The American Airlines and US Airways Merger

The American Airlines and US Airways Merger Mergers and acquisitions correspond to the definitive changes for businesses. In the contemporary business environment, they are increasingly being adopted to enhance competition through increased performances. Similar organizations merge hence their long-term survival in the competitive environment (Weston, 2014). Typically, mergers and acquisitions result in organizational economic development. The companies involved grow their market share and capacity thus expanding on investment portfolios to facilitate risk reduction. They smooth the progress of entering new markets, adding up to shareholders value and offer better economies of scale. At this perspective view, nearly all publicly traded companies have experienced a major acquisition at some point in the United States, so did the American Airlines and US Airways in 9th December 2013. Both companies operate under the same radar of airspace business. The American Airlines and US Airways merged to form American Airlines Group, Inc. as a publicly traded airline holding company based in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. The target company was American Airlines. American Airlines maintained 72% of the company while US Airways took the rest 28%. The majority of the shares were distributed to US Airways shareholders and American Airlines previous creditors. This merge upshot the largest airline globally with 336 locations in 56 nations worldwide, over 6,700 daily flights, more than 100,000 employees and an operating revenue of $40billion. As yet, American Airlines Group, targets to take the delivery of over 600 new aircrafts including a minimum of 500 narrow-bodied and 90 wide-body international flights (American Airlines News, n.d.) Examine the circumstances that resulted in the merger or acquisition for the selected company. Speculate on two (2) reasons why the resulting decision to merge or to acquire / be acquired was made. Circumstances that resulted in the merger of American Airways and US Airways The foremost circumstances which lead to America Airlines and US Airways merger from an abstract point of view sets from the financial problems. US Airways was an American Airlines creditor according to a bankruptcy court filing stated under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It had already undergone through more than a decade of losses and retrenchments. The management team had considered a stand-alone restructuring plan before. It also revealed that American Airlines looked forward to merging with another airline and US Airways presented the potential fit. Secondly, both companies had similar operations. These incidents gave rise to possible workable and potential merger action which materialised in the end as they both agreed to a merger. Reasons that resulted to the merger The first reason as to why the resulting decision to merge was made was the fact that the merger would create a book balance by absorbing out the bankruptcy court filing after appropriate paybacks and other payments. Henceforth, the merged company would operate in financial freedom achieved for the long-term outcome. Operating together with the pooled cost of capital would lower operational costs and realize increased returns than if the two companies functioned separately (Weston, 2014). It would be cheaper for both American Airlines and US Airways to internally invest and eye for expansion of its businesses and operations. Acquiring new aircrafts and other related assets would be cheaper because of the united bargain purchase. Secondly, American Airlines and US Airways would result in a horizontal merger that would form a strong pillar to achieve a competitive edge in the global scale. This would lead to achieving additional value in airline operations and business on the international market. The projected synergy value, would direct the combined companies to forms that could yield higher revenues, lower expenses and the overall cost of capital (Cooper, 2014). The merger and acquisition of the companies would give the merged parties an edge over their rivals in terms of business opportunities. After the merge, they would exploit the emerging trends in the market together. This would also assist in gap filling of the partys weakness and upbringing of significant strength paramount for dominance in the airline industry. These reasons moved American Airlines and US Airways to make the decision to merge. Assess the significant positive (or negative) effects of the merger or acquisition. Provide at least two (2) examples of those effects now that the merger or acquisition has been completed. Effects of the merger Completion of the American Airlines and US Airways contributed to a number of significant positive effects. The major key benefit was power consolidation and control over the market. This facilitated the entry into new markets and larger shares in the existing market. It improved economies of scale which corresponded to acquisition of more assets in the form of aircrafts (Cooper, 2014). Sharing taxes increased monetary leverage making them utilize much of its benefits by saving costs (Ulijn, 2013). As a result, the combined airline company offered more convenient schedule to travel plans with access to more destinations around the world. Their combined fleet continued penetration to operate more routes with the largest fleets of airbuses throughout the world connecting more people and promoting diversification of global businesses and multicultural. For instance, it is already operates 336 destinations in more than 50 countries in the world. Currently, the combined company employs ov er 100,000 people across the globe (Cooper, 2003). Merging the two airlines resulted in the formation of a strong union of a well organised customer service than before. The union undertook to oversee systematic arrangement in cases of bankruptcy hence giving workers more power to negotiate and maintain their wages. It lifted off workers suffering during the past years. Upon completion of the merger, it provided better benefits and compensation for the combined airlines employees. In addition, employees are significantly benefiting from being part of a leading international company with stronger financial foundation and competitive platform for greater long-term career opportunities as well as more employment opportunities. However, the merging of the two companies had some negative effects as well. Their combination composes them to behave like a monopoly because of operating in the similar industry. Monopoly meant less competition and higher prices. Setting high flight prices due to lack of competition hurts the travellers and other service consumers. This lead to frequent lawsuits from the opposing bodies, this is disruptive to the thriving business (Cooper, 2003). The merge of American Airlines and US Airways implied a combination of similar operational functions together with over capability. Most of the US Airways employees faced frictions by the internal competition and had to be retrenched hence the company ended up losing some of their skilled workers. Labor difficulties continued because of the bankruptcy which resulted in frozen pension and reduced benefits. For instance, the Labour Law still follows up in determination of fair terms. Examine the organizational structure that has resulted from the merger or acquisition. Analyze the major differences between the resulting company and the original two (2) organizations. New Organisational Structure Consequence to the Merger The organisational structure consequence to the merger involved positional shift amongst the personell. Doug Parker, the pre-existing head of the US Airways became the C.E.O of the merged company while Tom Horton became the outgoing. He became the chairman of the new companys board of directors. Derek DeCross maintained his role as the vice president of the global sales for the new American Airlines. President Scott Kirby held the same role at the new American Airlines. The rest of the organisational structure was a blend of positions that retained the most competitive human resource (Cooper, 2003). Difference between the resulting Company and the Original Ones There is a remarkable difference between the original company and the merger. This is attributed to the consideration that American Airlines was known to be traditional in terms of business promotion and conduct while US Airways was known to be less formal and transparent. The resulting new American Airline is a strong blend of their difference in culture, formality and transparency. American Airlines served 277 destinations while US Airways served 193 destinations. The new American Airline combined this number to form several more destinations connecting the world. The resulting company, therefore, formed a more stable structure that comprised of a bigger operational group than the original companies (Ulijn, 2013). Initially the original companies operated domestically but their alliance gives them power to function internationally paving way to global dominance. Determine whether or not the human resources management practices of the company were modified to reflect the outcome of the merger or acquisition. If no changes were necessary, speculate on the reasons why they were not. Provide a rationale for your response. Modification of Human Resource Management Practices The human resource management practices of the company made adjustments to reflect on the outcome because this area proved a big challenge prior to the merger. Profit-sharing and performance incentives, direct compensation, retirement options and benefits packages were all upgraded and updated. They consolidated much of their training at the primary hub and at the new headquarters so as to provide the most comprehensive hands-on skills necessary for the processes of the merger. This went down to drive supervisors and managers at both airlines tasked with ensuring that employees focused on their jobs during the drawn-out airline merger. The initial combined leadership team was made to consist of US airways employees, but the split became more levelled in the managing and supervisory ranks (Cooper, 2003). The Human Resource department was rearranged such that it had US Airways on the communications side. More so, the US Airways had already snagged Chris Kelly Singley away from Delta; the best communication corporation group, to be the managing director of communication, very vital tool in the merger procedure. Chris was planned to technically work for US Airways where she would play a very important role in joining the American Airlines US Airways communications departments to support the new airline. From Kelly, the team was broken down to serve the airport functions geographically where the hub Vice Presidents would remain unchanged on the organisational chart. Regional carriers leaders were fetched from American while one cargo boss took over the similar position. Hector Adler was tasked to run the in-flight group at the new American Airline just as was the case back at US Airways. It was arranged that from US Airways, David Seymour would lead the maintenance group while someone fr om American Airlines would take care of base maintenance (Cooper, 2003). The rest of the unmentioned human resource team such as engineering and finance remained in their positions so as to enhance their responsibilities in the combined company. Rational for modification Modification of the human management practices had to be factored in to provide an organised platform for workflow and a better transition for the employees who had to leave work. The combined company needed the best practices for human resource functions as they are a fragile component of merger and acquisitions. Strategic decisions had to be centralised to one company. These practices were changed to reflect on the promotion fairness during working under a complex merger. Without the modifications in the practices, employees benefits for the combined company would be difficult to handle. References American Airlines News. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2015, from http://hub.aa.com/en/nr/pressrelease/american-airlines-us-airways-merger Cooper, C. (2003). Advances in mergers and acquisitions. Vol. 2. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science. Ulijn, J. (2010). Strategic Alliances, Mergers and Acquistions: The influence of cluture on successful cooperation. Cheltenham, UK [u.a.: Elgar. Weston, J. (2001). Mergers and Acquistions. Blacklick :: McGraw-Hill Companies, The.

K12 Education Program : A Solution or Problem to the Philippines

K-12 is the new Education Program in the Philippines that started last year, 2012. The K to 12 Program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six years of primary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School [SHS]) to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship.In my point of view, I take a stand that K-12 will provide a better Education Program to the Philippines and for the young generation. Why did I think so? First of all, based on the studies provided by the Department of Education, there are more tendencies of a high school student that drops out or changes course in the middle of their tertiary education which causes more trouble for both the parents and their child (children) and the fact that they are just too young to pressure themselves on what they really want to become or what they want to be doing in the near future. Thus, concluding that giving them more time to prepare and to evaluate their skills will be more convenient and beneficial for both the parent and the child (children).Second, since two years has been added to the basic education here in the Philippines, it simply means that there are more curriculums that have been added or will be added to the curriculum. And hopingly, these curriculums will help the young generation to find or narrow their decisions in what course they would like to take in their tertiary education.Based on my research (through the help of technology), I have been able to figure out that the added two years will be the years when students will be able to choose subjects between three tracks: Academic; Technical-Vocational-Livelihood; and Sports and Arts. The Academic track includes three strands: Business, Accountancy, Management (BAM); Humanities, Education, Social Sciences (HESS); and Science, Technology, Engine ering, Mathematics (STEM).These tracks can encourage and aid students to pick courses (subjects) that will help the young generation to select the best courses that will compliment their talents, skills and abilities. Thus making their college life (tertiary education) easier and making it more enjoyable.But a solution also comes with a problem. The main problem is that even though there are already plans that are being implemented, there are also problems that remains unsolved or are still being unsolved. (i.e., the study curriculums for each grade (year), the lack of school facilities that comes in handy for subjects like biology, chemistry and physics, computer laboratories, books appropriate for each grade (year) and so much more).If the Philippines’ education systems before already lacked solutions to the problems stated above, then these problems will be on a much larger number. If there are already such problems like lack of books to public school, thus saying, more bo oks will be needed because of the K-12 implementation.To solve listed problems, the government must be able to conduct projects and calculate expenses accurately for them to be able to provide for the students’ needs. If they do so, the new education program will improve the lacked in the former education program. To cite an example, if the lack of rooms will be provided, it will produce greater result. Stating, if public schools are to be provided with more rooms, then it will be easier for the teachers to teach students with a maximum number of 40-50 students which leads to a more interactional and controlled environment that will help students focus on the subject matter.Therefore, if the government will just learn to manage and budget the Philippines’ monetary fund properly, then direct a large amount of money for the department of education, they could equate that money and divide equally to provide equal shares of solutions to problems. And to extend what the bud get could do more with a greater quantity and quality.

John Locke versus Karl Marx Essay - 1259 Words

Two of the most influential and celebrated modern political thinkers, Karl Marx and John Locke, have made countless insightful and compelling arguments, expressing their ideas on various conditions of the individual, state, and the interactions between the two. Marx was a German political thinker who was best known for his works with idea of communism and social class divisions. Locke was an English philosopher famous for his social contract and is known as the Father of Liberalism (CITE). Despite the paramount success these men achieved, they had radically different views on the idea of property and the description of freedom, finding only minimal similarity on their views on the right to revolt. The concept of property has developed†¦show more content†¦Therefore, Locke believes the protection of private property is one of the most vital responsibilities of the government. Karl Marx on the other hand, has a wildly different opinion on property. In his most famous piece, The Communist Manisfesto, Marx’s opinion is set up in one line; †¦ the theory of the Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property† (Marx in Cahn 885). Marx firmly believed that ownership of private property was a way in which the social classes became more divided, and in turn, a way to oppress the poor. His opinion largely stems from the time period in which he lived (1818-1883), where factory owners infamously underpaid employees for dangerous work in treacherous conditions. However, Marx idea of private property was a bit different from Locke and did not mean things like land ownership or personal items, but the relation of individuals used for the means of production in a privately owned enterprise. Marx points out however, that in this state, unlike the ideas and time of Locke (1632-1704), the laborers do not benefit or acquire any property from their labor. In fact, the capital they are producing is the â€Å"kind of property that exploits wage labor† (Marx in Cahn 886) and serves to oppress them and further the division of classes. Therefore, Marx aimed to take this â€Å"private property† and give it to the Proletariats in order to change its status from the elite ownership of the Bourgeoisie, to theShow MoreRelatedMachiavelli, Locke, By John Machiavelli1484 Words   |  6 PagesTimothy Tran Robert Patch History 15 20 June 2015 Machiavelli, Locke, Marx Essay Locke would argue that Machiavelli represents the interests of monarchs who rule without the consent of the people. Locke is against absolute power; he thinks that the government should not be given all the power and that the people should get some of it. Machiavelli on the other hand would want all the power to be given to one person, so that they can make the decisions. 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Case Study Mental Illness Substance Abuse - 1766 Words

Student Name: Kristin Bondlow Program Name and Focus Program Name: MISA Treatment Program (MISA: Mental Illness Substance Abuse) Agency Name: Hope Recovery Services Program Focus (The social need the program will address): The Hope Recovery Services agency will involve a program known as MISA Treatment Program that focus on helping individuals with mental illnesses that are currently suffering from substance abuse. The MISA Treatment Program is residential. The agency will treat male and female clients between the ages of eighteen and over. The program will offer each client individual counseling, group counseling, support from others and staff members, education on addiction and mental illnesses, prevention strategies, coping strategies, recovery, and proper medication doses to treat their specific mental illness. Environmental Factors Who are your program’s major stakeholders: MISA (Mental Illness Substance Abuse) stakeholders involve the clients’, community members, employees, volunteers, interns, and other agencies that provide services, resources, time, training, and funding. Identify the key forces in the environment Local On the Local level economic and social are the main key factors in determining if an agency will be beneficial in serving the community of Kankakee. Kankakee County community members’ economic status is predominately low income. In Kankakee County there is a lack of resources and occupations available. 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How to Always Smile at Problems Coursework Example

Essays on How to Always Smile at Problems Coursework The paper "How to Always Smile At Problems" is an outstanding example of coursework on philosophy. There are many different philosophies that people believe in to get through life. My biggest philosophy in life is this: â€Å"always smile at problems†. I have three values that guide this philosophy. Value 1: smiling at problems helps you look at a problem from a brighter angle. Like the famous saying a blessing in disguise or seeing the glass half full and not half empty. Life is full of stresses and it is too short to keep on brooding over our daily problems, that is why you need to smile at your problems and move on.Value 2: smiling at problems relieves stress by uplifting our moods. Holding on to our problems can sometimes drag us into depression. But if we could just smile and remind ourselves that there is no gain without pain, then we can be relieved of our problems very easily. This is because we would try to forget we have problems since other solve even bigger problems and they are not crying everywhere.Value 3: smiling at our problems makes us beautiful. Stress and depression can often be seen by other people by our skin, facial expression, and our grooming. A stressed-out person is badly groomed since their problems overshadow every aspect of their lives. It is consol ing to remember that smiling reduces aging. If only we can smile knowing that our problems keep us alive since only dead people have no drama in their lives.Smile at your problems and remember that without problems you would never know your true friends. Moreover, problems give you stories to tell not to mention the experience we gain from those problems. Finally smiling leads to laughter which is the cure for all diseases and uplifts spirits. You sleep soundly when you smile and it makes you fresh and bright in the morning.

Lowry’s The Giver Free Essays

Character isolationism and the struggles surrounding solitude are recurring themes in many great pieces of literature. Lowry’s The Giver is an excellent work of contemporary fiction whose main character, Jonas, struggles with such a burden. In order to properly identify character relationships of isolation, I will compare and contrast The Giver with two other well-known pieces of adolescent literature: The Outsiders by S. We will write a custom essay sample on Lowry’s The Giver or any similar topic only for you Order Now E. Hinton and Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. Jonas, in The Giver, views his hometown as the perfect place, a utopia that is self-contained and free of ruinous element such as conflict, illness, divorce, and inequality. He comes from a loving, demonstrative family unit: father, mother, one brother, one sister. Everyone in his hometown fits this perfectly balanced poster-family mold. It’s a gift-wrapped location to raise a family, or so we are led to believe. His family, as are all families in this utopia-like society, has good communication methods and are supportive of one another. Lowry creates such a background to impact his theme of a protagonist teetering into the realm of isolationism. The author uses the omniscient point of view of Jonas throughout the story. As the reader envisions the story solely through Jonas, we see his family is supposed shares their feelings and emotions when issues arise. It’s almost too perfect. Yet perfection\ diminishes when we discover, through foreshadowing, that a certain pilot who was in a plane crash was to be â€Å"released from the community. † The speaker’s voice takes the situation lightly, even with a hint of humor—a marker that something is amiss. One of the main themes in The Giver is individuality verses conformity. This parallels Jonas’s struggles with isolationism. Lowry leads us to believe in this utopia. Yet, as Jonas and other children freely choose jobs to increase their own knowledge base, it becomes apparent that the Elders have another purpose for them. The Elder will be choosing what direction their future will go once they are twelve years-old. Later, Jonas shares a provocative dream he had about Fiona. Jonas is pleased with the pleasure his dream brings to him. Lowry wrote, And the nakedness, too. It was against the rules for children or adults to look at another’s nakedness; but the rule did not apply to newchildren or the Old. (p. 30) This statement speaks volumes about the sexual racism and tensions that were prevalent in the society of The Giver which can be compared to the pressures that revolved around the status of wealth in The Outsiders and Catcher in the Rye. The Giver’s protagonist accepts this rule as Lowry responds to the rule against seeing other people naked. Jonas was glad. It was a nuisance to keep oneself covered while changing for games, and the required apology if one had by mistake glimpsed another’s body was always awkward. (p. 30) The author gives us subtle hints of Jonas’s isolation that is to come. He liked the safety here in this warm and quiet room (p 30) According to the Elders ‘touching’ other people outside of one’s immediate family was deemed rude and inappropriate behavior. His mother informs him that he’ll be taking a pill to help him. This is one more way for the Elders to control their youth. In event, this leads to Jonas into isolationism. Jonas begins to feel sad. When Gabe is actually allowed to live with Jonas’s family, the community sets boundaries. Gabe can stay but they are not allowed to become emotionally attached to him. The communities’ means of controlling its people sinks Jonas further into isolation. Jonas speaks with the Chief Elder in chapter eight, bringing to light the impact of his isolation. The Chief Elder says, â€Å"But you will be faced now,† she explained gently, â€Å"with pain of a magnitude that none of us here can comprehend because it’s beyond our experience†¦. So, because the Elders, hid their true motive, children are torn emotionally from what was to be a perfect life. When we consider the novel, The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton we find many parallels with The Giver. Both have themes centered on isolationism and what sort of grave effects it can have on an individual, a family, or a town. There are also contrasting differences in these two novels. Both of w hich will be discussed in detail. The Outsiders is a story of two teenage gangs: the socs and the greasers. This novel is a classic East versus West scenario in a small Oklahoma town in the 1960’s. The soc’s—which is an abbreviation for socials—is a gang of affluent teenage hoodlums that drive fast cars, get the pretty girls, and have the social markings of upper class due to their family’s economic status. The greasers are the gang of teenage boys that come from the lower class, most being raised in broken homes where mom or dad—or sometimes neither parent—is around to provide guidance. One contrasting difference here is the fact that The Giver opens with families living in a utopia-like geographic area where every single family fits the perfect family unit of a father, mother, and two siblings. This family unit is structured with communication skills as well where issues are discussed on a daily basis. There are no racial tension or inequality issues to speak of in The Giver, either. S. E. Hinton, on the other hand, creates a real-life scenario that parallel’s lifestyles in Oklahoma in the 1960’s—which is when the book was written by an actual teenager. Thus, The Outsiders displays how dysfunctional families operate. There is constant conflict among siblings and taunting between the greasers and the socs. Being in a gang instantly offers the teenage-societies an extended family. They trust one another and wound die for each other. The families within the gang understand one another because they can relate to one another’s pain and suffering. Even when they are faced with such constant emotional struggles, physical entanglements, and trouble with law enforcement, the gang members are on the same wave-length and follow one another. In The Giver, the families live in an apparent pristine environment that directly opposes this. The parents and children form proper communication channels by discussing issues at dinnertime. Some of the characters in the Outsiders are lucky if they get dinner every night. Yet, the path of isolationism for Jonas is the genesis for the character’s circumstances. He cannot free himself of this downward spiral, even when he’s placed in such a positive environment. S. E. Hinton, on the other hand, displays characters coming together in the worst of times. Another parallel, in The Outsiders, ties into the issue of separation from family. Here, teens are often led to see things as only right or wrong. But, as we know, circumstances in life are rarely black and white. Too many intricacies are involved when teens are struggling to survive and discover their way to be viewed as simply all-right or all-wrong. The protagonists in both Hinton’s and Lowry’s novel have underlying subplots of youths trying to discover their place in life. Another comparison is the fact that both authors play into the common-knowledge ideal that says, life isn’t fair. Whether life is fair to the soc’s or the greasers is seen differently. The soc’s desire the glamour and status that goes along with their affluent upbringing. The greasers, on the other hand, desire a different image. They don’t want to be associated with the upper crust of society. According to a greaser, the money, clothes, and cars, are the last thing they’d ever view as a priority in life. In fact, they despise them, mainly for how society treats the lower class. However, both gangs are products of a lifestyle where parental upbringing doesn’t show respect to their children because parents are unwilling to listen to the youth’s ideas, desires, and needs. These are the precise components that led to Jonas’s separation from the family unit. In the novel, Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, we find similar connections in the background of each story. Both novels depict a protagonist coming from an affluent upbringing. Salinger’s novel is set in a post World War II time when the nation was trying to make a financial recovery. Holden goes to a private school and money is of no concern to him, his family, or his immediate peer group. The breadwinner in Catcher in the Rye, Holden’s father, is a corporate attorney that is only interested in money, golf, and fancy toys such as classy cars. Freedom from financial concerns is a comparative attribute for Holden and Jonas. Holden and his father don’t understand one another which can be compared to Jonas and a discussion he has with the Elders in Chapter 20. â€Å"What about you? Do you lie to me, too? † Jonas almost spat the question at The Giver. â€Å"I am empowered to lie. † This grave scene in The Giver brings to light how painful an entire childhood can be. It’s the parents and Elders were not true to their children and thus impacts the life of our protagonist. Holden’s father is also blinded by money and his status as a corporate lawyer. This puts barriers up between him and his son. These barriers are like lying to Holden, causing him harm as he tries to find his place in society. Just as Jonas is the protagonist and narrator, Holden is also the narrator and protagonist of Catcher in the Rye. The impact of the stories theme and character relationships in both stories can be felt on a deeper level when we experience the story solely through the protagonist’s eye. Another contrasting element between the protagonists for S. E. Hinton and J. D. Salinger is how the characters are introduced to the story. It is very clear that Holden is struggling with life. He is 16 years-old with partially gray hair, thin, and out of shape. He smokes cigarettes as well. Jonas, on the other hand, is raised in this Eden-like village where everyone moves through life free of stress and ailments. Furthermore, Holden is an angry teen who is very confused and depressed. He also displays characteristics of bigotry which contrasts Jonas’s lifestyle of equality. Holton, however, is an evil person but he can be kind and even thoughtful which matches the characteristic expectations of the children in The Giver. In fact, almost every person had similar physical features as can be seen in the following citation: Almost every citizen in the community had dark eyes. His parents did, and Lily did, and so did all of his group members and friends (p. 20). Yet a distinction is drawn in Jonas as the author followed the above citation with this: But there are a few exceptions: Jonas, himself, and a female Five who he had noticed the different, lighter eyes. Thus, we are given hints of Jonas’s differences. This contrasts the obvious struggles that are in Holton’s persona. As I looked collectively at the comparisons and contrasting differences between The Giver and the two other novels, I found the likenesses to be more apparent than the differences. Each of the novels under study all had a theme of isolationism. On top of this, the protagonists and most of the minor characters in all the novels were children and young adults who struggled with loss, depression, conflict, and illness. Each story brought the reality of separation and isolationism to light as the youth banded together to overcome obstacles. The stories display how great an impact deceit, control, and lack of compassion can have on individuals growing into adulthood. People can shut down and sink into isolation. The burden of all this can either lead people away from following their dreams—sometimes destroying themselves into a pit of isolation. The strong-willed, however, find a way to learn from these challenging situations and discover ways to help themselves so that they, in turn, can help friends and loved ones. How to cite Lowry’s The Giver, Papers

Design of Climbing Mechanism for a Tree Climbing Robot free essay sample

The evolution in nature has led to the introduction of highly efficient biological mechanisms. Imitating these mechanisms offers enormous potentials for the improvement of our life and the tools we use. We have devised this mechanism inspired from the locomotion of a worm called Stomatapod which uses its whole body as distributed foot facilitating it to move on any terrain and have high agility on a regular tree environment. The gripper assembly designed uses a flexible casing which grasps the tree trunk of almost all diameter within the predefined range, basically it uses passive compliance. This mechanism can be used for climbing trees which are almost straight like coconut trees and poles. Hence this paper presents a new climbing mechanism for coconut tree climbing robot. 1. INTRODUCTION Researchers all around the world work on climbing robots ([1], [2], [3]) most of these climbing robots are capable of climbing regular structures like poles, walls, domes etc. We will write a custom essay sample on Design of Climbing Mechanism for a Tree Climbing Robot or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But a very few are capable of climbing trees, main reason being irregular surface and variation of diameter with length .It also requires greater agility and high maneuverability to be used as a product. Also the bark of some trees may not be strong enough to bear the weight of the climbing device, hence conventional climbing robots cannot be used for tree climbing applications. Many trees like coconut tree, arecanut tree, and palm trees are so tall that climbing them becomes risky. Hence harvesting fruits and nuts and maintaining them becomes difficult. So development of a unique tree climbing mechanism is necessary which may be used for maintaining and harvesting applications. Most commonly used design for tree climbing is inch worm design ([4], [5]). These models are very slow. The main body of this type of robot is divided into two parts and each part has a gripper. These models using inch worm mechanism are continuous in their motion and can maneuver in complex tree environments involving multiple branches ([6]). Next common type of design is wheeled robot wherein instead of grippers wheels are used for climbing up. The robot engulfs the tree and locks against it and as the motor rotates, it moves up. The sizes of these robots are comparable to the diameter of tree. These models are suitable for trees with straight and plain trunks .The main drawback is it being slow and there is a possibility of them damaging the tree trunk. ([7]). Hence most of the models are slow, less agile, have less load carrying capacity. As a result we propose a tree climbing mechanism that can be used to climb trees that are almost straight, like coconut trees and poles with greater agility. The main locomotion of the robot is caused due to the two motors which facilitates simultaneous motion of two consecutive links (figure3). This robot grasps the tree with the help of grippers which is acted by a spring. When the motor is ON it unclamps and clamps while the motor is OFF by spring action while harnessing the spring energy for gripping. When one gripper grasps the tree, the whole body makes a revolution such that the next gripper comes up and grips while the other ungrasps and the whole process continues. Attachments like pesticide sprayer, weed remover or some harvesting mechanism can be mounted on the Robot. With these attachments this robot can act as harvesting or maintenance equipment by the farmers.