Why Does the US Postal Service Lose Money

The U.S. Postal Service lost money in six out of the 10 years from 2001 through 2010, according to its financial reports. By the end of the decade, the semi-independent government agencys losses had reached a record $8.5 billion, forcing the Postal Service to consider seeking an increase in its $15 billion debt ceiling or face insolvency. Though the Postal Service is bleeding money, it receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund its operations. See also: Highest Paying Postal Jobs The agency blamed the losses on the recession that began in December 2007 and significant declines in mail volume as a result of changes in the way Americans communicate in the age of the Internet. The Postal Service was considering a host of cost-saving measures including the closure of as many as 3,700 facilities, the elimination of wasteful spending on travel, the end of Saturday mail and cutting delivery to just three days a week. When Postal Service Losses Began The Postal Service carried billion-dollar surpluses for many years before the Internet became widely available to Americans. Although the Postal Service lost money in the early part of the decade, in 2001 and 2003, the most significant losses came after the passage of a 2006 law requiring the agency to refund retiree health beneï ¬ ts. Under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006, the USPS is required to pay $5.4 billion to $5.8 billion annually, through 2016, to pay for future retiree health benefits. See also: Find Postal Service Jobs Without Being Scammed We must pay today for beneï ¬ ts that will not be paid out until some future date, the Postal Service said. Other federal agencies and most private sector companies use a pay-as-you-go system, by which the entity pays premiums as they are billed ... The funding requirement, as it currently stands, contributes signiï ¬ cantly to postal losses. Postal Services Seeks Changes The Postal Service said it had made significant cost reductions in areas within its control by 2011 but claimed it needed Congress to approve several other measures to boost its financial outlook. Those measures include eliminating mandated retiree health benefit pre-payments; forcing the federal government to return Civil Service Retirement System and Federal Employee Retirement System overpayments to the Postal Service and allowing the Postal Service to determine the frequency of mail delivery. Postal Service Net Income/Loss By Year 2015 - $5.1 billion loss2014 - $5.5 billion loss2013 - $5 billion loss2012 - $15.9 billion loss 2011 - $5.1 billion loss 2010 - $8.5 billion loss 2009 - $3.8 billion loss 2008 - $2.8 billion loss 2007 - $5.1 billion loss 2006 - $900 million surplus 2005 - $1.4 billion surplus 2004 - $3.1 billion surplus 2003 - $3.9 billion surplus 2002 - $676 million loss 2001 - $1.7 billion loss

Katherine Mansfields Miss Brill Essay example - 618 Words

Miss Brill is a story about an old woman that lacks companionship and self-awareness. She lives by herself and goes through life in a repetitive manner. Each Sunday, Miss Brill ventures down to the park to watch and listen to the band play. She finds herself listening not only to the band, but also to strangers who walk together and converse before her. Her interest in the lives of those around her shows the reader that Miss Brill lacks companionship. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Loneliness plays an extremely large part of Miss Brill’s life and can be proven by things in the story. An example of Miss Brill’s lack of companionship is when she visits the park on Sunday’s. Not only did she look forward to listening to the band but she also†¦show more content†¦As she takes tired step after tired step she thinks about how lonely life can be sometimes. Miss Brill is gingerly moving along hoping to see someone ready to talk. Maybe some words spoken to her, or perhaps someone else. As Miss Brill walks the cold winter wind pushes against her. She feels that another stiff wind would knock her down. She comes across her favorite spot, McCooley’s Tavern. It is a damp and musty place that never really has anyone in it. The grayness of the walls makes Miss Brill’s hair look platinum blonde. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;She hopes that today someone will be there, as she enters the door. Once again it is empty except for Sal, the bartender. As she sits on the bar stool and orders her favorite drink, a ginger ale with no ice, Miss Brill cannot but wonder who will walk thru the door next. Maybe she can hear their conversation, maybe she can be in it, or maybe they will ask her how her day was. This routine is what goes on daily for Miss Brill. She walks a cold path to a lonely bar, but does so in a timely fashion. Can she be a part of someone’s conversation today? Can she listen to someone else’s problems? Well, at least tomorrow is another day. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Miss Brill is portrayed as a lonely woman who likes her routine. She is used to her routine of loneliness. She goes to sit in that park bench and listen to the band play because Miss Brill is used to it. She has run her life in a straight line and stillShow MoreRelatedKatherine Mansfields Miss Brill Essay1514 Words   |  7 Pageseffects; however, if they are handled poorly, it could diminish happiness. Katherine Mansfields short story, Miss Brill, uses symbol, plot, character, and point of view, to reveal the theme that creating an alternate reality through the lives of other people will not relieve loneliness. Miss Brills fur, the symbol in the short story, is contextual. The fur isRead MoreEssay on Katherine Mansfields Miss Brill787 Words   |  4 Pages quot;Miss Brillquot; The Third Person-Point of View as used by Katherine Mansfield in â€Å"Miss Brill† Katherine Mansfield’s use of the third person, limited omniscient point of view in â€Å"Miss Brill† has the effect of letting the reader see the contrast between Miss Brill’s idea of her role in life and the reality of the small part she truly plays in world around her. In one short Sunday afternoon, the main character’s view of herself changes dramatically different changes. Until the end, the readerRead MoreEssay on Katherine Mansfields Miss Brill1218 Words   |  5 Pageswe call the world. In Katherine Mansfield’s short story â€Å"Miss Brill,† one such person, herself a kind of outcast of society, creates a fantasy world in which she is at the center. â€Å"Miss Brill† is the story of a woman battling with loneliness. She partakes in a ritual in which every Sunday she would spend the entire afternoon at the local park eavesdropping and obser ving the people around her. In her mind everyone around her is apart of her unadorned existence when in fact Brill only sits alone seeminglyRead MoreKatherine Mansfields Miss Brill Essay example1122 Words   |  5 Pageslife† is defined as characterization. Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield displays the character of Miss Brill as the protagonist, confronted with the reality of her existence. In the short story Miss Brill, by Katherine Mansfield, an elderly woman spends a Sunday afternoon visiting a seaside park as part of her weekly ritual. As a developing character, Miss Brill is forced to face a harsh reality from her routine events. In the short story, Miss Brill, Katherine Mansfield effectively uses variousRead More Point of View in Katherine Mansfields Miss Brill Essay846 Words   |  4 PagesThe narrator in the story â€Å"Miss Brill† by Katherine Mansfield, is telling us this story in the third person singular perspective. Our narrator is a non-participant and we learn no details about this person, from a physical sense. Nothing to tell us whether it is a friend of Miss Brill, a relative, or just someone watching. Katherine Mansfield’s Miss Brill comes alive from the descriptions we get from this anonymous person. The narrator uses limited omniscience while telling us about this beautifulRead MoreA Character Analysis of Katherine Mansfields Miss Brill Essay830 Words   |  4 PagesKatherine Mansfields Miss Brill is a woman self-contained, not pessimistic but settled, content. She is not a victim of her circumstances, but the satisfied creator of them. You could say she has her ducks lined up the way she wants them. Through the character of Miss Brill, Katherine Mansfield reveals a woman who has the ability to enjoy a simple world of her own elaborate creation. Miss Brill is a single woman, probably in her mid to late fifties. She lives alone in a very small space withoutRead MoreCharacter Sketch of Miss Brill in Katherine Mansfiel ds Miss Brill644 Words   |  3 Pageslonely they can begin to exhibit strange behaviors, they can become paranoid, hallucinate, or project inner thoughts into their realities. Most people who are lonely usually live alone and prefer to be a closed off from the outside world. In Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield, she shows her loneliness by using others peoples lives for her enjoyment, for thinking she and everyone else was on a stage, also by snapping to reality when treated with cruelty. However, not having any companions, such as, friendsRead MoreEssay about Katherine Mansfields Miss Brill967 Words   |  4 Pagesshort story quot;Miss Brillquot;, by Katherine Mansfield, is about an older woman who doesnt have any people around her that love her. Because of this isolation she makes things up in her mind to compensate. A person who doesnt have any significant others in his/her life may create an alternate reality to make up for what they dont have. If Miss Brill realizes that wh at she believes isnt reality, she can become broken and emotionally devistated. Through the setting , Miss Brill herself, her valuesRead MoreEssay about Katherine Mansfields Miss Brill627 Words   |  3 PagesIllusion vs. Reality in Miss Brill Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield is set the Jardins Publiques in France. Every Sunday Miss Brill looks forward to getting dressed up and visiting the park, where she enjoys people watching. Her weekly visits to the park are undoubtedly the highlight of her week, bringing her great joy and satisfaction. There are many illusions in this story, in this essay I intend to show three different illusions Miss Brill uses to make herself happy and how her realityRead MoreThe Insignificant Soul in Katherine Mansfields Miss Brill Essay914 Words   |  4 Pages Miss Brill: An Insignificant Soul nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Every Sunday, Miss Brill looked forward to a wonderful day in the park. There, she would secretly dive into the lives of the surrounding human beings, taking in each of their words and actions and creating a fantasy world all of her own that she was sure she belonged in, but she was mistaken. Her fantasy world does crumble, and Miss Brill, the protagonist in the short story, â€Å"Miss Brill† by Katherine Mansfield, soon finds herself in

American war for independence II Free Essays

The American war for Independence was a new revolution that was relevant for various political and social reasons. Due to the changes caused by such revolution, the changes that happened during this event greatly changed the course of American History. In order to fully understand the radical nature of the American Revolution, it is first important to briefly discuss the events during this period. We will write a custom essay sample on American war for independence II or any similar topic only for you Order Now Occurring in the latter half of the 18th century, the American Revolution was the event that allowed the Thirteen (13) Colonies to become the United States of America. This was also the event that finally granted these colonies the independence that they desired from the British Empire. The American War of Independence or Revolutionary War that ensued from 1775 to 1783 was largely radical in nature because of the fact that it was the first instance that a colony had tried and succeeded to gain independence from the British Empire. One of the key developments resulted from this revolution was the birth and growth of enlightenment philosophy in America. The influence of this wave of thinking created a certain sect that was opposed to an absolute monarchy, such as that of the British Empire, and instead embraced a new form of government that was revolutionary for its time. The broad intellectual and social paradigm shifts within the colonies introduced new ideas with regard to republican ideals that began to take hold among the members of the colonies. Democracy soon began to play a larger role in the determination of the new government that was going to replace the absolute monarchy. The steadily expanding role of democracy in government caused the deterioration of traditional social hierarchies that existed. Instead a new ethic was created within the core of American Political values. While the United States was arguably not the first democracy to ever exist, the neo-classical model that arose during this time was largely unheard of in other parts of the world, particularly from a British Colony. These social and political changes greatly impacted the way that the world saw the Americas from that point on. As the birthplace of modern democracy as the world now recognizes it, the United States of America soon became the symbol of world democracy. The birth of new ideas with regard to government, representation and social class were all altered by this event. It was so influential that it became the foundation of the American Constitution and the reason why the United States will always be known as the land of the free. How to cite American war for independence II, Essays

Competitive Strategy for Woolworths Limited- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theCompetitive Strategy for Woolworths Limited. Answer: Woolworths Woolworths Supermarket is an Australian supermarket and grocery store chain owned by Woolworths Limited. The stated firm is the Australias largest supermarket chain and operates more than 900 stores all over the Australia and employs over 115,000 workers in its stores, delivery centres and support office to offer its consumers with superior quality(Santos and Svensson, 2013). The main motive of Woolworths is to be the center of the community and to be the best vendor for kids, home and family leisure time. Woolworths is perceived as excellent in its operation as it source 96% of all the fruit and vegetables and 100% of fresh meat from Australian farmers and growers. This organisation has been chosen as it understand that customers now look for new and simple ways to shop. How Woolworths reached its current position In order to achieve its current standing in the market, Woolworths emphasis heavily in building a customer and store-led culture and team. The main strong point of Woolworths is its sustainable sales momentum in Food. It is evident that most of the fruits, vegetables and fresh meat that the company sales are from Australian farmers and growers(Santos and Svensson, 2013). The success of the company starts with developing a great trade team that listen to the consumers, team members and supplier. The stated firm, through its voice of the customer program crossways its brands, stores and support offices, which receives daily response from the consumers, gained the confidence and trust of the consumers(Keith, 2012). As Woolworths is a customer oriented organisation, it is placing the customer at the start of everything it does. Putting customer in every operation assists the company to bring lower prices, more compelling offers, and greater innovation. Though, in the current business con text, every retail enterprise is offering low prices; it is the overall customer experience and quality of the goods that gives competitive advantage to Woolworths. Another reason for the success of Woolworths is its supply chain strategy. The firm implies a business model where purchaser delivers a specific statistics to a vendor supplier regarding the product and supplier takes the full guarantee for the superiority of the product. This the main reason for which Woolworths bring almost all its grocery items from trustable Australian farmers. The stated organisation is also known as the technology leader in the retail industry(Keith, 2012). They were the ones to start the online shopping to the customers of Australia. The information technology department of the company helps it in managing the customer relationships and service response logistics. The operational excellence in the supply chain management of the Woolworths permits them to provide low pricing strategy as it has huge purchasing power. Woolworths has driven many small retailers out of the commerce and forced the manufacturers to be more efficient(Santos and Svensson, 2013). The co mpany has also managed to keep the lower cost down which is the main reason of generating revenue for the company. The main goal of the company is to drive the social development and to emphasis on environment requirements. It hugely concentrates in recognising its centric business, i.e. to recognise who their customers are -and what are their actual demands. Commonwealth Bank The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) is an Australian international bank with its commerce operations across New Zealand, Fiji, Asia, the United States and the United Kingdom. The stated firm delivers a range of financial services which includes the trade, commerce and institutional banking, broking services, investment, insurance and funds management(Commonwealth Bank Strategy, 2012). CBA is Australias leading supplier of incorporated financial services and is one of the most familiar brands in Australian Financial industry. The main objective of the stated firm is to extensive programme and policies to meet its promise of being the Australias most available bank. This organisation has been chosen as its corporate social responsibility id focused in driving positive change and good business practice. How Commonwealth bank reached its current position The main reason for Commonwealth Bank is its marketing strategy. It is the central part of the business at the stated firm. The role of marketing clearly demonstrates the value that the stated firm brings to the business. The CBA corporate accountability plan is also purposeful in bringing positive change in education, improvement and good commerce practice(Commonwealth Bank Strategy, 2012). CBA has different initiatives such as teaching the value of money, preparing workforce for the future, using innovation ability to empower people which demonstrate the companys commitment in creating sustainable long term value. Another thing that helped the firm to reach its current position is its innovation. It is the goal of the company to embed innovation in its business and utilising it to enhance the financial wellbeing, assist positive change and to improve the lives of its customers and societies. CBA collaborate with its clients in this tough business situation to uncover insights, reco gnising the opportunities and solving the business issues(Schlagwein and Thorogood, 2015). CBA is very much concerned in contributing to its communities, and in meeting its stakeholder requirements. The company lends, invest and procure sensibly and mirror its communitys ethics and role model settlement. From online security to comply with the uppermost level of conduct codes, CBA is dedicated in being the Australias most reachable bank by making banking easier to older citizens and persons with disabilities. The company is entitled to become the best customer service provider every time consumer contacts them. CBA always tries to improve customer convenience initiatives. It always ensures that customers are treated ethically and fairly. For marinating its current position, CBA works independently to improve their products, systems and procedures. The customer services executives of the stated firm also helps customers even if they are particularly in challenging or complex situations(Schlagwein and Thorogood, 2015). The employees of CBA are bound to act responsibly when they are aware of price-sensitive information. The customer service is the major strength of the Commonwealth bank. It has commitment in ensuring professionalism, honesty and fairness in their dealings with the custo mers. By embracing its commitments, the Commonwealth Bank delivers a personal undertaking in outlining its vision, values and in adhering common principles in performing its respective roles. References Commonwealth Bank Strategy.(2012). [online] Available at: https://www.commbank.com.au/about-us/shareholders/pdfs/2006-asx/20060809-Commonwealth-Bank-Strategy.pdf [Accessed 20 Aug. 2017]. Keith, S. (2012). COLES, WOOLWORTHS, AND THE LOCAL.The Australasian-Pacific Journal of Regional Food Studies, [online] pp.47-70. Available at: https://localejournal.org/issues/n2/Locale%20n2%20-%2007%20-%20Keith.pdf [Accessed 20 Aug. 2017]. Santos, M. and Svensson, G. (2013). Indicators of sustainable business practices: Woolworths in South Africa.Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, 18(1), pp.104-108. Schlagwein, D. and Thorogood, A. (2015). How Commonwealth Bank of Australia Gained Benefits Using a Standards-Based, MultiProvider Cloud Model.MIS Quarterly Executive, [online] 13(4), pp.209-222. Available at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6fd0/30b730ffff376411c8a8f94f19b5a150f266.pdf [Accessed 20 Aug. 2017].