United States
Essays

Southwest Airlines was founded on the premise that an airline needs to put its customers and their needs at the center of all operations, and further create a customer experience that is highly differentiated, memorable and sought-after by passengers. Southwest has surpassed even its own initial expectations in these areas. The culture of Southwest galvanizes the employees, customers, stakeholders, suppliers and partners into a cohesive value chain all aimed at keeping costs down and increasing lifetime customer value through loyalty (Krames, 2003). Due to its excellent control of costs and aggressive use of fuel hedging, all supported by a very customer-centric, positive culture, Southwest is the only U.S.-based airline to never file for bankruptcy protection, much less ask for a government handout (Rhoades, 2006). Southwest is one of the most unique service businesses in the world due to its ability to translate a core set of values exemplified by a whatever it takes attitude of service to the passenger, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit (Strategic Direction, 2005). Southwest Airlines employees are empowered to take any action that is ethical and legal to ensure customers' satisfaction (Hardage, 2006). The uniqueness and highly differentiated nature of the Southwest culture is also attributable to the thirteen core values that founder and CEO Herb Kelleher put into place with the company was founded (Freiberg, Freiberg, 1996). He wanted to create a culture of accountability, transparency and trust, in addition to allowing employees to be themselves as well. Mr. Kelleher also believed that when employees were fulfilled in their work, they would be willing to go the extra mile for customers as well (Krames, 2003). All of these assumptions turned out to be correct, and led to the definition of the thirteen values the company is based on. These thirteen values include seeking out low cost yet high value solutions to customers' challenges and problems; relentless pursuit of profitability; family; fun; hard work; individuality; ownership; legendary service; egalitarianism; common sense and good judgment in serving customers; simplicity; and altruism. These values are so critical to the success of the company that new employees are screened using procedures to see if they value them, while also submitting to a 360-degree evaluation cycle within six months of being hired (Hardage, 2006). Southwest is serious about keeping their culture highly focused on the thirteen core values, while also ensuring their new hires have an immediate and very clear idea of what it means to be passionately focused on customer satisfaction. No other airline comes close to Southwest's commitment to cultural excellence.

This paper examines the following question: To what extent are current drug policies the legacy of outdated moral values and moral panics? It looks at how illegal drugs are treated as somehow more dangerous and less moral than alcohol and cigarettes, despite the latter being far more deadly. It also examines the historical reasons behind this treatment.

This paper discusses the ideas of the US intervention in Iraq, including International Relations Theories such as Realism, Liberalism, and Constructivism. It also approaches the security dilemma faced by the African Union, as it has similar divisions within it as seen in Iraq. The Constructivist theory is seen as the most successful in building societies.

Susan Tinsley Gooden and Margo Bailey wrote the journal article "Welfare and Work: Job-Retention Outcomes of Federal Welfare-to-Work Employees," published under the Public Administration Review.

A recent cyber security threat involves a Monster.Com US online recruitment site reported in 2008 that hackers broke into using password-protected resume library. They used credentials stolen from some of its clients. The hackers successfully managed to infiltrate the confidentiality of the victims of the scam. The security of the victims data was then jeopardized as the hackers demanded payment or otherwise the delete all the data from the victims' database. Employing cloud-based computing essentially eliminates large up-front licensing and server costs and the eventual reduction in the costs associated with consultation and installation of the servers.

The controversy of Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy stating he believes and supports the biblical definition of marriage and the immediate reactionary response from gay groups shows how just how divisive the issue of gay rights and marriage is in the United States. After reading Huffington Post and Washington Post, an interest paradox emerges. The stance of Dan Cathy against gay marriage and his support of organizations that promote the Christian definition of a family have become a lightening rod for gay rights activists. Reading between the lines of both articles one can't help but compare the assiduous pursuit of rights the gay activists are pursuing to the peaceful and reasoned approach of Dr. Martin Luther King during the civil rights movement of the last century. Comparing both, the gay rights activists appear to look for a slight or insult; they scour quotes from company and industry leaders looking for evidence of prejudice. Within the context of this paradox is a huge sales windfall for Chick-fil-A. The attacks of the gay activists, instead of being presented with logic and reason as Dr. King would have done, are scattered in shotgun-like fashion across the media, where attention appears to be more important to activists than changing the sentiment of Dan Cathy. Widely perceived as an attack and with the prompting of former Governor Huckabee, the store set a record in sales during a day that was supposed to be a major boycott. This paradox just made Dan Cathy, his family and his employees – everyone involved in the company – richer, more financially stable and fiscally able to weather uncertainty. The attacks of the gay rights activists were not aimed at changing hearts and minds, it was meant to shame a conservative businessman who happens to believe in traditional marriage. Ironically when activists attack a brand people love, customers rush to the aid of the businesses they trust and admire. This is exactly what happened.

Only half the patients who go into an abortion clinic come out alive."

Negative Effects of Television on Children

Why Government must set a minimum wage, provide worker benefits, and a safety net for the upturns and down turns of the business cycle in Wal-Mart's America

Unemployment is a major social risk all over the globe: losing a job or not being able to find a job is a frightening and threatening situation and the damage goes far beyond the loss of income (Mather, 1998).