Training and assement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Training and assement - Essay Example Steps to take 1. Establish the scenario: gather background information needed, identify the target group, and determine training needs. 2. Research and identify two units of competency from a nationally-recognised qualification that address the training needs. Determine program outcomes based on these units. 3. Collaborate with others as needed to design, develop and review the learning program. 4. Evaluate and select available learning resources for content relevance and quality. 5. Document the learning program plan. Evidence to submit Please submit the following as proof that you have completed this project: RESULTS Assessor to complete shaded areas: S NYS 1. Cover page This training program was carried out to use training packages and accredited courses to meet client needs. The client organization was made up of workers of bakery shops at a cluster area in the city. Though the clients were not from one company, they were at a cluster place and so accessibility to them was not a problem. The job positions for these clients were mostly newly recruited bakers and their managers. There were however some of them who were mere apprentices at the job. The duties of the apprentices were to ensure the day to day upkeep of the companies, whiles learning to become qualified bakers. The newly recruited bakers were regular salaried workers whereas the managers supervised all activities at the various companies. Quite a lot of the clients possessed some of the required skills and knowledge. For instance there were a lot of them who could read and write, perform basic numeracy operations, have good interpersonal relations and could interpret the content of the whole course. An outstanding characteristic of the clients that may affect the learning program is the availability of time and the schedule of learning period. This is because their work is demanding and so they hardly make time for private learning. The overall aim of the training was to equip learners with manag erial skills. The decision to select this training issue was because most of the clients, after working for companies for some number of years left the companies to start their own business. Such clients need managerial skills to mange their own companies. Clients were assessed through written test, observation, answering of questionnaires and peer report. 1. Cover Paged Completed and Attached    2. Learning program plan Submit a typed workplace document (about 2 – 3 pages) that outlines the final (approved) version of the learning program. The 2 units of competence used were TAEDES402A and TAEDES401A. These learning programs were needed to equip me with the skills and knowledge to handle clients with diverse learning needs. My most immediate target learning group was a group of bakers who were to receive training in office management. Most of these clients had good knowledge of the skills and knowledge prescribed in the course content. Example interpersonal relations, goo d communication skills, ability to read and write and ability to work numeracy problems. The dimensions of the course undertaken were introduction to office management, basic management skills, human management, assert management and company growth. For

'Accounting theory and methodology are a waste of time'. Critically Essay

'Accounting theory and methodology are a waste of time'. Critically evaluate this statement and provide examples to illusrate your answer - Essay Example There is no practice that can succeed without a very strong theoretical base. There are rules and principles that have been developed and they are based upon past practices of successful accountants. A lot has changed in accounting due to the rapid changes in economic and social environments. Some of the principles and rules that were developed earlier on are longer applicable. Thus accountants are faced with new problems that can not be solved with the traditional explanations of accounting. New areas are emerging in accounting such as social accounting, inflation accounting and human resource accounting (Porwal 7). Methodology is important in creating an accounting theory. There are two methods of reasoning that are applied in accounting research methodologies; inductive and deductive. The two reasoning are as a result of differences in values, opinions and approaches between accounting research and accounting practice (Porwal 8). There are two types of accounting theories; the proposal or the normative type and the descriptive or the positive type. The normative type proposes alternative ways of accounting, for example, alternative method of assets valuation either by the market value or the present value. The positive type analyses and explains the existing modes of accounting, for, example, the real functions and social significance of today’s accounting systems (Fujita and Jinnai 283). Development of accounting theories began in the early 1900. The first attempt has been attributed to William Paton and John Canning. Paton was among the first people to propose the inclusion of the changes in the value of liabilities and assets in financial statements. The changes were to be measured on a current value basis. Canning’s framework of asset valuation was based on future expectations and a model to match expenses and revenues. DR Scott made contributions to the development of normative theory. His views are reflected in publications â€Å"The Basis

The Use of Theatre in Mexican-American Culture Essay Example for Free

The Use of Theatre in Mexican-American Culture Essay Latinos are currently the largest minority group in the United States, and Mexican-Americans are the largest group within the Latino population. It may be unfathomable for the younger generations to think of the Mexican population in the United States as a silent minority group; however, it was not until after World War II that we see a rise in Chicano nationality and identity movements. What was the role of the theatre in this discovery of identity, and how did the theatre give social voice to this formerly unheard group? The clearest answer to this question can be found through the Teatro Chicano movement, Luis Valdez’s character El Pachuco in Zoot Suit and the performance art pieces and writings of Luis Alfaro. The name El Teatro Chicano is actually a blanket term used to describe an entire theatrical movement by the Mexican-American population in the United States. Established in 1965, Luis Valdez’s El Teatro Campesino (literally, Farmworkers’ Theatre) was the most famous of the Chicano Theatres; however it was hardly the only participant within the movement. In 1971 there were over 25 groups that defined themselves as Chicano Theatres (Huerta 15). The basic guidelines of El Teatro Chicano were simply to be a community-based movement committed to exposing social issues and injustices within the barrios, or hyper-segregated Mexican neighborhoods. The mission of Teatro Chicano was based on the understanding of the ancestral Mayan concept of â€Å"In Lak’ech†, which states â€Å"you are my other me, so I must respect you as I do myself. † The foundation of Teatro Chicano not only traced back to the Native American ancestors of the Mexican-American community, but it also sought to use this ancestry to restore a sense of identity and to encourage Mexicans in the United States to hold onto their roots (Huerta 16). Unlike other theatre and social change movements, El Teatro Chicano was not really interested in injustice as a whole, but rather injustice from the vantage point of the Mexican-American. The specificity of the movement also helped to distinguish the Mexican identity from a general marginalized group identified by the blanked term of ‘Hispanic’ or ‘Latino’ to a unique faction with a personalized perspective (Huerta 15). There has been little research done on teatros other than Teatro Campesino, most likely due to the fact that El Teatro Chicano was not a very organized or professional movement. Pieces were often performed outdoors, on street corners or in other high traffic areas. Little concern was given to production quality because the content of the message was the primary focus (Kanellos 65). Valdez felt there was a want for more unity and communication between participants as well as a need for more training of Chicano performers in El Teatro Chicano, so in the summer 1971 he held the first meeting of El Teatro Nacional de Aztlan, or TENAZ. The workshop was considered a â€Å"success†, and 15 participants were taught different Teatro ‘techniques’ and swapped ideas for topics and themes for new performance art pieces (Huerto 14). Ironically Valdez, the founder of TENAZ, was eventually excluded from the workshop because he was criticized for creating works that were too ‘spiritual’ and that avoided the real issues of poverty, employment and discrimination (Elam 116 – 117). The fundamental performance utilized by El Teatro Chicano was the acto, a term coined by Luis Valdez. Actos are performance are pieces that are used to â€Å"inspire the audience to social action† and put emphasis on the social vision (Broyles-Gonzalez 25). While they were usually scripted, they were never actually written down and performers often took a lot of artistic license with the pieces (Broyles-Gonzalez 22). The actos performed by various Teatros Chicanos often faced serious opposition, even by members of the Mexican community. In an effort to remain ‘true to reality’ the actos often contained extreme profanity, coarse subject matters and graphic violence. It was not uncommon for Teatro Chicano performers to be thrown out of venues because of the vulgarity of the actos, so performers constantly struggled between the choice of softening the pieces for the sake of the audience or remaining true their perception of the social reality (Huerta 17). Though it may have lacked in unity and professionalism, the El Teatro Chicano helped to instill pride in the Mexican identity and spur discussion of injustice and social action. In his essay Concerning Teatro Chicano, J. A. Huearta states: â€Å"Teatros are converting Chicanos who used to be ashamed of their heritage; teatros are bringing socio-political realities to the people in a way they cannot ignore; teatros are educating people† (Huerta 18). During his work with El Teatro Campesino, Luis Valdez was commissioned to write Zoot Suit by the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. The play would tell the story of the racially biased trials of the Sleepy Lagoon Murders, where seventeen pachucos, Mexican gang members, were convicted of first-degree murder, and the Zoot Suit Riots that ensued due to the verdict (Jacobs 27). Through much opposition from the Anglo-dominated theatre world, the play debuted at the Taper, made its way to Broadway in 1979 and was later made into a film in 1981. Much of the opposition to the play was due to the unwillingness to change the character of El Pachuco, the prototype of the 1940s Mexican gangster and Valdez’s personification of the Chicano identity (Kanellos 97). In an interview soon after the release of the film Zoot Suit Valdez commented on the character of El Pachuco: â€Å"He is the rebel. The recalcitrant rebel who refuses to give in, who refuses to bend, refuses to admit that he is wrong. He is incorrigible. And the way that the Pachuco appears in the film and in the play makes a very strong statement. The stance is almost ideological, even cultural; it’s mythical. They know then, the Anglo critics†¦that what this figure represents is a self-determined identity; it comes from its own base. That’s been my argument all along through my work; that we have our own fundamental base from which to work† (Kanellos 98). To Valdez, the idea of the Pachuco was not to glorify the lifestyle of the 1940’s gangster (which many accused him of doing), but rather find an archetype within whom the Mexican-American community could find their identity. The pachuco refused to assimilate to the dominant white culture, and while he may inhabit some extreme character flaws, Valdez finds his struggle for identity worthy of acclaim (Kanellos 101). Valdez also argues that he presents both good and bad sides to El Pachuco, as to not present him as a villain or hero, but rather and â€Å"abstract person† who acts as a sort of â€Å"internal authority† for the Mexican-American (Kanellos 98). The pachuco is clearly seen as the symbol of Chicano identity in the second act of Zoot Suit. El Pachuco stands before the court and is stripped of his zoot suit, the representation of his new identity, and is reduced to nothing but a loin cloth, the representation of his ancestral Native-American identity (Valdez Act II, Scene 6). Despite the persecution, El Pachuco still refuses to give into the dominant culture. It is clear that Valdez sought to instill ideas of pride and heritage within the Chicano community through his character of El Pachuco, but his plight did not go unopposed, even by members of his own racial community. Along with the disdain held for the lifestyle of the pachuco, Valdez was also criticized for marginalizing women through the â€Å"machisimo† or male domination of his plays (Jacobs 28). In Zoot Suit and other Valdez plays women’s roles were restricted to four characters: mother, grandmother, sister and love interest. Women also strictly fell into the category of â€Å"good woman† or â€Å"bad woman† and never had the character complexity or struggle like that of El Pachuco (Broyles-Gonzalez). In her article Elizabeth Jacobs writes: â€Å"†¦Valdez promotes an exclusively male version of events and a perspective reflecting the essentializing tendencies of movement ideology which dichotomized a ‘monolithic’ male Chicano identity in response to Anglo-American domination† (Jacobs 29). It seems that though Valdez was attempting to fight the dominant group by creating a sense of identity for the Chicanos, he arguably did so by marginalizing another minority group. To this criticism Valdez has been cited as saying, â€Å"Anytime that a new identity is created, it emerges as a power that is raw, terrible and disgusting to some, and glorious to others† (Kanellos 99). A more recent example of the use of theatre to spur social change for the Mexican-American community can be found in the performance art pieces of Luis Alfaro. As seems to be a common thread linking Chicano theatre, Alfaro’s pieces have the tendency to disturb audiences with their subject matter and/or physical performance, but do not seem to be quite as offensive as the actos performed by El Teatro Chicano members. Through his writings Alfaro advocates â€Å"throwing one’s identity in the face of others, making oneself fabulous, daring to tell the truth, to tell one’s own story† (Bonney 296). In his piece entitled Abuelita Alfaro speaks from the perspective of a ten year old boy with an extreme disdain for his Abuelita (grandmother). As the piece continues it becomes rather obvious that Abuelita stands as a symbol for old Mexican heritage and tradition. He shows a bloody finger and tells of a time when his Abuelita stuck it in her noting that I was â€Å"the only way that Abuelita knows how to stop the bleeding† (Bonney 298). He later shows a bloody finger on his other hand and tells how other Latinos are afraid to touch his wound, alluding to the idea that they are afraid he is infected with HIV because he’s gay. He ends the piece by how he wishes for Abuelita in these times of â€Å"plague†¦loss†¦sorrow†¦mourning†¦and shame† (Bonney 298 299). This comparison between the Abuelita, or the Mexican culture and heritage of old, who embraces him even if the manner seems simplistic and crude and the modern Latino community who rejects his wounds serves as a more subtle call to the Mexican community to embrace one another as their ancestors did (much like the afore mentioned Mayan concept of In Lak’ech). In another performance peace entitled Mu Mu Approaches, Alfaro consumes an entire box of Twinkies while a voice over tells a story of the rejection of â€Å"Mu Mu†, another woman who seems to stand for Mexican heritage and culture. (Bonney 299 – 300). Both the words of Alfaro’s piece and the gluttonous consumption of an entire box of Twinkies, a very â€Å"American† food, convey the dangers of over assimilation and neglect of one’s heritage. While Alfaro’s theatrical pieces definitely contribute to the establishment of a Chicano identity, he does not fall directly in line with the movement of El Teatro Chicano or that of Luis Valdez. Alfaro’s pieces often rejected oppression and marginalization in general; he did not only concern himself with the struggle of the Mexican-American. The lack of continuity could be attributed to many different things, but I think it is important to note that Alfaro’s homosexuality could be a reason for his apparent deviation from the mission of El Teatro Chicano. Both the Teatro movement and Luis Valdez have received extreme criticism from both feminist and gay rights groups, and were even called â€Å"homophobic† by some (Elam 32). There is no present research linking Alfaro’s sexual orientation and his divergence from El Teatro and Luis Valdez; however the connection does seem possible. There is no denying that theatre has played a significant role in giving a social voice to the Chicano community as well as creating a distinguished identity for them in the United States. However, there also is no denying that the highlighted theatre movements are not without weaknesses, some more striking than others. El Teatro Chicano devoted itself entirely to the Mexican population, but in some ways it may have promoted the same type of ethnocentrisms that it was created to fight. Luis Valdez tried to create a sense of pride an identity for the Mexican-American through his character of El Pachuco, but it was arguably at the expense of the women of the Chicano community. Luis Alfaro’s performance pieces, while not without flaws, seem to have progressed some from those before him. Perhaps, as stated before, this has something to do with his sexual-orientation, or perhaps it is simply due to the natural evolution of learning from those who have gone before you. Alfaro’s work gives hope that future Mexican performers, writers and directors will develop even farther down the path of social enlightenment, and that perhaps one day oppressed communities will be able to find liberation without the marginalization of someone else.

Strategic Management Case Analysis Of Airtran Airways

Strategic Management Case Analysis Of Airtran Airways This case analysis examines the impacts AirTran Airways has on the airline industry with respect to its competitors. AirTran Airways is an airline company that provides domestic flights (U.S.) to travelers flying in the United States. AirTran also became the first airline to offer Wi-Fi to its travelers. AirTran is the successor of its predecessor ValuJet Airlines that was founded in 1993 in Atlanta, Georgia. AirTran, better known as ValuJet Airlines in the mid 1990s, grew economically stable because of its low airfare prices. In 1995 and 1996 however, ValuJet also obtained the highest number of air-travel accidents than any other airline company. One example was the famous crash of Flight 592 in 1996 that killed 110 people in Florida when the plane crashed into the Florida Everglades (river). After the accident and further investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the crash had resulted from several safety violations of ValuJet aircrafts. These violations also led the FAA to ground ValuJet Airlines. In order words, any new aircrafts purchased by ValuJet had to be approved by the FAA to determine the safety level and compliance to the FAA standards for aircrafts. In 1997, ValuJet was experiencing financial hardships and was on the road to bankruptcy. As a result, ValuJet partnered with AirTran Holdings and move their operations from Atlanta, Georgia to Orlando, Florida. A short time after the merger of AirTran and ValuJet, ValuJet decided to remove its name from the merger, letting AirTran Holdings obtain control of the entire merger. As of September 2010, AirTran Airways (AirTran Holdings) has experienced financial hardships since the 2008 world-wide recession. As a result, AirTran made an agreement for Southwest Airlines to purchase the low-fare airline since AirTran was on the road again to bankruptcy. The information constructed and used for this case analysis pertains to proposed vision and mission statements for AirTran, internal and external audits of AirTran, types of strategies, and a conclusion that will determine what AirTrans next plan of action should be. Vision Statement Actual: Proposed AirTran has NO actual vision statement. AirTrans vision is to be recognized and become the leading competitor in the airline industry with affordable airfares, a safe environment, and excellent customer service. Mission Statement Actual: Proposed Innovative people dedicated to delivering the best flying experience to smart travelers. Every day. (AirTran, 2008). Our mission is to supply safety and affordable flights to our travelers including our employees in the airline industry. We are committed to being honest and loyal to our travelers while providing a fun and safe environment for our crew members and our customers. We are focusing more on technology including offering Wi-Fi satellite radio to our traveling customers. AirTran is also focused on teamwork and taking pride in everything we accomplish because communication among our crew members is the key for success here at AirTran. Discussion and Analysis of Mission/Vision Statements In judging the actual vision and mission statements of AirTran, the proposed statements give a better insight on what AirTran is about. AirTrans vision does not answer the question of what we want to become, because a vision statement for AirTran do not exist (David, 2011). Instead, a proposed vision was created in order to fill the void of a missing vision statement. The vision statement is the most important statement because it defines what the company plans to do and it is the foundation of defining the mission statement. AirTrans actual mission statement does not clearly answer what AirTran is about. For example, AirTrans current mission statement only states what the employees goal is about, which is providing the best flying experience to smart travelers. It does not satisfy the mission statement components including customers, technology, concern for employees, or a philosophy the company can follow. The actual mission does not build a foundation for strategies, plans, and priorities for AirTran. In the proposed mission statement however, the mission includes customers, the services AirTran offers, the markets, technology and concern for employees. The proposed philosophy of AirTran is: communication among our crew members is the key for success here at AirTran (David, 2011). Discussion and Analysis An EFE matrix is a tool that is used by companies to determine and study economic, demographic, political, technological, competitive, etc. factors outside of its company (David, 2011). The unemployment factor under opportunities received the highest weight because it unemployment increases, more people will drive vehicles and travel less by plane to save gas and money. Currently, the unemployment rate is 9.2% in the US (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010). If the unemployment rate decreases, more people are likely to travel by airplanes, especially if the airfare cost is low and demand for air travel is high (Travel Agent Central, 2010). Another major opportunity is that one of AirTran competitors Mexicana de Aviacià ³n ceased operations in the United States and Mexico. The use of wireless technology and Wi-Fi is another opportunity that could attract potential travelers who dont have access to the internet when traveling on other Airline company planes. The largest threat to AirTran is the increased competition from Delta and Southwest Airlines. The increased competition factor received the highest weight because the most important factor that affects another business is the competition from its competitors. Another threat to AirTran is that its highly dependent on the fluctuations of fuel costs. Since fuel is one of the largest costs to AirTran a slight adjustment can mean the difference between a loss and a profit. Along of fuel, labor costs are one of the largest costs to AirTran and a slight adjust can mean the difference between a loss and a profit. Political policies enforced by the US and other countries in which AirTran operates can have a huge impact on the company as a whole. With terrorism a top priority of the government, new policies can cause a huge burden on AirTran for new technologies or more labor costs (security and maintenance). As with any business, labor strikes can halt a companys operations causing the company to lose millions in revenue. Labor strikes received a rating of 4 because it is a threat that could cause AirTran to be driven out of business. AirTran is performing average in their external environment. Most of AirTrans opportunities and threats need to be addressed more aggressively, such as decreasing operating costs, expanding internationally, and increased competition (David, 2011). Competitive Profile Matrix Discussion and Analysis A Competitive profile matrix for a business helps them determine major competitors weakness and strengths in their strategies (David, 2011). AirTran has the highest weighted score because AirTran has an advantage in charter services, business class services, and the navigation of their website. Based on the research found, the lowest fare costs ranked from AirTran being the lowest to Southwest Airlines being the highest and Delta Airlines falling between the two. AirTran received a rating of 4 under technological advances because it was the first airline company to introduce and provide Wi-Fi to travelers and customers. AirTran however, received a rating of 2 for both the market share and the financial position because AirTran is becoming bankrupt, in which AirTran was just bought out by Southwest Airlines. Airfare costs and market share are weighted heavily because if a companys airfare costs are too high, many customers will reject the idea of buying airfare tickets. Charging too l ow for airfare tickets would attract more customers, but would decrease the market share since the company would be losing profits while selling at a low price. Discussion and Analysis An IFE Matrix is a tool that summarized the major strengths and weakness for many companies based on the functional areas of that business (David, 2011). Being the first airline company to provide Wi-Fi Internet to travelers is classified as minor strength because it provides an opportunity for travelers to surf the web or complete business objectives. AirTran also has a 1st place ranking in overall air quality from the Airline Quality Report of 2008 (AirTran Airways, 2008). Having rewards for frequent flyers encourages their frequent flyers to be a committed customer. AirTran includes their $1 billion annual revenue, which helps their airline purchases better equipped airplanes. Also, AirTrans high number of daily flights helps their revenue while increasing their safety rating from by riding passengers to their destination safely. Lastly, their low cost structure encourages more customers which will result in an increase of their profit revenue. Having customer complaints and a decrease in stock prices can result in negative effects. A weakness is a negative strategy of a business that has negative impacts upon that particular business (David, 2011). These are a few weaknesses that AirTran currently possess, which could cost them thousands of potential customers.. Another weakness of AirTran includes spending more money for maintenance equipments, which resulted in a net loss, which can also affect the liquidity of the business. High labor costs also have a negative impact on AirTran because it decreases net income. Key Financial Ratios: (in thousands) Discussion and Analysis The financial ratios above are based off the 2009 balance sheet and income statement data from AirTrans annual report. Financial ratios are statistical data that analysts use based on the companys balance sheet and income statement for that fiscal year (David, 2011). Liquidity ratios help measure a firms capacity of meeting short-term obligations. Leverage ratios help determines how much a firm is in debt. Activity ratios describe how well a firm is allocating its resources effectively. Profitability ratios help determines the overall effectiveness of management based on the firms investments and sales. Growth Ratios help determine the firms ability to remain liquid during the growth of both the economy and the industry (David, 2011). Strategy Analysis SWOT Strategy Matrix: Strengths Financial stability Global presence Brand recognition Low cost air fares Weaknesses Speed of customer service High rate of accidents involving AirTran planes Quality of airline services Opportunities Possible company expansion with Southwest Airlines. Possible gain of new fleet Increase in profits Expanding AirTran into foreign countries. SO Strategies Utilize brand recognition by expanding operations and partnering with Southwest Airlines (S3, O1). Increase global presence by expanding operations into foreign countries such as Mexico, Canada, and the Middle East (S2, O4) WO Strategies Eliminate high percentage of airplane accidents by acquiring new fleet that uses efficient technology to decreases the risk of accidents (W2, O2). Improve the quality of airline and customer service with new methods such as customer surveys, questionnaires, and joining forces with their major competitor to improve quality (W3, O1) Threats 1. Stronger Competition from competitors 2. Rising Labor Costs 3. Anti-terrorism policies and laws 4. Economic conditions ST Strategies Sustain financial stability by monitoring expenses and changes with the competition (S1, T1) Maintain low air fares and maximum profits by monitoring the economic condition for the airline industry (S4, T4) Eliminate retrenchment by expanding operations globally (S2, T4) WT Strategies Establish a positive public image regarding the high rate of accidents to avoid criticism from people who are affected by post 9/11 laws and policies (W2, T3) Focus on improving customer services to help combat against other airline competitions customer service (W1, T1) Improve the quality of airline services by monitoring the competition that has a stronger competitive advantage (S3, T1) Discussion and Analysis The SWOT (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) matrix is an important type of framework used by companies to develop four types of strategies based on SO (strengths-opportunities), ST (strengths-threats), WO (weaknesses-opportunities), and WT (weaknesses-threats) (David, 2011). SO strategies are based upon the companys internal strengths, which are used to capitalize upon the external opportunities outside that company. An SO strategy for AirTran would include using their brand recognition of low costs to expand their operations globally. ST strategies results from a companys strengths thats used to help eliminate or condense external threats. An ST strategy for AirTran would include monitoring their expenses and economic conditions to maintain financial stability. WO strategies are used to help capitalize on opportunities by improving the companys internal weaknesses. For example, AirTran has a high number of plane crashes, which is a major internal weakness. A WO strategy fo r AirTran would be to acquire new technology advanced fleet and aircrafts to eliminate the high number of airplane accidents. A WT strategy is used to help a company not only avoid external threats, but to help improve internal weaknesses also. A WT strategy for AirTran may include focusing on better customer service to gain potential customers from its competition (David, 2011). The SPACE Matrix for AirTran Airways INTERNAL STRATEGIC POSITION EXTERNAL STRATEGIC POSITION Financial Position (FP) Stability Position (SP) Technological changes Rate of Inflation Competitive pressure Price elasticity of demand Price range of competing products Financial Leverage Liquidity Inventory Turnover Return on investment Cash Flows Earnings per share Competitive Position (CP) Industry Position (IP) Growth potential Profit Potential Financial Stability Resource Utilization Ease of entry into market Market share Product quality Product life cycle Customer loyalty Technological know-how Discussion and Analysis A space matrix is a type of framework that companies use to designate which type of strategies should be pursued, whether those strategies are aggressive, competitive, defensive, or conservative (David, 2011). An aggressive strategy demonstrates that a company has great financial strength in that specific industry for that company while a conservative strategy indicates that the status of a company (positive or negative) in a industry thats decreasing in growth and sales. A competitive strategy demonstrates that a company has major competitive advantage(s) in either a high-growing or low-growing industry. Companies categorized under a defensive strategy indicate that a company has competitive disadvantages in a low-growing industry. AirTran is currently taking a defensive position in the airline industry because AirTran has a weak competitive position in an industry thats becoming more unstable as time progresses (David, 2011). The value assigned to the financial position is a 2 beca use of AirTrans financial struggle to remain liquid as a business. AirTran received a -6 under the stability position since competitive pressure is high and the high risk involved for AirTran. The Industry position received a score of 4 because AirTran has the potential to grow, but at the same time, the financial stability of AirTran is relatively weak. The competitive position received a -5 because of the low market share and control AirTran has over its competition (David, 2011). The Internal-External Matrix Discussion and Analysis An Internal-External Matrix is a tool that companies use by dividing their divisions into nine cells and basing the data from the IFE and EFE weighted scores (David, 2011). The grow and build section received a medium score because the EFE weighted score for AirTran fell around 2.68. Since it has a medium score of 2.68, it would also be classified as an average internal position. The IFE weighted score for AirTran fell around 2.70, which is also classified as an average internal position with a medium score (David, 2011). Since AirTran is struggling financially, the harvest and divest area received an average score also with the grow and build section being in the low quadrant score. The Grand Strategy Matrix Discussion and Analysis A grand strategy matrix is a tool that analysts use in order to formulate alternative strategies for that business. There are four quadrants that represents whether a firm is classified in a competitive or market position based on the growth of the market (David, 2011). AirTran would be classified under quadrant III because the airline industry has slowed in growth and AirTran is on the verge of bankruptcy. AirTran needs to make changes quickly; however, due to the lack of financial support, Southwest Airlines has bought AirTran Airways from the owner of the company. Since all the other options have failed for AirTran, selling its business to another competitor is the only way to suppress bankruptcy (Schlangenstein, 2010). QPSM for AirTran The Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix QSPM Strategic Alternatives For AirTran Airways Discussion and Analysis The QSPM (Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix) is a type of framework thats used by companies to determine the comparative attractiveness of alternative strategies (David, 2011). These new strategies are based upon the previous strategies formulated from the SWOT matrix. The key factors of the QSPM are generated from the EFE, IFE, and the competitive profile matrix strategies. The alternative strategies formulated are based on what the company should consider implementing. In other words, AirTran decides to use product development as an alternative strategy. The alternative strategy involved intends to increase sales by creating an express lane for customers to quickly purchase airfare tickets. Some of the key factors involved for the new express lane strategy include an increase in Floridas population, while studying the weakness of increased customer complaints. An attractiveness score is formulated based upon how well the alternative strategy can improve the key factors, whether its an opportunity, threat, strength, or weakness. For the express lane alternative strategy, an attractiveness score of 2 for the increased population of Florida factor indicates that the idea is somewhat attractive. On the other hand, one of AirTrans competitors Mexicana de Aviacià ³n ceased operations and received an attractiveness score of 4 because AirTran can capitalize o n this opportunity by gaining more potential customers (David, 2011). Evaluation of AirTran worth analysis: AirTran Worth Analysis **In Thousands (2009) 1. Determine Net Worth or Stockholders Equity Sum of Common Stock, Additional Paid-in Capital, and Retained Earnings (in thousands) Discussion and Analysis In evaluating AirTrans worth, the worth can be categories into what AirTran owns, what AirTran has earned, and what AirTran can bring to the airline industry. The net worth of AirTran is approximately $525,740 (in thousands). The net worth includes common stock, paid-in capital, and AirTrans retained earnings (David, 2011). The price-earnings ratio for AirTran is a (-$525.81 thousand), which is a negative earnings per share because of AirTrans low stock prices. The current enterprise value of AirTran, according to yahoo.com is around 1.60 billion dollars. In other words, if Southwest Airlines decides to buy AirTran as Southwest have already done, Southwest would more than likely pay around 1.60 billion dollars (AirTran Holdings, 2009). Recommendations: Specific strategies and long term objectives that would benefit AirTran would include expanding its operations internationally to countries such as Europe, Asia, and Africa due to the high population, especially China. Chinas economy is currently on the rise and AirTran moving its operations to China could greatly benefit the company. With nearly 1 billion people in China, if only 10% of the people buy airfares from AirTran at $50 each, thats 100 million people per $50 ticket, which would equal to around $5 billion, 5 times the annual revenue. Moving from a domestically controlled environment to an international control environment is beneficial also because it will provide the US citizens an inexpensive opportunity to travel to foreign counties. The estimated time for expanding AirTrans operations should take no more than 1 year, if not before. New policies that should be implemented for AirTrans foreign operations would include outsourcing employees such as the employees that live in the country thats holding AirTrans operations. For example, if AirTran expands to China, then it is only logical that AirTran should only hire individuals from China and neighboring areas to run the operations. If AirTran however continues to experience financial instability, AirTran should sell all of its assets for their intangible worth, which would be classified as liquidation (David, 2011). Discussion and Analysis A projected income statement allows an organization to predicted expected results based on particular actions and approaches (David, 2011). Based on the above income statement, it is projected that AirTran will decrease in total revenue by about 50% because of the recent drop in sales and net income. Since AirTran also has negative retained earnings, it is only reasonable that the total revenue will decrease by a percentage. Since total revenue directly affects gross profit, the gross profit is projected to fall about 75% in the year 2010, based off 2009 financial data. Operating expenses are predicted to increase by 10% because of the decrease in profits and possible increase in expenses. Based off the projections, it is projected that the net income will also decrease by about 50% because of the decrease in revenues and gross profit. Discussion and Analysis A projected balance sheet is a financial statement that allows an organization to predict future total assets and project total liabilities based off the income statement (David, 2011). Since the revenue decreased on the income statement, the cash of the balance sheet would decrease around 9% since cash is created from total revenues. Inventory will decrease by 8% because AirTran will not buy as many aircrafts for their airline company due to the recent drop in net income and increased expenses. As a result, the total assets would decrease by 9.8 percent due to the decrease of inventory, cash, and other contra-asset accounts. The liabilities are project to remain about the same with exception to the long term debt. Since AirTran is losing money, they are not likely to purchase any new aircrafts that may require them to take out a loan. The long-term debt account is projected to decrease by 25% because of the decreased reliability of taking out a loan for inventory purchases. Common s tock under owners equity will remain the same since the number of shares outstanding will not change from its previous value of 135,000. Since the retained earnings are currently at a negative value, a prediction of an addition of negative $6,000 is projected for the retained earnings account. In addition, the total assets and total liabilities/stockholders equity match, so the projected balance sheet is complete for 2010 (David, 2011). Discussion and Analysis The financial ratios above are based off the 2010 projected balance sheet and projected income statement data for AirTran. Financial ratios are statistical data that analysts use based on the companys balance sheet and income statement for that fiscal year (David, 2011). The liquidity ratios for AirTran describe how well AirTran can meet short term liabilities. Both the current and quick ratios have a calculation of 1.02 based off the projected financial statements. The leverage ratios, which measure how much a firm is financial by debt include debt to total-asset ratio and debt to equity ratio. The debt to total-asset ratio has a calculation of 0.78, which indicates that AirTrans total assets is about 22% higher than AirTrans total debt. Activity ratios demonstrate how well AirTran is using its resources. The fixed assets turnover has a ratio of 1.00 exactly, indicating that AirTran is effectively using its resources and equipment utilization. The profitability ratios will measure A irTrans overall effectiveness based on sales and investments. The net profit margin has a ratio of 6% indicating that after taxes, per dollar of sales, AirTran will receive a 6% profit. The growth ratios measure how well AirTran can growth depending on its economic positioning. Based on the net income data, net income has a ratio of about 50% because of the increase of net income from $67,331 to $134,662 in 2008 and 2009 respectfully. Discussion and Analysis A balance scorecard is a type of framework that companies use for evaluation of objectives such as financial performance and customer knowledge (David, 2011). The expected financial and nonfinancial objectives recommended for AirTran include customer service/loyalty, revenue growth, and quality of customer service. The desired measure for the customer objectives include customer feedback and rewards such as giving customers questionnaires to answer and provide an A+ reward to frequent travelers. The time expected to implement the customer objective will take around 1 month to complete. The desired measure for the financial objectives includes the changes in finances such as net income and stockholders equity. The estimated time to implement the financial objectives may take up to 6 months or a year because of the financial instability AirTran is currently experiencing. The operations/processes objective has a desired measure of a scale rating from A to F. The higher the letter grade, the better AirTran will look to potential customers, creditors, and investors (David, 2011). Conclusion: AirTrans future plan is to sell its company to Southwest Airlines instead of shutting down its operations. Although AirTran will no longer be operated as AirTran Holdings, the owner feels that this is an opportunity for AirTran to become an even greater entity. AirTran could have possibly rethought the situation of selling its assets to Southwest Airlines and formed an alternative strategy. The alternative strategy could have been to expand its operations to foreign countries that will create opportunities to reach a new variety and number of people. However, it appears now that Southwest Airlines is back to the top as being one of the most dominant airline companies to exist today.

Russian and Chechnyan conflict Essay -- essays research papers

Conflicts in a country occur everywhere in the world. Russia and Chechnya's conflict is one example.There were many reasons and factors that led this conflict to grow into a war. Both Russia and Chechnya had different goals and interests that they tried to achieve. This led them to oppose one another and see eachother as enemies. The following is a full analysis of the conflict, which explains the background factors, which contributed to it. The Chechnya- Russia conflict, can be more understood by looking to the past. The historical background is needed to display the whole picture of the war. The area in the southern Russia was called the Caucasus region. Many non-Russian ethnic groups lived there. It all began when the czars started a 300-year attempt to conquer the Northern Caucasus in 1560. They failed to take over Chechnya and other areas of the Caucasus because the Ottoman Empire had conquered them. The Chechens converted to Islam when they became under the Ottomans rule. Russia still did not give up. It made stronger attempts to invade the area and finally forced the withdrawal of the Ottomans by 1785.After winning the Caucasian War, the Russian government pressured many people to leave from Chechnya to different Muslim countries of the Middle East. In 1877,1920,and 1929 the Chechens made unsuccessful rebellion attempts against the czars and later Soviet powers. Their main goal behind this was to resist unification, anti-religion campaigns, and Russification. B...

Exxon Mobil Essay -- Business Analysis

ExxonMobil is the largest publicly traded oil and gas producing company. ExxonMobil does business in 200 countries world-wide (1). Some countries are designated for exploring gas and petroleum, and some are designated for manufacturing chemicals, lubricants, and market fuels (1). ExxonMobil's world-class petroleum portfolio gives access to proven reserves of 21.9 billion oil-equivalent barrels of oil and gas, which is the highest in the industry (1). The company's discovered resources consist of 72 billion oil equivalent barrels of oil and gas. On average, each day, they produce 2.5 million barrels of oil and 10.5 billion cubic feet of gas (4). Their asset base, includes more than 60,000 production wells in 1,800 fields in 25 countries. With activities in some 40 countries, ExxonMobil's oil and gas fields extend from West Texas to West Africa and from Australia to Alaska (1). The company operates in deep seas, arctic ice and deserts in some of the world's most remote regions (1). Ex xonMobil is the world's largest nongovernmental marketer of equity natural gas. The company has access to 56 trillion cubic feet of proven reserves and discovered resources of more than 185 trillion cubic feet. It has gas sales in 25 countries and across five continents (4).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Oil is Exxon’s primary means of revenue. In the Oil industry there are competitive forces that function in the industry, but none stronger than the barriers of entry. One of the major barriers to entry is finding a supply of petroleum or gas. The cost of research, discovery, and output of gas and petroleum can easily reach the 100’s of millions of dollars. Another problem a new company would face, is receiving permission to develop oil in a foreign country. Because of the amount of money involved in oil, countries tend to produce oil on their own, rather than share the profits. The large investment in capital and the political connections needs to enter the industry, make it almost impossible to start a new oil company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second force that affects the oil industry is the bargaining power of suppliers. In the industry, suppliers have all the power. There is no international trade commission, so oil can be dispersed at any pace and be sold at what ever price suppliers want. The inelasticity of oil and the constant fear that oil is on the verge of running out, gives suppliers absolute power in the ... ...d. The have more than enough money and resources to work on alternative energy sources. Whether it is hydrogen or electricity, they can reap both the financial and humanity rewards. For Exxon to end with oil would be a tremendous blunder.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Exxon is not a company that needs to worry about competition. In the oil industry it is all about raw materials. The more a company has the more control they have. Exxon also has no need to be concerned with competition because gas is gas. No one is going to pay a dollar more for Exxon’s gas than Texaco. Another factor that eliminates competition from the industry is a unwritten theme that gas prices move together. It is rare to see two gas stations on the same block with significance in price. When oil prices go up, gas prices follow. Works Cited 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ExxonMobil’s Official Website 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  TexacoShell’s Official Website 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yahoo Finance ExxonMobil stock information and financial reports. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ExxonMobil’s Official Website Products and Services Subsidiaries and info about. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  TexacoShell’s Official Website 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ExxonMobil stock information and financial reports. Historical Stock Prices   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Humor in War Movies Essay

There is more than one way to get a point across in the movies. Movies based on actual events, movies made using actual facts but not always about true events, documentary films and those films that use humor or satire to get their point across. I think the three films that I chose fall into the last category. The first film (released in 1953) is Stalag 17, a film about American prisoners of war being held in a German prison camp. This film seems to follow the typical war movie theme, group unity for a common cause and no single hero. The movie stars William Holden who as Sergeant Sefton, a wheeler-dealer who doesn’t hesitate to trade with the guards and who has acquired goods and privileges that no other prisoner seems to have is accused of being a German spy by his fellow prisoners. The Germans always seem to be forewarned about escapes and in the most recent attempt the two men, Manfredi and Johnson, walked straight into a trap and were killed. For some in Barracks 4, especially the loud-mouthed Duke, the leaker is obvious. An officer is passing though on the way to another camp, tells of how he sabotaged an ammunition train by luck using matches. The Germans find out and now he has to hide so he can escape to avoid being shot. The director Billy Wilder created a popular film loaded with subversive subtexts, his signature cynicism and humor (although it’s sometimes a feeble attempt at humor it is humor just the same). WW II wasn’t even a decade old yet and maybe it wasn’t the right time to make a movie depicting the conditions of the German prisoner camps in such a realistic manner, but there seem to be a goldmine of possibilities within that setting for the directing genius of Wilder. By today’s standards it may be difficult to appreciate Stalag 17 as a classic film due to the TV show Hogan’s Heroes that it inspired. Wilder’s directing style, wit and perception are lost in the interpretation, but the films humor still remains. Another reason for lack of appreciation the basics of the Stalag 17’s plot have become the staple in terms of wartime incarceration and general prison-break films. Still, it is interesting to see the matter-of-fact style in an escape film. Most focus on the details of the laborate plan, but Stalag 17 follows the most practical route make a run for the fence while the guards are diverted which, when you think about it, is a more likely scenario besides how easy do you think it is to lay your hands on a pair of wire cutters in a prison camp. Broadly played, the humor, serves as a good method for getting away with the more subtle subversive aspects of the film. As Wilder once was quoted â€Å"that if one was going to tell the truth, be funny or they’ll kill you. † There is a long musical scene as one of the POWs sings while the rest celebrate Christmas by dancing with each other. The men are nice and toasted after having raided Sefton’s booze and Animal is desperately pining over Betty Grable. When Shapiro stuffs yellow straw under a bonnet as a gag, Animal thinks his dream girl has come to life and starts to dance and come on to Shapiro as he thinks Shapiro is Betty Grable. You can’t say that Sgt. Sefton is the hero of the movie, even Holden sited the unlikeability of the character, but his vicious, sharp and charismatic demeanor was enough for you to forgive him and root for him anyway. Holden’s character doesn’t change his wheeling and dealing ways at the end of the movie and one of his fellow prisoners remarks as Sefton is escaping â€Å"Maybe he just wanted to steal our wire cutters. You ever think of that? † Wilder had little use for such sentimentality and it is reflected in Stalag 17 because it’s an examination of the human condition not a moral tale. Such a cynical perspective in the depiction of actual combat would have to wait another twenty years and the dismal aftermath of two unpleasant wars to have the American audience fully ready for it. While a number of novels about World War II were able to capture such themes, Wilder was ahead of his time. Film critic Richard Corliss once suggested that, Wilder may have been â€Å"less a cynic than a premature realist. † Stalag 17’s dramatic scenes seem to hold up much better than the comedic scenes, considering many of people in the original audience had fought in the WWII and that American POWs were then being held in the current military conflict going on in Korea. It seems that the extensive comic segments might have been a used to defuse scenes that would have hit home more then than it would now. Back then I don’t think that many Americans audiences would have been willing to sit through an insistently grim POW drama. The bit about the soldier, his wife, and the baby on the doorstep must have made a few people in the audience very uneasy. It’s important to remember that this film was made and released in the early 1950’s. It is no mistake that the real traitor to American values was the head of â€Å"security† Price. At the time of the films release the congressional members of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was busy protecting American security by depriving citizens of their right to be different in very much the same ways as those depicted in the film. Like Sefton, however, Wilder is no hero. It can be argue that this is very much the film’s real message, Wilder cleverly hides it under enough comedy and plot that he runs no risk of offending Sen. McCarthy’s communist hunters. The next film Mister Roberts released in 1955 is about life on a Navy supply ship the â€Å"Reluctant† dubbed the â€Å"Bucket† by its crew. The Reluctant is commanded by an oppressive Captain Morton, who takes sadistic pleasure in undermining the crews’ morale. Lt. Doug Roberts (aka Mister Roberts) intervenes on the crew’s behalf as much as possible and watching him butt heads with the captain seems to lift the crew’s spirits while providing most their entertainment. This film doesn’t seem to follow the war movie theme. The main character Mister Roberts seems to be out for himself, with the war drawing to an end he wants to see some action. His weekly requests to be transferred are always turned down by Capt. Morton, who according to Roberts is using Roberts to promote himself. The fact that the crew is not happy with their situation is secondary to Roberts’ problem. One of the more sympathetic and insightful films from the 1950s to deal with World War II was Mister Roberts. It was an indication of the distance the public as well as filmmakers had come from the war. This distance would allow for a more sophisticated and dramatic treatment of the conflict and the people involved. Of all the films during this time that also reflect the new maturity, Mister Roberts was the most successful of them all, though getting it made properly took real work. Director John Ford was perfect for the project; he retired from the reserves as a rear admiral. Ford may have been too close to and slightly too old to do justice to the script to this subject, also he was up against the competing personality of star Henry Fonda. Fonda had scored a huge hit with the Broadway version of Mister Roberts and he had given up any hope of ever doing the movie version since he hadn’t been on-screen in eight years. Ford insisted on Fonda to star as a condition to directing the film, but the two were at odds from the beginning over the production, mostly over the director’s tendency to inject rough-house comedy into his movies. Ford used such an approach to breathe life into some of his other movies like Fort Apache. However, Mister Roberts was a character-driven film with very little real action and Fonda thought the Fords’ emphasis on laughs would destroy the integrity of the material. Ford’s demanding dictatorial directing style combined with his excessive drinking created tension between the two. Ford left the production, he was replaced by director Mervyn LeRoy who basically asked the cast to use their best judgment and make the kind of movie Ford would’ve made. The result is a finely textured character study that captured the best dramatic moments of the play. Some of the comical scenes in the movie were when the sailors discover that they can have a clear view of the nurses’ shower room in a hospital on the nearby coast by looking through binoculars. This provides them with their first release from drudgery in over a year. The ship’s morale officer, young Ensign Pulver, is also aware of the nurses and finagles a trip to the hospital to pick up aspirin for Doc. While there, he convinces head nurse, Lt. Ann Girard, to come to the ship later by promising to share a bottle of scotch with her. Back on board, Pulver is distressed to learn that Roberts, the owner of the scotch, has used it to bribe an official to send the Reluctant to a liberty port. Roberts and Doc mix up simulated scotch, called â€Å"jungle juice,† from alcohol, Coca-Cola, iodine and hair tonic for Pulver to use in place of the scotch. When the nurses appear, Pulver, With Roberts’ permission, pretends to be the ship’s cargo officer and shows them around. The nurses, who are undeceived by his pretensions, discover the sailors’ view of their quarters and leave immediately to hang curtains. Another humorous point happens during a night onshore, the men unleash all their pent-up energy, they crash an Army dance, fight with soldiers, terrorize women, steal an admiral’s goat and mistake the French Colonial governor’s mansion for a bordello. Roberts hopes the night will give them strength for the â€Å"miserable, endless days ahead of them. The next day, the ship is banished from the port. Mister Roberts also made two appearances as a TV series, once in 1965 and again in 1984. As far as public was concerned enough time had passed that most Americans were able to laugh at some of the kookier aspects about military life and Hollywood provided just the right amount of seriousness and irreverence with this 1955 hit. The third film I chose is M*A*S*H released in 1970. The movie is about a mobile army surgical hospital set in the Korean War conflict (1950-1953). This movie breaks from the traditional war theme movies. It not about any one person at any given time but it’s not about the unit as a whole either. The plot in M*A*S*H is not defined; instead the unusual characters are involved in a sequence of darkly comic episodes. M*A*S*H is a black comedy about life in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital unit located only three miles from the front lines. The mission of any MASH unit is to provide immediate medical treatment to those wounded in combat, and the young surgeons are always up to their elbows in blood and guts for long periods of time. When they’re off duty, the MASH unit personnel keep their sanity by pursuing a wacky, irreverent lifestyle that leads to some hilarious adventures. Some of the hilarious scenes in the movie are; they sneak a microphone under the bed of Major â€Å"Hot Lips† Houlihan, and broadcast her lovemaking to the entire camp, a tent that is pulled away from the showering Major Houlihan an attempt to settle a bet about her being a natural blonde, they drug a general and photograph him in a brothel, a Last Supper parody where a man whose impotency has made him despondent is duped into a faux suicide and a rather lengthy football game sequence. The way they present humor in â€Å"M*A*S*H,† is almost metaphysically cruel, there is something about war that inspires practical jokes and the heroes (if you can call them heroes (Donald Sutherland (Hawkeye), Elliot Gould (Trapper John) and fellow camp members) are inspired and utterly heartless. We laugh because it is so true to the sadist in all of us. There is perhaps nothing so wonderful as achieving sweet mental revenge against someone we hate with particular enthusiasm. And it is the flat-out, poker-faced hatred in â€Å"M*A*S*H† that makes it work. Most comedies want us to laugh at things that aren’t really funny; in this one we laugh because they’re not funny. We laugh, so that we do not cry. This movie depends upon timing and tone to be funny. Hawkeye, Trapper John and the members of their merry band of pranksters are offended because the Army regulars Major Burns and Houlihan who don’t feel deeply enough. They are only concern is with Army protocol and not with war. Hawkeye and Trapper John dancing on the brink of crack-ups, dedicate themselves to making them feel something. Their facade offends them; no one could be that unaffected by the work of this hospital. And so if they can crack their defenses and reduce them to their own level of dedicated cynicism, the number of suffering human beings in the camp will go up by two. Even if they fail, they have a hell of a lot of fun trying and of course, it’s a distraction to the war. Although the movie is set in Korean War, no one seeing â€Å"M*A*S*H† in 1970 confused the film for anything but a sarcastic comment on the Vietnam War. This is one of the counterculture movies that exploded into the mainstream at the end of the ’60s. Altman wanted his 1970 audience to think in terms of Vietnam, where another unpopular war was still in progress. Altman’s style of cruel humor, overlapping dialogue, and densely textured visuals brought the material to life in an all-new kind of war movie (or, more precisely, antiwar movie). Audiences had never seen anything like it: vaudeville routines played against spurting blood, fueled with open ridicule of authority. The film’s huge success spawned the long-running TV series, a considerably softer take on the material. The concept of war comes in three parts, the training, the actual combat and the repair of the casualties of the combat. Each part has it’s critics and it’s supporters, both championing for their side. Not seen in the earlier combat films was the concept of why we fought. Those wars before the Korean War were world wars with many countries involved being fought in many different countries. The Korean War and all those that followed up to the present were mostly two sided with the Americans at the spearhead of each. Yes, the United Nation forces were involved in many of these wars, but it was the Americans leading the way. After such a history, Americans could very well sustain their unity against the Axis Powers during WW II, but they could not readily accept a limited war such as the Korean War, in which negotiations with the enemy to bargain for objectives far short of his destruction accompanied the very fighting of the war. Dissents against the Korean War also were encouraged by an uneasy political atmosphere troubling the United States in 1950. WW II had produced not a satisfactory peace but an ongoing Cold War with communism led by the Soviet Union, to which the United States held out the prospect of no more triumphant but an outcome of containment. Such a change in the ways of war was perceived by Americans were truly visible in a lot of modern day war films. Reference http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046359 http://www.amazon.com/Mister-Roberts-Henry-Fonda/dp/6305225761 http://www.fandango.com/misterroberts_v64788/summary http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066026 http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19700101/REVIEWS/40812002/1023