British Telecom Essay -- GCSE Business Management Studies Essays

British Telecom My aim in this investigation is to discuss whether or not British Telecom has successfully grown and developed since its Privatisation to compete on a world scale. In addition to this has it any long-term strategies for future growth and development of products. According to the 1996 Budget Red Book, more than 50 major businesses have been privatised since 1979 and the state owned sector of industry has been reduced be two-thirds. British Telecom was privatised in 1984, with no major restructuring. This meant that a public monopoly was transferred directly into private hands, this natural monopoly benefited from having economies of scale. Of course this move had it's advantages but there were also disadvantages. These were mainly among the staff who now had much less of an 'easy time' in work. Not only this but as a result of privatisation the company obviously became cost effective and jobs were lost in order to reduce costs. 'Privatisation is seen as a way of reasserting consumer sovereignty, raising standards of provision, of increasing efficiency and of reducing costs.' There are many reasons to why the Government chose a course of denationalisation. State monopolies create inefficiency, are poor in innovation and restrict consumer choice; instead of the consumer being sovereign, power has been transferred to the state and its bureaucracies. Before privatisation all nationalised companies had to have their expenditure passed by the Treasury, because of this they found it difficult to raise money. During these years almost 250,000 people who wanted a new phone line couldn't get them and BT didn't know what to charge the people who did have them. Privatisation gave companies t... ...nge' from Mercury and have seen their share price rise from an initial 130p back in 1984 to an incredible 1351p now. BT, while being a natural monopoly in Britain realise that their position is being challenged. Although their share of the land-line market has still nearly been all encompassing they have seen that the market as a whole decrease as almost half of the UK population have gone out and bought mobile phones. In answer to this threat BT have taken up a strong position in the mobile phone market themselves, competing alongside the big guns such as Orange and Vodafone. Through several acquisitions they have established themselves as a leading company with 7 million UK customers and very sound plans for the future, which they see as being a unification of the latest mobile phone technology along with the immense power the Internet has to offer.

Family Matters

My favorite vacation was two summers back just before I entered high school. My family and I traveled to South Padre Island, Texas; located in the Gulf of Mexico; connected to Texas by only a long narrow bridge. I had high hopes for the vacation, but they took a plummet during the course of my vacation. Although much of my vacation was an utter disaster, I learned that with family you can make the best out of anything. My trip started out alright flying into the lush tropical island, seeing the shimmering waves winking at me during the airplanes descent. When we exited the airport my skin was greeted with a warm tropical breeze upon stepping outside. We then took a cab to our lavish hotel, The Magnolia. Upon entering the hotel lobby, I was greeted to the tantalizing smell of freshly caught Gulf shrimp, which got my stomach growling. It seemed that after such an amazing day as this one that this vacation could only get better, but alas that was not in nature’s plans. The next morning, dark clouds loomed in the horizon, signaling a storm; little did I know that it would turn out to be the mother of all tropical storms; a hurricane! Most occupants of the island were in a hurry to leave, but the bridge was the only way out of the island, other than the airport which was closed in this emergency. While ost of the city’s traffic was jammed trying to get onto the bridge, my family and I went to the penthouse of the hotel and locked ourselves in. To ease the tension, we played card games and told stories while the hurricane passed by and two days later the storm had finally gone by and the flooding had subsided so it was safe to go out. We then made good use of the near-empty beaches and enjoyed surfing and boogey-boarding on the gigantic waves enjoying our time together as a family. After a fun day on the beach, we were slightly disappointed to be informed by the hotel manager that we could no longer stay in the penthouse so we had to return to our original room. The next day I was saddened that our trip had come to an end as I slowly packed my belongings. On the way to the airport I was deep in thought, I realized that for all the misfortunes that plagued us on our trip, it actually turned out to be a very enjoyable vacation and countless summers after it is still my favorite vacation to date.

An Overview of the Animal Welfare Act

The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) is a federal law that was passed in 1966 and has been amended several times since then, notably in 2006. It empowers the Animal Care program of the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to issue licenses and adopt and enforce regulations meant to protect the basic welfare of creatures kept in captivity. The law can be found at the official United States Government Publishing Office under its proper bill title: 7 U.S.C.  §2131. The Animal Welfare Act protects certain animals in certain  facilities but is not as effective as animal advocates would like. Many complain about its limited scope, and some even argue that animals are entitled to rights and freedoms equal to humans and should not be owned or used in any regard. Which Facilities Are Covered by the AWA? The AWA applies to facilities that breed animals for commercial sale, use animals in research, transport animal commercially, or publicly exhibit animals. This includes zoos, aquariums, research facilities, puppy mills, animal dealers, and circuses. The regulations adopted under the AWA establish minimum care standards for animals in these facilities, including adequate housing, handling, sanitation, nutrition, water, veterinary care, and protection from extreme weather and temperatures. Facilities that are not covered include farms, pet stores, hobby breeders, and places that commonly hold pets as well as quasi-commercial animals like milk cows and bure-pred dogs. Without the protection guaranteed to animals in other facilities and industries, these animals sometimes suffer harsh treatment—though animal rights groups often step in to defend these creatures. The AWA requires that the facilities  are  licensed and registered or their AWA-covered activities will be shut down. Once a facility is licensed or registered, it is subject to unannounced inspections. Failures to comply with AWA standards can lead to fines, confiscation of the animals, license and registration revocation, or cease and desist orders. Which Animals Are and Are Not Covered? The legal definition of the word â€Å"animal† under the AWA is â€Å"any live or dead dog, cat, monkey (nonhuman primate mammal), guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, or such other  warm-blooded  animal, as the Secretary may determine is being used, or is intended for use, for research, testing, experimentation, or exhibition purposes, or as a pet.† Not every animal kept by these facilities is covered. The AWA has exclusions for birds, rats or mice used in research, livestock used for food or fiber, and reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates. Because 95 percent of the animals used in research are mice and rats and because the nine billion land animals slaughtered for food in the U.S every year are exempted, the vast majority of animals used by humans are excluded from the AWA’s protection. What Are the AWA Regulations? The AWA is a general law that does not specify the standards for animal care. The standards can be found in the regulations that are adopted by APHIS under the authority granted by the AWA. Federal regulations are adopted by government agencies with specific knowledge and expertise so they can set their own rules and standards without getting Congress bogged down in small details. The AWA regulations can be found in Title 9, Chapter 1 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Some of these regulations include those for the indoor housing of animals, which specify minimum and maximum temperatures, lighting, and ventilation. Regulations for animals kept outdoors maintain that the creature must be sheltered from the elements and offered food and clean water regularly. Also, for facilities with marine mammals, the water must be tested weekly and animals must be kept with a compatible animal of the same or similar species. In addition, a minimum tank size is required, depending on the size and types of animals housed. Participants in â€Å"swim with the dolphins† programs must agree in writing to the rules of the program. Circuses, which have been under constant fire since animal rights activism increased in the 1960s, must not use deprivation of food and water or any kind of physical abuse for training purposes, and animals must be given a rest period between performances. Research facilities are also required to establish Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUC) that must inspect the animal facilities, investigate reports of AWA violations, and review research proposals to â€Å"minimize discomfort, distress, and pain to the animals.​ Criticisms of the Animal Welfare Act One of the biggest criticisms of the AWA is the exclusion of rats and mice, which make up the majority of the animals used in research. Similarly, since livestock is also excluded, the AWA does nothing to protect farmed animals. There are currently no federal laws or regulations for the care of animals raised for food. Although there are general criticisms that the housing requirements are insufficient, some animal rights advocates claim that the regulations for marine mammals are especially inadequate. Marine mammals in the wild swim for miles each day and dive hundreds of feet deep in the open ocean, while tanks for porpoises and dolphins can be as small as 24 feet long and only 6 feet deep. Many of the criticisms of the AWA are directed against the IACUCs. Since IACUCs tend to include people who are affiliated with the institution or are animal researchers themselves, many advocates question whether these committees can objectively evaluate research proposals or complaints of AWA violations.