This theory indicates that corporations should never expand too fast just because their financial results in the short run show success. Southwest will not expand recently because it follows the strategy and every move it makes is conducted in an extremely careful way. Southwest understands that if â€Å"hot meat appears, your eating it fast strategy probably will burn your mouth (McNerney 1996)†. 7) Simple Form and Lean Staff. This strategy means that â€Å"keeping an organizational staff lean simplifies channels of communication in an organization (Peters and Waterman, 1982).† The reason of this is because that the more layers a hierarch has in a corporation, the longer it makes to make a decision which could result in wasting time and resources. At Southwest, it is not the janitors clean up the airlines. Rather, flight attendants and top managers are people who do the cleanings. In this way, Southwest can save both money and time. Moreover, Southwest is always loyal to its employees as they are to the Southwest. Southwest uses the â€Å"always hire and rarely fire† principle when dealing with human resources (Peters and Waterman, 1982).† It never fires its employees just because of external factors such as the stagnant of economy or internal factors such as financial loss. 8) Simultaneous loose-tight properties. This means that the corporation has both a centralized and decentralized system which de-emphasizes hierarchy. Southwest has a democratic style of corporation culture with autonomy and a tight control of finance by the CEO to make sure that money and resources are not wasted. Besides the above-mentioned eight crucial strategies that successful corporations must acquire, Southwest has two more strategies that other successful corporations do not possess. One is the University of People, and the other one is its CEO Kelleher (BusinessWeek 2005). University of People is a program established by Southwest for training new emplo yees. The trainees treat rookies just like the way they treat customers with great respect. Southwest firmly believes that the way it treats its employees will be an indicator of standards and positive motivation for employees to treat customers in same manners in the way which they are treated, or even better. As the CEO of Southwest, Kelleher is a successful executive with great responsibilities. He is also looked upon as a person with great sense of humor. An employee described that â€Å"wherever Mr. Kelleher goes, you will always hear sounds of laughs and feel an atmosphere of harmony (Gavinderajan 2002).† The successful corporation structure and philosophy of centralized and decentralized differentiation of the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy brings a change, as well as a revolution of corporate structure innovations from old styles to the new ones. The â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy is very successful currently. Southwest is successful not only because of the â€Å"Short-Hauls† strategy. Southwests corporate strategy in areas of human resources, financial control, employee motivation and promotion, frequent communications between different levels, and the hardness for other airlines to duplicate are also factors which go with the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy, differentiating Southwest from the rest of airlines, and therefore ensuring the success of such great achievement. However, huge problems are likely to take place in the long run. Just like Darwins Theory â€Å"survival of the fittest† indicates that every element is on its way of evolving, being unchanged will eventually be discarded by time and success in the long run. It is true that Kellehers â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy is extremely successful at present, but it will never guarantee that depending solely on this strategy will still be succes sful in the future. Looking into the history of the human kind, and look at ourselves now, how is it different from the past and the present? If all human beings have not evolved, if the science in every field has not changed, will we still have the same outlooks as what we are having now? I dont think so. Without the evolving of human kind and the improvements in scientific field, we will be no different compared with the primary humans in the early stages. Dont even mention about watching television, taking shower, surfing on the internet, flying in the airplane, or even having delicious meals. Without changes and improvements, we will still be in the primary forests where once we belonged, eating raw meat like barbarians and sharing room with animals. There is no government, business entity or element which is able to stay unchanged forever. During the medieval period, the Roman Empire was the most powerful nation in the entire world. But it collapsed. The British once said that â€Å"the sun will never set on Great Britain†! It also collapsed. China invented three of the four ancient miracles, the method of printing, compass and gunpowder more than 3,000 years ago. It was also the center of power and civilization during the Tang Dynasty which lasted for more than 800 years. China also paved the way for the first international business that never had happened between the east and the west. When Marco Polo traveled to China during the peak of its prosperity, he was shocked and thrilled to see that difference between the east and the west. When the European were sharing rooms with animals, China already had palaces made out of gold, even the miracle of Great Wall which is the only manmade mark that can be seen from space. The dynasty also collapsed. From all the examples that I mentioned above, you can clearly see t hat every nation has its ups and downs. Forever power never exists. This is exactly the same as business. I will be astonished if you can tell me a business entity which has lasted for 500 years. Many people believe that Wal-Mart is unstoppable, and unfortunately, they are absolutely wrong. Decades ago, Sears was the â€Å"Wal-Mart† at that time. Look at Sears now, how different it is between the past and present. Who can guarantee decades later, there will be no corporations replacing Wal-Mart? If Kelleher has the same concerns as I do, it is possible that he will be worried about Southwest in the future. What if the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy stopped working? What if an underdog suddenly comes out, making Southwest stand on the border of failure? The situation for Southwest in the future is not as optimistic as it seems. However, it does not mean that Southwest is meant to be a failure. All roads lead to Rome, and whenever there is a will, there is a way. Kelleher can still use the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy to succeed. But the strategy must be converted from a micro-perspective to a macro-perspective. In order for a company to be successful in the long run, it must expand. Kelleher said that Southwest has not made any decision to expand at present. But it does not mean that Southwest will never expand. As a business entity, corporations must expand globally to obtain more profits. Look at Wal-Mart, how many stores does it own worldwide? Need I say more? This also reminds me of an old saying which has it that â€Å"the largest fish in the river is never a big fish in the ocean†. If Southwest is satisfied just because of current profits and competitive advantages it has in the short run, it will not be Southwest anymore. I think that Southwest is on its way of planning its expansions, but with a very careful and conscientious attitude. It wants to make sure that the new strategy will work when the decision of expanding is made. There might be countless strategies for Kelleher to come up with. I know one strategy which I consider the best strategy because using this new strategy, Southwest can be very successful in the long run. It can also save time and resources. So what is this so-called strategy? I consider it the most successful not because of my arbitrary standing point of â€Å"pride and prejudice.† Rather, I recognized its importance and advantages because I have done a lot of research to make sure that this approach makes sense. The strategy I am using now is one strategy from the masterpiece called â€Å"The Art of War†, written by the greatest military strategist ever in history more than 3,000 years ago. The authors name is Sun Zi. What is so great and amazing about this book is that it has listed all the strategies which can be applied and used in all scientific fields, such as military, business, geometry and all other natural sciences. Japan is renowned for its management which almost cracked down the American automobile industry, and every top manager in Japan always makes sure they the book ‘The Art of War† lays on his desk. India is renowned for its financial system which also takes some strategies fr om â€Å"The Art of War†. United States Department of Defense and its military also adopted the strategies from the masterpiece of â€Å"The Art of War†, and manipulate them from a military science standing point (The Spread and popularity of the Art of War). In order to implement these strategies appropriately, one requirement must be met. The prerequisite is that the user must have a good understanding of military science built on the views that can be related and flexibly applied and manipulated from a perspective which solves problems based on methods of essence indirectly related from all other sciences. Knowledge is similar to a big family in that every element from every field mutually supports each other. For instance, when in process of establishing a military strategy, the person responsible for it must have good understandings of sciences such as geology, meteorology, physics, chemistry and even languages as well. In order for the strategy to operate well to the fullest extent of its capacity, the central strategist must have a good command of what geological area is the enemy in; what weapons has the enemy obtained; is it possible to use the scientific competitive advantage from a military perspective; what will the weather be like when the battle takes place; what mathematical calculation is needed for the army to defeat the enemy in a timely, resource-saving and casualty-reducing standpoint; after invading the area, what language and culture pattern that the enemy uses and has, etc. For geography, it is crucial for the strategist to decide which altitudes in the region would likely to be an advantage when fighting the battle. For weapons, the strategist must know whether the wea pons invented through the methods and formulas of physics and chemistry is a helping factor, and the basic laws and functions of the scientific principles in which the weapons are made based on knowledge of physics and chemistry. For meteorology, the strategist must have a good command of whats the weather would be like when the battle takes places because fighting on a sunny day and rainy day will have different results which could be the factors leading to either the victory or failure of the battle. For mathematics, the strategist must be pretty clear that why way is actually the nearest way offering competitive advantage for his troops. For linguistics, people who speak the enemys language and understand their cultural patterns will be a good indicator to lead the way. Ignorance of these necessary elements that eventually leads to failures is countless. In the Korean War, both sides have tried everything to keep control of the highest geographic positions; the first Russian space shuttle to the moon would provide Russia with a competitive technological advantage on weapons based on the same laws of sciences that were applied to the shuttle; the shuttle never comes back because the Russian scientists ignor ed one hundredth of a decimal point, and it resulted in deaths of all its excellent astronauts; the lost of the space shuttle which the government had supported financially, the time Russian scientists had devoted themselves to, and suspicions of scientific laws; all the hard work, the money and resources was wasted, and the laws of science were meant to be retested; the American troops in Iraq resulted in more casualties as expected because the strategist ignored the power of language, and hiring locals who hate Americans as translators who intentionally led Americans to opposite and wrong directions which resulted in lost of many lives which can possibly be saved if language and cultural pattern were considered. Finally, the reason that George Bush still could not find Bin Laden is because that he has no idea of the Iraqi landforms. If he knew that well, Bin Laden should already be caught and Saddam Hussein will not be the scapegoat. The strategy that Southwest Airlines should use in order to continue its success is also based on the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy. The difference is that the strategy must be inter-converted. Southwest can try its best to duplicate its â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy globally. For instance, it can do exactly the same business with the same strategy once again. But this time, Southwest has to do it in every part of the world. For instance, Southwest can expand its business in France, Germany, Australia, Russia, China, Japan, Poland, Greece, etc. All Southwest has to do is doing â€Å"Short-Haul† business in all the countries. Once the â€Å"Short-Haul† strategy has spread to almost all the nations with economic prosperity, Southwest can start its â€Å"Long-Haul† strategy. Its global network will be linked like the solid structure of an atom, from Russia to Germany, Germany to France, France to Australia, Australia to China, and China to Switzerland, etc. By doing this, Southwest will have an extremely solid structure of global airline network that is likely to be very durable. The structure is similar to that of an atom. The structure of an atom can be described as one of the most solid structure among all other solid elements. This strategy adopted from â€Å"The Art of War† is based on the theory of strategic transformation, especially from a micro-perspective to a macro-perspective (Chapter IV, Art of War). By duplicating its successful strategy of â€Å"Short-Haul†, Southwest will have the capabilities of accumulating more strengths little by little. When Southwest considers it the right time to transform the â€Å"Short-Hauls† strategy to â€Å"Long-Hauls†, it can connect its business in every corner of the world. Each business in a certain place can be regard as a dot; there will an enormous amount of dots that Southwest has worked on. Therefore, connections of all the dots will change the network s imilar to that of an atom. Atom is said to have the toughest element structure on earth. One atom does not mean anything; two atoms only make a molecule. But through countless chemical reactions of nuclear fissions, millions and billions of atoms will have the energy as powerful as that of the atomic bomb. This strategy is also flexible. When Southwest considers itself too hard to manage all its subdivisions, it can back up its structures to original format, transforming from a macro-perspective to a micro-perspective. It can also change some parts to macro and other parts to micro. Whenever it is needed, Southwest is capable of interchanging its structure into different forms that best fits can be calculated according to different situations. The huge advantage of this strategic has three crucial characteristics: First, all Southwest has to do to force other airlines out of business just by doing a slight shift. Once the headquarter take the move, every connections of the network over the world can either do the same as a whole or a slightly different according to its own situation. The reason that Southwest is able to do this is because it possesses both a centralized and decentralized structure which can choose the best outfits. Second, once the network is complete, it will be very durable. It can last for a very last period until the strategies made by other airlines are superior. As I mentioned above, every element is on the way of changing so that there is no forever monopoly. But when Southwest has the ability to applied the â€Å"Long-Hauls† strategy, it will already have obtained the role as the leader in the industry. It will then be extremely difficult for other airlines to innovate new ideas expecting to replace the Southwest because under that situation, Southwest have the power to make sure that other airlines do not have chances. I dont mean that there is no possibility another innovation of internal structure of corporations. But the probability is not likely because at that time, Southwest will have the possibility with a confidence interval of at least 90%. Finally, I will be thrilled and stunned if other corporations are able to come up with better strategies under such a suppressed atmosphere. In order for other airlines to jump out from the â€Å"vicious cycle†, they must have the ability to obtain two important factors, which are financial resources and time. The network at least will take Southwest ten years to complete with financing of trillions of dollars. It is not likely for other airlines to come up with trillions of dollars at once, and even Wal-Mart does not know if it possesses the ability. Moreover, there is another requirement of more importance. That i s the time. The most valuable thing in the entire world is time. There is no opportunity cost for time because time is always moving on and it is eternal. It can never stop. As a result, do those airlines have time to do it? How long do they need in order to come up with a better strategy, replacing that of the Southwests? Therefore, the possibility is extremely slight. Southwest has this advantage. It is only a matter of time! Its about how long Southwest can last! Bibliographies â€Å"Americas Most Admired Companies 2006†, Wall Street Journal, available @ http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/mostadmired/snapshots/1253.html Dauble, Jennifer, â€Å"Top Fifty Companies to Watch, October 31, 2005†. Wall Street Journal, available @ http://www.dowjones.com/Pressroom/PressReleases/Other/US/2005.html._ Marcial, Gene, â€Å"Southwest Airlines Wings North†, November 7, 2005. BusinessWeek, available @ http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_45/b3958118.htm Lynch, Pat â€Å"Southwest Airlines†, Online Blogs From Google, April 5, 2005. Available @ http://finance.google.com/finance?q=luvhl=en â€Å"Southwest Fact Sheet†, March 28, 2006. Southwest Airlines Corporation, available @ http://www.southwest.com/about_swa/press/factsheet.html Bunz Ulla, â€Å"Learning Excellence, Southwest Airlines approach†, Volume 8, 1998. Available @ http://bunz.comm.fsu.edu/southwest.pdf Peter, TJ. And Waterman, R.H. (1982), In Search of Excellence: Lessons from Americas Best Run Companies, Harper Row, New York, NY. McNerney, D.J. (1996), â€Å"Employee motivation: creating a motivated workforce†, HR Focus, Vol.73 No.8, pp.1, 4-6. Gavinderajan Vijay, â€Å"Southwest Airline Corporation†, 2002, no. 20012. Trip Tracy, March 2006. â€Å"Best Practices Case Study: Best Perks, Southwest Airlines†, available @ http://vault.com/nr/newsmain.jsp?nr_page=3ch_id=402article_id=19258

Learning environment Essay

10 Characteristics of a Highly Effective Learning Environment 1. The students ask the questions—good questions This is not a feel-good implication, but really crucial for the whole learning process to work. The role of curiosity has been study (and perhaps under-studied and under-appreciated), but suffice to say that if a learner enters any learning activity with little to no natural curiosity, prospects for meaningful interaction with texts, media, and specific tasks are bleak. Many teachers force students (proverbial gun to head) to ask question at the outset of units or lessons, often to no avail. Cliche questions that reflect little understanding of the content can discourage teachers from â€Å"allowing† them. But the fact remains—if students can’t ask great questions—even as young as elementary school—something, somewhere is unplugged. 2. Questions are valued over answers Questions are more important than answers. So it makes sense that if good questions should lead the learning, there would be value placed on these questions. And that means adding currency whenever possible—grades (questions as assessment! ), credit (give them points—they love points), creative curation (writing as a kind of graffiti on large post-it pages on the classroom walls), or simply praise and honest respect. See if you don’t notice a change. 3. Ideas come from divergent sources Ideas for lessons, reading, tests, and projects—the fiber of formal learning—should come from a variety of sources. If they all come from narrow slivers of resources, you’re at risk of being pulled way off in one direction (that may or may not be good). An alternative Consider sources like professional and cultural mentors, the community, content experts outside of education, and even the students themselves. Huge shift in credibility. And when these sources disagree with one another, use that as an endlessly â€Å"teachable moment,† because that’s what the real world is like. 4. A variety of learning models are used Inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, direct instruction, peer-to-peer learning, school-to-school, eLearning, Mobile learning, the flipped classroom, and on and on—the possibilities are endless. Chances are, none are incredible enough to suit every bit of content, curriculum, and learner diversity in your classroom. A characteristic of a highly-effective classroom, then, is diversity here, which also has the side-effect of improving your long-term capacity as an educator. 5. Classroom learning â€Å"empties† into a connected community In a highly-effective learning environment, learning doesn’t need to be radically repackaged to make sense in the â€Å"real world,† but starts and ends there. It has to leave the classroom because they do. 6. Learning is personalized by a variety of criteria. Personalized learning is likely the future, but for now the onus for routing students is almost entirely on the shoulders of the classroom teacher. This makes personalization—and even consistent differentiation—a challenge. One response is to personalize learning—to whatever extent you plan for—by a variety of criteria—not just assessment results or reading level, but interest, readiness-for-content, and others as well. Then, as you adjust pace, entry points, and rigor accordingly, you’ll have a better chance of having uncovered what the learners truly â€Å"need†. 7. Assessment is persistent, authentic, transparent, and never punitive Assessment is just an (often ham-fisted) attempt to get at what a learner understands. The more infrequent, clinical, murky, or threatening it is, the more you’re going to separate the â€Å"good students† from the â€Å"good thinkers. † And the â€Å"clinical† idea has less to do with the format of the test, and more to do with the tone and emotion of the classroom in general. Why are students being tested? What’s in it for them, and their future opportunities to improve? And feedback is quick even when the â€Å"grading† may not be. 8. Criteria for success is balanced and transparent. Students should not have to guess what â€Å"success† in a highly-effective classroom looks like. It should also not be entirely weighted on â€Å"participation,† assessment results, attitude, or other individual factors, but rather meaningfully melted into a cohesive framework that makes sense—not to you, your colleagues, or the expert book on your shelf, but the students themselves. 9. Learning habits are constantly modeled Cognitive, meta-cognitive, and behavioral â€Å"good stuff† is constantly modeled. Curiosity, persistence, flexibility, priority, creativity, collaboration, revision, and even the classic Habits of Mind are all great places to start. So often what students learn from those around them is less directly didactic, and more indirect and observational. 10. There are constant opportunities for practice Old thinking is revisited. Old errors are reflected on. Complex ideas are re-approached from new angles. Divergent concepts are contrasted. Bloom’s taxonomy is constantly traveled up and down, from the simple to the complex in an effort to maximize a student’s opportunities to learn—and demonstrate understanding—of content. THE CLASSROOMS TRADITIONAL centrally dictated Curriculum based teaching. teaching focuses on short term recall highly focused on measurability Traditional Curriculum is centrally dictated, content heavy and teacher-centric. /Rote of learning enables short term recall, allowing measurable performance in tests. /Teacher and system are happy because learning is measurable and organized/Students are bored, requiring strict discipline. /In long term, student secure less knowledge, have fewer skills and less are engaged, but there is the appearance of rigor and quality learning. / applications include building foundational knowledge in literacy and numeracy, and teaching passionate CONTEMPORARY teacher driven student-centric teaching teaching focuses on students taking ownership of their learning Using real, useful materials. Contemporary Curriculum is teacher driven, content and student-centric. / experiential learning means less content, slower and lower measurably. / teacher and system need to be knowledge, learning, open minded, passionate and committed: it is hard work breaking the mold. / students are more animated, independent and mobile, so learning seems chaotic. / in long term, students encounter less content but secure more knowledge, have more skills and more engaged. / requires students to take ownership of learning, and teachers to relinquish control The Physical Environment According to Jones (2007) and Savage (1999), the classroom environment has proven to change and influence behaviors among students. The design of the classroom allows for some activities to take place and for other to not. It is important that teachers take into consideration the influence their classroom arrangement can make on their students. The environment of a classroom sends out symbolic messages to those who enter the classroom. At times, these messages do not send the right message to the students. The environment should reflect the beliefs and values of the teacher. Therefore, it is vitally important that teachers see what message their classroom sends out. In order to properly design an effective classroom environment there are four goals that need to be considered. The four goals are: 1. Developing a sense of belonging and personal identity 2. Enhancing competence and security 3. Promoting intellectual growth and stimulation 4. Accommodating privacy needs Developing a Sense of Belonging and Personal Identity According to Savage (2007), â€Å"Feelings of ownership and personal identity are enhanced by allowing students to participate in decision making about the use of the space – the grouping of desks, room decorations, and organization and placement of learning centers. Allowing them the freedom to personalize their classroom helps students to develop a sense of belonging and pride† When a student is in a classroom where their personal identity is enhanced the student will then feel that they belong and have a sense of ownership. There are many hours that a student spends in their lifetime, so it is important that they are in an environment where they feel comfortable and in result will be more willing to want to learn Enhancing Competence and Security The students need to feel as though they have control of their own environment Giving the students the ability to arrange their own environment will enhance their ability to feel safe The functional purpose of a space is to provide a sense of security for those in the room. Most students have their own sense of security in their own home. This is the same level of security that should be taken into the classroom since the students are spending the majority of their time in school. The first step into helping making a safe environment is choosing furniture that is appropriate for the students in terms of size and their learning levels. Examples of this would include comfortable seating and stable work stations. Since every student is different some schools are now offering furniture that is flexible in meeting the student’s personal needs. Promoting Intellectual Growth and Stimulation. In order to accomplish intellectual growth inside the classroom this would require a rich and varied environment. The classroom needs to be a dynamic and changing environment for the students. Often times classroom become stagnant and do not change. This will result for the class to become boring and promote behavior problems by the symbolism it is sending to the students. Changes that need to occur in the classroom often include updating the bulletin board and display areas. This simple task is a great way to help promote intellectual growth within the classroom and give the impression that its a dynamic and changing environment. However, some often changes should be avoided such as room arrangement and student seating. This can cause the student to feel unsafe in an environment they are unfamiliar with. The room arrangement should be created for the student to feel secure. It is important that if changes are going to be made that the teacher has quick access to all the students. Accommodating Privacy Needs Privacy that is given to students in the classroom has a large impact on their learning behavior One way of accommodating the privacy need is to designate one corner of the classroom as a private work area. However, it is a difficult task to provide privacy for all students with the small space that is given and the amount of people inside the room. In the majority of classrooms, teacher design the layout to help accommodate group activities and social interactions. It is often that this type of layout does allow for the necessary privacy that students may need. . When the teacher designs the classroom it is important to remember this fact. Some students work better alone and away from other students. This area can be separated from the rest of the room by bookcases, file cabinets, or study carrels. Students move to that area to study or simply be alone. Providing this type of retreat for students communicates that you are sensitive to their personal needs Social environment Positive educational environments are necessary to facilitate optimally adaptive student outcomes, including learning, motivation, school adjustment, and achievement (Eccles, Wigfield, & Schiefele, 1998). Researchers (e. g. , Goodenow, 1992; Juvonen & Weiner, 1993) have been noting for some while that school success does not only involve academics — schools and classrooms are inherently social places, and students go about their work in the presence of many peers. It is comprised of students’ perceptions about how they are encouraged to interact with and relate to others (e. g. , classmates, the teacher) Four Dimension 1 Teacher support Teacher support refers to students’ beliefs that their teachers care about them, and value and establish personal relationships with them 2 Promoting mutual respect A focus on mutual respect in the classroom involves a perception that the teacher expects all students to value one another and the contributions they make to classroom life, and will not allow students to make fun of others. 3 Promoting student task-related interaction Teachers vary in the extent to which they Allow, or even encourage, students to interact with one-another during academic Activities. This interaction may encompass students sharing ideas and approaches during whole-class lessons, working together in small-group activities, or informal help-seeking and help-giving during individual seatwork 4 Promoting performance goal The promotion of performance goals concerns an emphasis on competition and relative ability comparisons between students in the classroom. Research from a goal theory framework has examined this dimension of the classroom and found that when students perceive an emphasis on performance goals they are more likely to exhibit beliefs and behaviors that are less conducive to, and often detrimental to, learning and achievement Emotional environment Emotionally safe schools can be established through creating environments where children feel safe, can take risks, are challenged but not overly stressed, and where play, pleasure, and fun are facilitated (Bluestein, 2001). Safety In order for trust to be established, children must feel safe (Bluestein, 2001). If a child goes to school with fear of being bullied, beat up, or murdered, personal intelligence (along with most other intelligences) is not going to develop appropriately. A safe environment is created by not allowing one child to invade another child’s body, space, and material boundaries. A safe environment is one which has clear expectations regarding the safety of all students. Bullying is not tolerated. Conflict resolution skills are taught and modeled by teachers. Risk Taking An emotionally safe school allows the child to fail without feeling he is a failure (Bluestein, 2001). Appropriate challenges are facilitated by teachers. Children are not pressured to receive a particular grade or obtain a particular score. Children are expected to debate, discuss, and problem solve. If they come to an incorrect solution, they are encouraged to try again or to try another method of problem solving. Children are not belittled, punished, or embarrassed when they do not succeed or meet their own goals. The child’s worth is not determined by his test score or performance. The child is valued because she is a member of the class. In an emotionally safe classroom, teachers make mistakes. They share these mistakes with children and sometimes elicit the children’s help in solving their problem. Stress Contemporary schoolchildren bring many forms of stress with them to the classroom. The stress can take the form of academic pressure, familial pressure to perform, being part of a single-parent family, hurried schedules, and pressure to grow up too fast (Elkind, 1988; Bluestein, 2001). The pressure can come from school, home, or the media. Stress causes wear on bodily systems and when one is overstressed, the immune system can be directly affected. Stress uses up energy reserves, demands a greater amount of energy, and forces the body to respond physically through aggression, outbursts, or illness (Elkind, 1988). Stress can be reduced by making sure children’s basic needs are met, they feel safe, and they are able to take risks without fear of failure; and by having appropriate expectations of children at specific ages. Play, Pleasure, and Fun. Part of developing intrapersonal intelligence is being able to freely engage in pleasurable experiences and recognizing that pleasure, fun, and play are a normal and healthy part of life. Play can encourage the personal intelligences in a variety of ways Puppetry can offer the child an opportunity to communicate feelings and emotions in a nonthreatening environment. The dramatic play area can have props available to encourage children to explore different familial and community roles. Children can begin to establish empathy through role-playing and risk-taking. The dramatic play and music area can also offer culturally appropriate props and instruments. In addition to stress, risk-taking, safety, and fun, teachers also have a responsibility for bringing experiences into the class that are emotionally relevant. Emotional relevance depends upon many factors. Culture, age, developmental level, interest, and experiences influence emotional relevance (Hyson, 1994). Hyson (1994, p. 84) advocates materials that â€Å"encourage children to talk about, write about, and play about emotionally important ideas. Clinical environment CLE is defined as complex network of forces that are effective on clinical learning outcomes. 5 In spite of classroom education, clinical education occurs in complex environment Learning in the clinical environment has many strengths. It is focused on real problems in the context of professional practice. . It is the only setting in which the skills of history taking, physical examination, clinical reasoning, decision making, empathy, and professionalism can be taught and learnt as an integrated whole. Campbell et al. believed that the quality of clinical education provided by nursing instructors and supports that students receive from clinical personnel is the most influential factors in clinical learning of nursing students Common problems with clinical teaching Lack of clear objectives and expectations Focus on factual recall rather than on development of problem solving skills and attitudes Teaching pitched at the wrong level (usually too high) Passive observation rather than active participation of learners Inadequate supervision and provision of feedback Little opportunity for reflection and discussion â€Å"Teaching by humiliation† Informed consent not sought from patients Lack of respect for privacy and dignity of patients Lack of congruence or continuity with the rest of the curriculum Challenges of clinical teaching Time pressures Competing demands—clinical (especially when needs of patients and students conflict); administrative; research Often opportunistic—makes planning more difficult Increasing numbers of students Fewer patients (shorter hospital stays; patients too ill or frail; more patients refusing consent) Often under-resourced Clinical environment not â€Å"teaching friendly† (for example, hospital ward) Rewards and recognition for teachers poor Many principles of good teaching, however, can (and should) be incorporated into clinical teaching. One of the most important is the need for planning. Far from compromising spontaneity, planning provides structure and context for teacher and students, as well as a framework for reflection and evaluation. Preparation is recognized by students as evidence of a good clinical teacher. Reference Department of education , Queensland gov Terry Heick;author of teach and thought. (CLASSROOM SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT ;Identifying Adaptive Classrooms: Analyses of Measures of; Dimensions of the Classroom Social Environment :Helen Patrick :Purdue University :Allison M. Ryan: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign :Paper prepared for the Positive Outcomes Conference, March 2003 :Post-conference Revised Version, May 2003 Excerpt from Early Childhood Curriculum: Incorporating Multiple Intelligences, Developmentally Appropriate Practice, and Play, by R. A. Hirsh, 2004 edition, p. 126-128. Learning and teaching in the clinical environment ; BMJ2003; 326doi:http://dx. doi.org/10. 1136/bmj. 326. 7389. 591(Published 15 March 2003) Cite this as: BMJ 2003;326:591 Clinical learning environment in viewpoint of nursing students in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences Azad Rahmani, PhD, Vahid Zamanzadeh, PhD, Farahnaz Abdullah-zadeh, MSc,Mojgan Lotfi,* Soheila Bani, MSc, and Shirin Hassanpour, MSc, Department of Midwifery, Faculty Member of the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Correspondence to: Azad Rahmani. Email: moc. oohay@sminamhardaza Research Article of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, No: 87112. Received January 23, 2011; Accepted March 11, 2011. Copyright :  © Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research Website (http://deta. qld. gov. au/initiatives/learningandwellbeing/learning-environment. html) (http://www. teachthought. com/learning/10-characteristics-of-a-highly-effective-learning-environment/) http://www. edudemic. com/contemporary-and-traditional-learning-difference/ (http://www. childtrends. org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Child_Trends-2003_03_12_PD_PDConfPatRyan. pdf) (http://www. bmj. com/content/326/7389/591. 1).

Aviation Security Essay - 871 Words

Airport Security around the world is an integral part of the modern times, the global web of people traveling for fun, business, adventure, and commodities are a way of life for many. Goods that were once scarce, or not available in certain parts of the world, merely twenty years ago for the general population are now easily attainable. Businesses are known to have meetings take place in various locations worldwide for their representatives. With all this moving of people from around the world who watches out for their safety as they access the plane from the different gates at the various worldwide Airports. Security personnel are the most recognizable entity prior to passengers accessing planes. Everybody knows theses personnel,†¦show more content†¦Most Airport security around the globe operates under the umbrella of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) or strives to get to the prestigious certification. The reasons for the ICAO certification are to have a standard operating procedure for security to thwart the attacks, or subversive activities. Airports strive for the never having an active security program that is predictable, for example Airport Security may screen a person even though they never made the Walk through metal detector ping. There are reasons for this that were researched in Great Britain, but are useful for all Airports around the world. Mr. Ian Hutchenson head of Security at British Airports Association (BAA) stated â€Å"Almost identical methods of screening passengers at airports across the world is playing into the hands of terrorists, terrorists could predict what they would face and called for a dramatic overhaul.† (Hutchenson NEWS; Pg. 11) So by going through additional screening makes ones terminal time longer, then one must think how could this act may thwart a terrorist, drug mule, trafficker, or other contemplating anarchy. The main objective is stop the person from getting their product through this airport and onto the Plane. Mr. Hutchenson said during his speech to the ICAO United Nations conference in Geneva, Switzerland that security staffs inShow MoreRelatedEssay on Aviation Security3679 Words   |  15 PagesAVIATION SECURITY RESEARCH ESSAY Introduction This paper aims to address the impact of aviation security systems at airports which are implemented through controlled security programmes. It is without a doubt that our society has patterned to continually evolve into a technologically-based information age. With the ease of acquiring information even for the ‘average joe’ today, governing authorities must respond by continually placing newer and improved security systems, particularly in the aviationRead MoreAviation Security And Airport Management1150 Words   |  5 PagesAVIA 2701 Aviation Security Airport Management Individual Essay Name: FUNG, Ching Yan Zara Student Number: Z5054510 An efficient and secure aviation system is essential within Australia’s aviation industry since it connects cities and Australia to the rest of the world. Aviation security refers to the prevention of terrorism and acts of unlawful interference and help safeguard Australia’s aviation transport system. The Australian Government regulates the Australian aviation security environmentRead MoreAviation Transportation Security Act2424 Words   |  10 PagesAviation Aviation and Transportation Security Act Abstract The passage of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA) in 2001 changed the way the aviation industry operated and how passengers travel. The ATSA forced the US Government and aviation to change its security culture to ensure protection of passengers and employees from future attacks like those that occurred on September 11, 2001. The ATSA was passed and signed into law in direct response to the security vulnerabilitiesRead MoreGeneral Aviation Safety Security Practices1321 Words   |  6 PagesGeneral Aviation Safety and Security Practices Capt. ELhadi Y. Nour AM 645 March /20/2010 SUMMARY Over the past 40 years, safety in the general aviation arena has greatly improved. The reasons are many and include improved aircraft reliability, pilot training enhancements, and better weather reporting capabilities. One often overlooked contributor to this safety record is the contribution made on the ground by general aviation airport operators, as well as those fixedRead MoreThe Aviation And Transportation Security Act1367 Words   |  6 PagesNovember of 2001 the Aviation and Transportation Security Act was signed into law. The TSA now employs over 50,000 officers. These officers screen approximately two million airline passengers per day. One report states that these TSA officers have â€Å"detected 50 million prohibited items, including 5,000 firearms on passengers attempting to board planes.†(Johanson, 2011) TSA officers are tasked with a huge responsibility. They run body scanners, baggage scanners, physically wand people, and sometimesRead MoreThe United Stat es Aviation Security888 Words   |  4 Pagesthe United States were attacked by a group of terrorist who were able to infiltrate our security system from all angles. It was a very tragic event for the U.S, when terrorist attacked two landmarks in New York City, a densely populated area. Although this terrorist attack was very unfortunate, it was also the largest infiltration of the United States Aviation system through multiple breaches of aviation security. Immediately after the attack many changes were made to aircrafts and the airport systemRead MoreAviation Security : The United States2113 Words   |  9 PagesAviation Security has evolved over the past 40 to 50 years showing the constant change in terrorist acts in which the security of all passengers, crew, and aircrafts are at risk. The United States Government must, now, stay up to date with the newest technology for screening passengers and their belongings. The technology was not available 50 years ago, making it much mo re difficult for countries to maintain safer environments in their airports. Hijackings in the United States was a major shift inRead MoreEssay Aviation Security Case Analysis722 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿ Aviation Security Case Analysis Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Aviation Security Case Analysis I. Summary Since September 11, 2001, airport security has undergone some major changes. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) were formed and airport security was transitioned from private contractors to government run security through TSA. Since that time, there has been great debate on II. Problem The problem is whether to continueRead MoreAviation Security : The Security Threat, Securing Perimeter, And The Transportation Security Administration ( Tsa )1290 Words   |  6 PagesSecurity is one of the most important departments in aviation. Without security in aviation it would be extremely vulnerable to threat, harm and accidents to passengers, employees and aircrafts. Aviation has been threatened for decades now. From bombings and hijackings since the 1960s to the recent bombing in Brussels. It wasn’t until 9/11 when America knew there was a big gap in the security infrastructure in aviation. So what exactly is aviation security? Aviation Security is techniques and methodsRead MoreThe Airport Security Of Aviation1713 Words   |  7 Pagesfriends and families. The current rise in the market demand for aviation services around the world demands analysis of airport demand among passengers regarding the current capacity of the airports. Therefore, it is through proper planning of future and current airport amenities that the airports will provide adequate strengths to support the growing demand for the services of aviation (Paylor, 2015). The future of aviation is, therefore, oblique considering the evolution of upcoming airport

Church and State in the Roman Empire Essay - 555 Words

Church and State in the Roman Empire As most of the civilizations studied so far in Western Civilization – the Romans were a religious people. From the rise of the Roman Empire to the fall of its institutions, there was always a backdrop of religious involvement in the affairs of the state and people. Polytheism seems to reign throughout the majority of the Empire. Although the book states very little about the religious affairs of the people, one can conclude that this society was totally influenced by their beliefs that the gods had a hand in all the affairs of the State and of the people. When looking at how long the Roman Empire lasted one has to ask how. How did the Romans rise to become such a great empire? How did†¦show more content†¦(Can you imagine a general going to the tent of a bunch of psychics to get his battle plan approved.)? By doing this the Romans made sure they would succeed in all their endeavors. If the augurs read the signs that the battle forthcoming was not approved of it did not happen. The gods obviously approved of most battle plans brought before them. This religious aspect of the roman civilizations helped make Rome on e of the great empires in early history. The most interesting about the history augurs reading signs is that the people believed. What the augers said was as good as gold. Imagine a general of one Rome’s greatest armies about to overtake a new rich territory. All he has to do is wipeout the last small standing army the territory. The general knows he his to be victorious. But wait just minute†¦ the first officer has just returned from the tent of the augurs. The augurs have read the horse dung in the field and dung told them the battle is not to be won. They go on to say the army should retreat and head back for their own safe territory. One can assume there were many situations such as this although not as extreme for which the historian or student cam marvel at the faith of the people had in their beliefs. The religious beliefs of the government obviously carried over to the home front in ancient Rome. Families were like a state within a state. They practiced worshipping and paying homage to the gods just as the rulers did. SlightlyShow MoreRelatedHistory And Advances Of The Christian Church Essay1003 Words   |  5 PagesChristian Church. As students, we analyze cultural texts and describe meaningful events to develop an answer to â€Å"who,† â€Å"what,† and â€Å"why† there is a transcendent God. This composition will focus the historical-s ocial context, ecclesial context, and modifications to the Church that occurred from three critical events; Fall of the Roman Empire, World War II, and the Celebration of the Holy Year by Pope John Paul II. The selected episodes are key in the history of the development of the church and provideRead MoreWestern Civilization Of The Byzantine Empire1195 Words   |  5 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   11/16/17 The Byzantine Empire at its peak was the most advanced in its culture, economic structure and military.   With its many expanding and contracting moments during its period of growth it was centered around, and a major part of the Roman Empire.   Ã‚  Ã‚  It was called the New Rome, and was influenced by Greeks, Romans, and the Roman Catholic Church.(Bauer, 11)   It mainly was the purpose of retrieving much of the old Roman Empire.   It was located there because it was surroundedRead MoreThe World Of Antiquity, The Roman Empire Essay1678 Words   |  7 PagesIn the world of antiquity, the Roman Empire (A.D. 117) was one of the roots of medieval Europe, where romans were at the top. They ruled this enormous amount of lands, the center being the city of Rome and the leader being the roman emperor. The empire’s extensive political, economic and social structure became vital to the heritage of the Ancient Civilization. The emergence of sustainable agriculture, primitive tec hnology, scholarly writing and reading, and metalworking had developed stability,Read MoreConstantine the Ruler of the Roman Empire1626 Words   |  7 Pages Constantine the ruler of the Roman Empire had been surrounded by many controversies during his reign (Cameron, 14). He was the son of a great warrior and he defeated Manutius a great ruler at Milia Bridge. He had gained much respect and admiration among the Romans as a fair ruler. He emerged as a ruler who supported Christianity and then became popular as a Christian ruler himself. His reign and victory over the Roman Empire is a significant event in the history of Christian religion. With theRead MoreThe Christian Church Of The Roman Empire931 Words   |  4 Pagesunderstand how the Christian church filled the vacuum left by the passing of the Roman Empire we must first determine two things; which Christian church filled the void and what were they filling? The Roman Empire provided law and order for the people to follow, this allowed for their economy to be built and their power to grow. Yet, despite its power and prestige the mighty empire fell to an onslaught of barbarians, a pe ople without a kingdom and mostly nomadic farms. Once the empire fell the kings of theseRead MoreThe Early Middle Ages And Early Medieval Period Essay1435 Words   |  6 Pagesclassical age and was characterized with significant changes in politics, culture and spirituality. Emperor Diocletian, in an attempt to overcome the faults and failures of the classical age, divided the empire into two empires: the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) and the Western Roman Empire. The transition into the late antiquity period was characterized by a sharp decline in population as a result of plagues, pandemics and war. Along with death comes spirituality; during this time there wasRead MoreTHE RISE OF THE PAPACY Essay examples1637 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Early in history, the Roman papacy consolidated its power. It became one of the most influential organizations in the medieval period. This rise to power resulted from the decline in the Western Empire, the leadership of Roman bishops, and special grants that gave the church land holdings. This rise to power caused some positive ramifications, such as the protection of the church from heresy. However, the absolute power of the pope also caused corruption and abuses, many of which wouldRead MoreThe Balkan Of World History1518 Words   |  7 Pagesinfrastructure, language roots, and religion of the Balkan area. The Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires were the ones that for diverse reasons left a more lasting impression in this area. To be more specific, by means of architecture, the province of Plovdiv, Bulgaria is the perfect example on how these three empires left their cultural mark. Considering this, the cultural layering observed in East Central Europe is the result of these t hree empires’ religious architectural and language legacy left due toRead MoreRoman Empire1559 Words   |  7 PagesGreek and Roman financiers: from the 4th century BC Banking activities in Greece are more varied and sophisticated than in any previous society. Private entrepreneurs, as well as temples and public bodies, now undertake financial transactions. They take deposits, make loans, change money from one currency to another and test coins for weight and purity. They even engage in book transactions. Moneylenders can be found who will accept payment in one Greek city and arrange for credit in anotherRead MoreSummary of People and Empires844 Words   |  3 PagesSummary of People and Empires. This book is a Short History, of western empires which explain how European civilization and includes chronology of key events are influenced by the empires that was formed in it, like the Roman empire. It starts with Alexander and his Greek army and ends with the EU. Major events between these two events are empires like the Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, the Catholic Church as an Empire, the Spanish Empire, British Empire, and the European Colonial influence