3m Case: Business Strategies over Its History Essay

1. Describe the organizational structures and devices 3M uses to encourage entrepreneurial activity. Why do they work? 3M heavily based its business on innovation and while doing this it always supported its employees in terms of being innovative. 3M also always followed the alternative ways in order to increase their profit and market share, and they found that one of the best ways is through organizational innovation. Therefore, in order to improve their business 3M developed 6 different strategies over its history. These strategies helped 3M to promote entrepreneurship and increase customer satisfaction within the market. First strategy of 3M’s was getting close to customers and understanding their needs.3M started their businesses by selling sandpaper and the only way they could generate sales was by getting close to the customers and demonstrating their products for them. This helped them to understand customer’s needs better based on the feedbacks they get from demonstrating their products to this selected group of customers. Afterwards, as a second strategy they tried to seek out niche markets no matter how small they are. Following the success of the first strategy, 3M found that if they offered customers what they wanted, these customers will be loyal to their company. Thus they developed the second strategy to seek niche markets no matter how small, as this will allow them for charge premium prices for their products. Then they included product diversification as the third strategy. By being close to the customers, 3M identified problems that they can solve for their customers through technical expertise. This was efficient as it ensure that they continued to diversify their product offerings by developing new products to solve new or unattended customer needs. Once 3M found a new product to offer in their niche market they would move on to develop related products and thus occupy leadership positions in these markets. As the fourth strategy, they gave importance to the product development and innovation through research. This strategy was developed in line with the third strategy which was encouraging diversification. If 3M where to constantly diversify their product and service offering, the company understood that a support to its system is needed along with improved innovation and new product development to ensure that the company continues in line with their business model. As it is very important in any kind of developing business and as by time 3M gained a good place in market, they decided to get knowledge sharing strategy as the fifth one. This became official with the establishment of the technical forum in 1950s, with the aim of sharing knowledge within the company. This forum comprised of technical council and directors that held annual shows to encourage knowledge sharing in 3M. And lastly, as the sixth strategy they decided to adopt encourage achievement through a rewarding system. This strategy was adopting an employee appraisal scheme that was encouraging achievement by rewarding employees who generated successful business ideas. Employees that successful innovate new products are promoted to be the managers of that product division, this ensured that other staff members are motivated to work harder and discover new product innovation as they seek to one day become managers of their developed product lines. 2. How does 3M distinguish between incremental and fundamental innovations? 3M established a new product development central research laboratory in 1940 in other to distinguish between fundamental and incremental innovation. This approach helped the company to explore the feasibility of new products or technologies that were not related to existing ones. Incremental innovation means innovation made based on existing products and technologies while fundamental innovations are those that are not related to existing products or technologies. In the 1980s, two separate laboratories were developed in order to identify the long term and the short term researches. Short term researches were more of incremental innovation that were designed to respond to industrial and consumer needs, life science, electronics and information technologies and graphic technologies with a life span of 1-5 years. However the corporate lab was designed for fundamental innovations with researches of over 10 years. 3. Describe, as best you can from the case, the culture of the organisation. What does this depend upon? 3M based its success on entrepreneurship fundamentals and innovation. Innovation was encouraged originally in an informal way by the founders, but was later formalized over a century into an organizational culture. The organizational culture is one which encourages innovation, and it has helped 3M to realize success over the years as it was perpetuating itself. Actually this specific culture of 3M’s evolved from the place of origin which was called ‘Minnesota Nice’. It is described as a non-political, low ego, egalitarian and non-hierarchical, hardworking and self-critical. 4. Why has 3M been such a successful innovator for so long? 3M’s success in innovation can be traced back to their employee appraisal. This is because; the organization has found the missing link which numerous organizations tend to overlook when it comes to showing appreciation towards employee’s efforts. 3M is achievement oriented and achievement particularly through research was rewarded through promotion. For instance, successful new product teams were spun off to form a new division in the organization. The leader of the team is often the general manager of the new division and this w as seen as a great motivator. Lesser achievements were also rewarded and failure is not punishable. This increase in 3M employees’ motivation level has been the key to their long term success as their staffs continually give out their best for the organizational success. 5. Can other companies just copy 3M’s structures and culture and become successful innovators also? It is very popular among firms to copy the other firms’ ideas if these other firms are especially profitable. It can be said that if properly copied, organizations that copy 3M’s strategies and culture can be successful innovators as because, 3M’s culture generally employee appraisal and in business psychology. It can be said that the appraisal has been rated high as increasing employee’s motivation level and enhancing organizational success.

Advertising media industry Essay

I am student in a work placement agency called STG Media Corporation, a company which dedicates their mission and vision in providing accountable advertising solutions. In my 7 week placement here in the corporation, I learned a lot and discovered that nothing beats on-hand experience in working. Week One (provide date) It was a week of anticipation, stress and learning. How does one person deal with work placement? The first day was dedicated with meeting the executive staff, the working staff, and introduction to what the company is. STG Media Corp. is an interesting work placement agency. I learned about the company through one of my friends and I thought that working for a media company will be so great; little did I know that it is a lot difficult. The first thing that came up in my mind when STG Media Corp. was mentioned is that it is just an advertising company. But it is different. The company details their service in the concept of accountable advertising, in which they refine print advertising media in context of the 21st century need. As a communication student, this was beginning to worry me. After the primary day of introduction, I get to know more about the company and the thought that it is not the conventional type of advertising agency made me overwhelmed with the job and the condition in the work place. This week, I was designated to the Print Media Research, print Media Planning and Market Analysis of one of the company’s client. The company of a branded sports drink is asking STG Media Corp. to help them with the advertising promotion in one of the new products they will launch in about 5 months time. The first thing I did was to interview the sports drink company representative about the nature of their company. I went to their office was so anxious to do the interview that I forgot to bring my recorder, which is considered as one of the great mistakes before doing an interview, coming unprepared. But the good thing is, I did the interview well. I was given the set questions of STG Media Corp., questions that are required to be asked to the client, and throughout the interview, I inserted some of the questions I thought myself to be able to get a good amount of fact for the company. As inexperienced as I am in working for the company, one of the greatest skill I learned is to communicate effectively and luckily I am able to do that with this interview. During the week, one of the great challenges I faced was inputting the vital information of the company’s client to their database called the Print Media Buying System. The PMBS which is the company’s own database generates detailed market research, analysis reports accounting for all aspects such as demographic information, buying trends and other print media recommendations. I really asked for help this time as since I was not acquainted with the kind of technology they used in the particular system. But later I got the hang of it and was commended for a job well done in collecting information from the client. Week 2 (provide date) Before the work placement began, I was told that I will be working full time in one of the company’s venture with a famous sports drink brand. I thought that would be easy since I don’t have to do all the other work, but the challenged I soon found out during the second week is that the process of STG Media Corp. as an advertising consultant is a process to which many steps are taken. This week I am part of the Creative Team designated by the company to help the sports drink brand. Although I must be clear that I was just a part of the team, doing menial job that the professionals are tasked to do. I learned one great thing about the print media industry, 75% of advertisement fail because of weak creative and non-compelling ad copy. It’s true that one of the strengths of a great brand is not just with its quality, but through rigorous and effective advertising that they create. Before working here, I thought that companies only advertise for the sake of advertising, but companies do take this strategy very seriously. On the third day of this week, I was asked to look at one print ad for five seconds during one of the meetings of the Creative Team. They asked me questions rigorously, whether it be based on the appearance or the content. I answered them frankly and mention the things that I would personally think about the ad if I was just a normal consumer looking at the advertisement. Several times, the Team will press and argue their points with me, but all was attributed to presenting a better advertisement for the client. During this week, as unprofessional to assume the role of being a advertiser consultant, I was placed in the position of the consumer, the Team’s viewpoint on the things they realize about the brand and how they can effectively approach working for the client. I really felt like my ideas were respected and included to the Creative Team’s analysis of the product. This week, I also was comfortable with the workplace. I am familiar with the different employees and get to have small talks with them through several breaks. Its interesting how some of them had assumed I am part of the Creative Team when in fact; I am just a student on work placement.

Horse Meat Global Supply Chain Management Essay

Horse Meat Global Supply Chain Management - Essay Example From this research it is clear that  the meat industry includes the slaughtering, packaging, processing of animals The Primary focus of the industry is meat production, but it also deals with a variety of side products such as hides, feathers, dried blood etc. Through rendering processes, meals such as protein meat and fat such as tallow are also produced. Europe is a major meat producer, and the EU accounts for more than 16% of meat produced globally. However, the sector has been suffering from the recent economic instability and increased number of frauds in meat processing and selling. The present report will give a detailed situational analysis of the meat adulteration scandal which took place in Europe and later migrated to other parts of the world. The report throws a light on the origin of the horse meat scandal and its subsequent contamination to other countries. The shortcomings in the supply chain from the producers to the supermarkets have been discussed, which led to the spread of the adulterated meat. In the next part possible steps to resolve the issues of supply chain has been discussed with references to supplier relationships, pernicious incentives and quality standards of the supplier products. In the next topic possible steps have been discussed to control the br3eakdown in the supply chain and preparation for future risks.  Food supply chain is a process operating in a dynamic, complex and critical environment where integrity of the product is vital.  ... In the next topic possible steps have been discussed to control the br3eakdown in the supply chain and preparation for future risks. Discussion Issues Food supply chain is a process operating in a dynamic, complex and critical environment where integrity of the product is vital (Bourlakis and Weightman, 2008). Quality of food is vital for the smooth flow of the supply chain. The evolution in technology and logistics has increased the productivity of the food supply chain to a great extent. As the food supply chain is becoming increasingly complex, it is becoming important to monitor and regulate the flow of supply chain across national and international borders (Power, 2005). Due to the rise in consumer concern regarding food safety, product traceability and labelling, various regulatory framework has been defined to control the supply chain process. A typical food chain includes food manufacturing, agriculture, wholesaling and retailing of food and drinks and the food catering secto r (Eurostat, 2011). The food supply chain of Europe consists of many players. There are more than 3 million food producers. From the farmers or producers, the food products are suppliers to tier one and tier two suppliers. Sometimes, this chain is even longer with their three suppliers. From these suppliers and manufacturing companies, the processed food finally reached the supermarket and retail market chain, where they are sold to the customers. The European supply chain structure has been essentially labelled as funnel because a small number of players dominate in control and pricing. The European food market is however becoming saturated because of the low growth prospects (Agriculture and agri-food

Deontology and Utilitarian Scenario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Deontology and Utilitarian Scenario - Essay Example Utilitarianism, which is a teleological framework, on the other hand, decides on whether some thing is right or wrong by looking at the consequences or ‘teleos’ of the relevant action or non action. I.e. the action itself is not value neutral and the intrinsic nature of the action is not very relevant. It is what is achieved by that action that is determinant in ascertaining whether something is right or wrong. As such the same action can be right in one instance and wrong in the other instance, depending on the circumstances and consequences. This is directly at odds with deontological frameworks which provide that a given action will be universally right or wrong irrespective of the surrounding circumstances. The foregoing also highlights why deontology is considered to be a specimen of absolutism while utilitarianism exemplifies relativism. Utilitarianism, like the philosophies put forward by John Stuart Mills, look at whether something is right or wrong by looking at the consequences of that action in that it looks to see whether the action produces the greatest aggregate happiness amongst the relevant people. Application of deontological principles to the ethical problem at hand In applying deontological principles, mainly in the form of Immanuel Kant’s philosophy on ‘categorical imperatives’, I can ascertain what I should or should not do when I’m standing on the bridge with the mad fat ethical philosopher. The only thing I must put my mind to is whether I should push the villain and kill him or not. The surrounding circumstances are irrelevant. It is only the intrinsic value of the action of pushing him and killing him that I must put my mind to. As such, at first glance it can be said that under Kant’s philosophy the ‘right’ thing to do would be not to kill the villain. This general conclusion can be supported by applying some of Kant’s categorical imperatives. For example, applying the categorical imperative that is similar to the Golden Rule in the Bible and provides for the principle of universalizability, if I was the fat person on the bridge looking down at the tracks, I certainly would not have wanted to be thrown down on to the tracks for want of a heavy inanimate object. If I would not want to be thrown down, then equally I should not throw the villain down. Furthermore, it is very clear that the villain is necessary only because there is a lack of any other heavy object. The fact that he is human is irrelevant. Only his mass and physical being is necessary. This goes directly against Kant’s categorical imperative that one must not use humans simply as a means to an end. The fact that I would be merely using the villain and disregarding his humanity if I did throw him down the tracks would go directly against this categorical imperative which emphasizes that respect for the person. Note how in the above discussion the consequences of throwing down th e villain were not discussed. This is because in relation to this specific action, it was irrelevant that by killing the villain the innocent people will be saved. However, ethical principles apply equally to action as well as non actions. It is one thing to think about throwing down the villain and killing him, but there is another thing to think about in the same circumstances. Presumably, I am the only one on the bridge and I have the power to save the five innocent

Short Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Short Report - Essay Example Hence, in the changing environment of business imperatives, the organizations need to opt for training their employees and staff in the emerging new skills to meet the challenges of the time. CQ Manufacturers must also incorporate necessary changes in their HR strategies and gain essential leverage through training and development of their human resource. The process of globalization has changed the dynamics of the business world. Change has become essential for development and organizations tend to adapt to the constantly evolving business environment through appropriate training and learning modules that promote better understanding among the employees for easy changeover. â€Å"Organizations must change because their environments change† (Bateman, 1990). They implement necessary changes in the organization to not only survive but compete with their rival with confidence. The basic objective of training programs for the employees and staff is not only to learn emerging new skills in the areas concerned but they are also designed to inform and develop better perception towards new technologies that encourage confidence building and innovation of ideas. In the emerging challenges of the changing business equations, when the labour deployment is undergoing quantitative and qualitative transformations, CQ Manufacturers also needs to redefine its HR strategy to create versatility and flexibility of the contemporary work environment. The rapid globalization and technological advancement of the recent time has greatly revolutionized the labour processes. There is a significant paradigm shift in the technical division of labour from direct to indirect model that is focused on regulation, administration, improvement and innovation to meet the challenges of the changing time. Sjostrand and Tyrstrup, in one of their article, have argued that managerial leadership needs to be approached as a relational, ongoing

Governance and Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Governance and Business Strategy - Essay Example It leads to the expansion of the hidden economy not only not only because of tax rates or social security rates, but for the arbitrary and inefficient implementation of regulatory and tax regimes in the economy with the existence of corruption. Having implications on the various aspects of the economy, the present project seeks to bring forth these implications of corruption in the economy. Critical reviews are provided with regards to the implications of corruption on the economic development of a nation (CSD, 2005, p.73). Corruption and Economic Development-Critical Analysis The empirical and theoretical debate on the effects of corruption on the economic development of nations remains unclear and unresolved. Available nationwide evidences show that the economic implications of corruption on economic development of nations can be either positive or negative. Previous empirical literature has tried to explore the relationship between corruption and development in great detail and ha s come up with surprising results. It is seen that corruption affects developing and developed countries differently. This is on account of the fact they differ significantly in terms of their economic and cultural characteristics but are plagued by similar levels of corruption in their economies (Kutan, Douglas & Judge, n.d., p.2). Some researchers have argued over the fact that corruption has negative effects on the economic development of nations as it redirects the nation’s resources into unproductive directions and consequently distorts the normal functioning of the economy. Tanzi and Davoodi (1997) has out firth four different channels through which corruption can have damaging implications over the economic growth of nations. These are high public investments; low revenue by the government; low expenses on business maintenance and operations and; poor quality of public infrastructure. On the other hand, some researchers have declared that corruption can be economically favourable in certain nations under certain circumstances as it triggers efficient government services in the form of bypassing such aspects like inefficient regulations and red tapes (Kutan, Douglas & Judge, n.d., p.3). Bureaucratic corruption can also be influenced by economic development. This is considered to be two-way causality and can be demonstrated through threshold effects as well as multiple equilibrium which form grounds for varying incidence of corruption across different countries (Blackburn, Bose & Haque, 2005, p.21). Implications of corruption on the economic activities are studied from many different perspectives. Mauro (1995), has tried to identify the effects of corruption and various other institutional factors includes red tapes, efficiency of the judicial system, political stability on the economic development of 67 nations across the world between the period 1980 and 1983. This analysis revealed that corruption reduced private investments considerably. Influe ncing investments corruption alters the composition of the government expenditures particularly reducing its share on its spending on education in the economy. Research conducted by Tanzi and Davoodi (1997) revealed that high corruption causes higher public investments, low revenues for the government, low expenditures on maintenance and o

The brand perception impact of advertising for Starbucks Company Essay - 2

The brand perception impact of advertising for Starbucks Company - Essay Example Management judgment has also become an important factor as it determines the location scheme based on the information gathered from the consumer. According to Davies (2003), the information is mainly comprised of expectations for the products and what it could offer, putting an emphasis on its difference from competitors. These dynamic approaches have produced models that have been used for historical sales and marketing data, while Mathieson (2005) cited that the models shaped by the advertising media were also seen as effective maneuver for improving brand performance. According to (Wesly & Manatt 2008), in order to effectively position one brand in the market, a marketing executive needs to consider four fundamental changes that have serve as driving forces of brand positioning in the market. According to Wesly & Manatt (2008), these are: 1. The explosion of internet and other technology driven channels that resulted into numerous methods of improving one brand presence. One significant characteristic is that this change has increased the targeted audience, making the brand more known to a large number of people in a span of minutes or seconds. 2. Technology has also resulted into the increase of word of mouth. Technology presented a much efficient and faster way of sharing brand information such as the internet, wherein customers could shop online while talking to one of their friends via chat room. According to Bazerghi, Tarrant, Munro & Levine (n.d.), this method has significantly improved how brand presence is shaped as most people use the internet nowadays, and that there is about 40 percent of total market consumers that are into online shopping. Word of mouth specifically helps in the positioning of a brand in the market, as it directly helps in the pinpointing who are the customers that avail the product most of the time. 3. Business partnerships have opened new paths to increasing brand presence and

Character notebook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Character notebook - Essay Example The play proceeds with humor as the two characters express their potentials. The play takes place in the 21st century, probably 1904. The play is set in a bar in Paris know as Lapin Agile. Various economic activities are incorporated in the play. Such include business as presented by Sagot and Freddy. In his play, Steve Martin involves history. The play is also populated with an amusingly incontinent barfly by Gatons character and a wise server Germaine. The â€Å"Theory of Relativity† gives a circumstance of scientific argument. The play explains the similarity of the creative process involved in great leaps of imagination in art and science. Every new incidence and character brings in new information. Every time a character comes on stage, they portray who they are, and their stand in the society. In my case, I consider my character Germaine. Initially, Germaine was in a relationship with Picasso. However, she is termed as an understanding woman. She had learnt the character of Picasso and just pursued him sexually. Germaine uses that opportunity to feel powerful. The play begins while she is in the bar where she not only works as a attendant, but she is now in love with the bar owner-Freddy. Section 4: Character Autobiography: It is important that â€Å"you† know who â€Å"you† are as a character. Think of your own life and what you know about yourself that makes you as a person unique. Now, consider what makes your character unique. What does the playwright tell you about the character? What details must be added? If your character is historical, what other information might be necessary? Every character is important in a play. They pass out a certain message or trait that cannot be evident in any other character. The character traits can be established o three bases, what other characters say about her, what she says about herself and

Increase Customer Retention Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Increase Customer Retention - Research Paper Example Type of business: The airline is considered to be the tertiary industry that offers its services to all the people, directly or indirectly. When tourism is promoted in the country, it is the airlines that improves the economy and in turn affect every member of the society (Southwest, 2011). Form the airlines industry, the paper discusses Southwest airlines in detail. Size: The total number of employees in the southwest airline is about 3500. In the year 2010, their net income was $ 459 million. Moreover, excluding the special items, their net income turns out as $550 million. Throughout the year on the airline, a total of 88 million people have travelled. The statistics report of 2010 shows that their operating revenue of the year 2010 was $12.1 billion (Southwest, 2011). Service provided: Southwest airline is considered as the United States’ most successful high frequency, low fare, and point to point carrier. Every day they offer more than 34000 flights coast to coast. This makes it one of the largest domestic passenger airlines of the states (Southwest, 2011). Market served: Southwest airline is the domestic airline; it flies to 37 states; 72 cities. They serve these cities by using 548 Boeing and 737 jets (Southwest, 2011). ... To achieve this goal they have divided this objective into a number of fundamental objectives. They want to provide their customers with safe, low price transportation with maximum convenience. Overall HR strategy: The HR strategy of the company is â€Å"recognizing that our people are the competitive advantage, we deliver the resources and services to prepare our people to be winners, to support the growth and profitability of the company, while preserving the values and special culture of Southwest Airlines† (Buller, 2006). Being a great place to work, the airlines is selective in hiring and looks out for the best employees that can satisfy the needs and wants of the company as well as the customers. Key strategies: The key strategy of the company includes being cost effective, so that they can capture greater number of customers. They are also specialized in short-haul flights to their customers. They tend to give their customers the best services in return of the price the y pay. This strategy is considered to be their core strategy (Southwest Airlines, 2011). Relevant Transfer of Training Theories Transfer of training is designed for the training procedures used on the job. It has three stages; positive, negative and zero transfer. Here the positive transfer is considered when improvement in the job is seen and the zero shows no effect on the job performance, whereas the negative transfer refers to the training that hinders efficient job performance. The strategy of the Southwest’s business starts with its workforce. They carefully select their workforce and train them so that they can reflect the image of the company. They start with hiring

Media of age group Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Media of age group - Research Paper Example Social media is now more suitable for advertising for age group of 18-24, because young adults spend their time on surfing internet. The site also make easy to promote ads as compare to newspaper through Twitter and Facebook. In future, it can be easy yet powerful way for an organizational to produce and dispense a social newsletter on the fly. Now a day’s journalism is taking a beating during this downswing. Interwoven throughout our daily lives, media intimate their messages into our consciousness at every turn. The power of pro social programming can be so strong, Livingstone ads, that even fierce content when portrayed realistically and in the context of outcomes, it can be beneficial. Websites and Email are far and away should be the highest-priority marketing tactics for small businesses. By a survey younger age group, 92% said websites and social media are among their most important tools, with 85% also putting media in that

Learning style Essay Example for Free

Learning style Essay There is no credible evidence that learning styles exist. While we will elaborate on this assertion, it is important to counteract the real harm that may be done by equivocating on the matter. In what follows, we will begin by defining â€Å"learning styles†; then we will address the claims made by those who believe that they exist, in the process acknowledging what we consider the valid claims of learning-styles theorists. But in separating the wheat from the pseudoscientific chaff in learning-styles theory, we will make clear that the wheat is contained in other educational approaches as well. A belief in learning styles is not necessary to incorporating useful knowledge about learning into ones teaching. We will then discuss the reasons why learning styles beliefs are so prevalent. Finally, we will offer suggestions about collegiate pedagogy, given that we have no evidence learning styles do not exist. What is a Learning Style? The claim at the center of learning-styles theory is this: Different students have different modes of learning, and their learning could be improved by matching ones teaching with that preferred learning mode. The way theorists have defined â€Å"modes of learning† has changed over the more than 50 years that this concept has been in vogue. Proposed modes have included dichotomies such as linear vs. holistic, impulsive vs. reflective, reasoning vs. insight, and visual vs. verbal. The most popular current conception of learning styles equates style with the preferred bodily sense through which one receives information, whether it be visual, auditory, or kinesthetic (for some reason, no one claims that there are tactile or olfactory learners). We use this sensory definition of learning styles in the examples below, but our conclusions apply equally to other definitions. As you will see, the claim that the mode of presentation should match the preferred mode of learning subsumes several other claims, and it is worth unpacking the learning-styles concept in order to consider its constituent subclaims separately. Which Claims of Learning-Styles Theorists are Correct? We believe that some general assertions of learning-styles proponents have nearly universal consensus, based on a wealth of evidence. We begin by acknowledging the truth of these claims in order to differentiate them from other ones without support. The first claim is this: Learners are different from each other, these differences affect their performance, and teachers should take these differences into account. This is true and recognized by educators and cognitive scientists alike. While many of those scientists seek to discover general principles of learning, we all acknowledge that there are differences among students. Understanding these differences and applying that understanding in the classroom can improve everyones education. We can find further agreement on some of the differences that matter for learning. First, whether we call it talent, ability, or intelligence, people vary in their capacity to learn different areas of content. One of the authors (Riener) has fraternal twin sons, and despite having most of the same experiences, one has learned to read earlier and the other is a better basketball player. This is clearly due to genetic differences in talent rather than a bizarre experiment in which the parents decided that one would be a basketball player and the other a professor. With educators under 6 feet tall for both parents and grandparents, they are both probably doomed to proceed to graduate school rather than to the NBA. Second, and often intertwined with ability, students differ in their interests. If a student loves the piano, or basketball, or chess, or the biology of frogs, that student will no doubt learn material related to that subject faster than another one who does not share that fascination. We all agree that interest and attention are preconditions of learning and vary from student to student, depending on the subject. Third, students differ in their background knowledge, and that difference influences their learning. This is obviously true in the sense that a large vocabulary allows one to read a wider variety of books. And it is further true in fields such as history: One cant hope to learn much about the causes and consequences of the American Civil War without knowing facts about the growth and separation of the colonies, the history of economic differences between the North and the South, political facts about our three branches of government, etc. But background knowledge is also quite important in things we think of as skills. For example, learning basic math facts is critical to the acquisition of later math skills. Finally, some students have specific learning disabilities, and these affect their learning in specific ways. For example, there is considerable research on dyslexia and the strategies for addressing it. These strategies of course differ from those appropriate for those students on the autistic spectrum or those with hearing difficulties. In each of these cases, a specific difference in the student calls for individual diagnosis and attention. So in claiming that learning styles do not exist, we are not saying that all learners are the same. Rather, we assert that a certain number of dimensions (ability, background knowledge, interest) vary from person to person and are known to affect learning. The emphasis on learning styles, we think, often comes at the cost of attention to these other important dimensions. What Do Learning-Styles Theorists Get Wrong? The next claim is that learners have preferences about how to learn that are independent of both ability and content and have meaningful implications for their learning. These preferences are not â€Å"better† or â€Å"faster,† according to learning-styles proponents, but merely â€Å"styles. † In other words, just as our social selves have personalities, so do our memories. Students do have preferences about how they learn. Many students will report preferring to study visually and others through an auditory channel. However, when these tendencies are put to the test under controlled conditions, they make no difference—learning is equivalent whether students learn in the preferred mode or not. A favorite mode of presentation (e. g. , visual, auditory, or kinesthetic) often reveals itself to be instead a preference for tasks for which one has high ability and at which one feels successful. But even if we did identify preferences that were independent of ability, finding ones that are independent of content is a much trickier proposition. If I were to tell you â€Å"I want to teach you something. Would you rather learn it by seeing a slideshow, reading it as text, hearing it as a podcast, or enacting it in a series of movements,† do you think you could answer without first asking what you were to learn—a dance, a piece of music, or an equation? While it may seem like a silly example, the claim of the learning styles approach is that one could make such a choice and improve ones learning through that choice, independent of content. We all agree that some kids show more interest in math, some start their education more interested in poetry, and others are more interested in dodgeball. The proof that the learning-styles theorist must find is that for some sort of content—whether it be math, poetry, or dodgeball—changing the mode of presentation to match the learning styles helps people learn. That evidence has simply not been found. Finally, we arrive at the critical and specific claim of learning-styles proponents: Learning could be improved by matching the mode of instruction to the preferred learning style of the student. Learning-styles believers do not make the claim that students sort neatly into sensory categories: One need not be purely visual, auditory or kinesthetic. But according to the theory, an educator should be able to improve the performance of those who have a strong preference for one of these sensory styles by matching instruction to their preference. Failure to find any experimental support for matching the mode of instruction to a preferred learning style would simply leave us where we were at the end of the section above: Students have different interests, backgrounds, and abilities. And indeed, a recent review article in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest by a group of distinguished memory researchers sought to find evidence for this claim in particular. If you are visual, you should learn better with a visual presentation of information than with an auditory one. If you are auditory, you should learn better with auditory materials than with visual ones. Each of this pair of results is necessary to support this element of learning-styles theory. But experiments that tested this prediction with a variety of content material have not found support for it. While such evidence of learning styles would serve as a proof that they exist, the lack of evidence does not prove definitively that they do not exist. However, in order to persuade us to devote the time and energy to adopt a certain kind of differentiated teaching, the burden of proof is on those who argue for the existence of that description of students cognitive strategies. In other words, a good rule of thumb is that we should only bring ideas from the laboratory into our teaching if (1) we are sure that the laboratory phenomena exist under at least some conditions and (2) we understand how to usefully apply these laboratory phenomena to instruction. The first of these two conditions is not met for learning styles, and the first is obviously a precondition for the second. Why Does the Belief in Learning Styles Persevere? What are the reasons for this myths perseverance? First, we think that a belief in learning styles persists because the more general claims (the ones we addressed above) are true. Learners do differ from one another. But many who believe in the myth do not consider the critical differences between styles and abilities. Teachers should take into account the differences in learners abilities. And adjusting a lesson not just to be appropriately pitched at the students level of ability but to take into account their background knowledge and interests is surely an important first step in fostering learning. Second, a belief in learning styles fits into an egalitarian view of education: Everyone has value, according to the theory, and everyone has strengths. The corollary for some learning-styles theorists is that if you think that the theory is wrong, you must think that all students are identical—which is obviously untrue. Again, we agree that students differ and all students have value, but we do not need learning-styles theory to convince us of that. Third, learning-styles theory has succeeded in becoming â€Å"common knowledge. † Its widespread acceptance serves as an unfortunately compelling reason to believe it. This is accompanied by a well-known cognitive phenomenon called the confirmation bias. When evaluating our own beliefs, we tend to seek out information that confirms our beliefs and ignore contrary information, even when we encounter it repeatedly. When we see someone who professes to be a visual learner excel at geography and an auditory learner excel at music, we do not seek out the information which would disprove our interpretation of these events (can the auditory learner learn geography through hearing it? Can the visual learner become better at music by seeing it? ) Why Should College Educators Care? We have addressed the direct costs of the learning-styles myth above, but there are considerable opportunity costs as well. The same research in cognitive science and education that has failed to find evidence for learning styles has offered many insights into how memory does work. Mindset (2006) by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck is an excellent summary of the interesting ways that incentives—both carrots and sticks—as well as internal drives influence learning. And Henry L. Roediger and his associates at Washington University in St. Louis have demonstrated the value of testing for learning. Even the act of taking a test when one does not know the answers can support learning the correct answers faster and more effectively. Of course learning is an enormously complex activity, and this is not the place to outline all of the basic research on learning. We seek only to emphasize that attention to learning styles, for which evidence has not been found, may lead educators to neglect research on learning for which there is solid scientific support. Even though the belief in learning styles has influenced pedagogy in the schools far more than it has in higher education, we believe that there are several other reasons faculty might pay attention to the fact that researchers have failed to find evidence of learning styles, reasons that have important implications for the college classroom. First, when we poll our undergraduate classes on the belief in a number of myths of popular psychology, the one that â€Å"people have their own learning styles† is typically endorsed by more than 90 percent of our students. This belief has the potential to shape and constrain the experience that students have in the college classroom. For example, if a student believes she is a visual learner and therefore disengages and daydreams when a lecturer turns off the PowerPoint and tells a story, this will prevent her from learning the concept through a compelling narrative. And while these beliefs may not have as direct an impact on performance reviews as they do in K-12 settings, a belief in learning styles occasionally shows up in student evaluations of teaching: â€Å"I am a visual learner, so the visual examples were good,† or â€Å"I am an auditory learner, so more auditory content would have helped. † Second, learning-styles theory is sometimes offered as a reason to include digital media in the classroom. While including multimedia may be a good idea in general (variety in modes of presentation can hold students attention and interest, for example), it is not necessary to tailor your media to different learning styles. We shouldnt congratulate ourselves for showing a video to engage the visual learners or offering podcasts to the auditory learners. Rather, we should realize that the value of the video or audio will be determined by how it suits the content that we are asking students to learn and the background knowledge, interests, and abilities that they bring to it. Instead of asking whether we engaged the right sense (or learning mode), we should be asking, what did students think about while they were in class? Finally, when one has the opportunity in a smaller class to collect information about students and more specifically to tailor a lesson to that particular group of students, it is a waste of time to assess learning styles rather than, for instance, background knowledge. The latter can obviously be extremely useful. We often use prerequisites to ensure common background knowledge of students in a given class, but assessment at the beginning of a class can be an excellent reminder of how little of the prerequisite course content is easily recalled. Assessment of student interest can also be a useful tool for deciding how to approach the material in a given class. Some indication can be gained by what majors are represented in the class, but more specific interests assessed through a brief questionnaire or class discussion can also be useful in certain situations, such as small or homogeneous classes. So here is the punch line: Students differ in their abilities, interests, and background knowledge, but not in their learning styles. Students may have preferences about how to learn, but no evidence suggests that catering to those preferences will lead to better learning. As college educators, we should apply this to the classroom by continuing to present information in the most appropriate manner for our content and for the level of prior knowledge, ability, and interests of that particular set of students. Resources 1. Dweck, C. (2006) Mindset: The new psychology of success, Random House, New York, NY. 2. Paschler, H. , McDaniel, M. , Rohrer, D. and Bjork, R. (2010) Learning styles: Concepts and evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest 9, pp. 105-119. 3. Roediger, H. L. and Karpicke, J. D. (2006) The power of testing memory: Basic research and implications for educational practice. Perspectives on Psychological Science 1, pp. 181-210. Cedar Riener is an assistant professor of psychology at Randolph-Macon College. Daniel Willingham is a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia. He blogs at the Washington Post and is the author of Why Dont Students Like School? (Jossey-Bass, 2009). Related Notes Change Magazine September-October 2010The Myth of Learning Styles by Cedar Riener and Daniel Willingham There is no credible evidence that learning styles exist. While we will elaborate on this assertion, it is important to counteract the Learning with es: A convenient untruthThursday, 24 November 2011 A convenient untruth What do you think is the teachers worst enemy? Some would say lack of time. Others would say unsupportive leadership, or the dreaded government inspect

Fairways by Robert Robertson Essay Example for Free

Fairways by Robert Robertson Essay In the United States civil rights movements had been one of the most important groups which expressed the right of a person in defending their belief regarding different aspects in life such as gender, class, race and the likes. Looking back at the situation of the United States during the time of civil rights movements of Martin Luther King Jr., people of color were very active in presenting the whole nation that they are not slaves. They have fought for many, many years until the time they were able to make the whole United States of America and the whole world the rights of a human being should not be limited by the skin color that he or she has. A human being is a human being not matter what color, race or language he or she knows. In the recent times, it is known that the problem with race is not as evidently seen in the eyes of other people. Most of the discrimination is taking place within small groups and communities similar to what happened to six golfers who were living in Beaumont Texas. It is known the golf is a sport that only needs the ability to swing a ball from its place. There are no levels of intelligence, height, weight, color, and the likes are needed in order to play well in the game of golf. Therefore, every one does have the right to play in any place that they want. Individuals must not be limited by the fact that they are African Americans wanting to play and enjoy the sport. In June 14 1955, a group of six African Americans have filled a complaint against Tyrell and Central Parks, a golf club in Beaumont Texas. The six individuals were all members of the Beaumont Golf Club. They were all requesting for access in order for them to pay in the Tyrell and Central Parks. However, the park was strictly limited only to white colored people and restricts African-Americans due to the issue of racial segregation during those times. The group needed to travel 18 miles in order to play 18 holes of Golf in Houston in order to enjoy the sport. As this situation happened, the group has realized the unfair treatment which was provided to them. Therefore, they have campaigned for equal rights. As they went to the government to present their complaint, they have seen that there are actions which had taken in order to clarify this type of discrimination. There are numerous recommendations to study variety of aspects with regards to providing golfing facilities in colored golfing parks. But then, no actions had been taken in order to formalized these types of demands from the people. In the statement provided by the Mayor he has stated that, â€Å"This council is would always act for the best of the people in the city†¦. However â€Å"would not vote to do anything that might cause strife for the people who life there† (Robertson, 2005, p. 4). In seeing this view point of a person who has not experienced racial segregation, there is a great feeling that discrimination is truly evident in the lines provided by the Mayor. As a authority, he should know that the scope of being equality must be experienced by the many people. Satisfaction with regards to the life of each individual must be done without harming other people. In the view of providing the entertainment of the people, colored people must be able to enjoy what other people could freely and easily get pleasure from. As stated in the book in the Prologue there are variety of aspects in which the colored parks do not provide. One of those things was the golfing facilities which were demanded by the Beaumont Golf Club. I n limiting the possibility of enjoying the sport in the easiest and fastest way (Tyrell and Central Park) African-Americans seems to be limited in the aspect of attaining quality time through a high level of effort of traveling 18 miles just to golf. Therefore, attaining entertainment seemed to be more difficult for African Americans. Beaumont Texas is a community in which was mainly occupied with white Americans. All the economic power which had been solely lying on the white community thus leading to the point that political power is also given to the white Americans. With such situation, the people who are leading the community are mostly leading to the bias of the white Americans. Such bias is experienced by the African Americans through an aspect such as having a decent gold club to play in. In the situation of the people the six people it is evident that inequality attained through having racial segregation in the community. The group of people who have proposed the concept racial segregation had positive thoughts with regards to the concept but obviously, the people who were leading the community and the whole country does not think of the good of all the people but all those that they could personally benefit from. In conclusion, the people who were in the government of Beaumont Texas during those times were simply attaining the best for the people of the community which were the white Americans. Given that most of the populations were white Americans as well as the leaders of the community the priority of having a satisfactory life must not only be provided to the whites but also the to African Americans. All of these people are equally paying their taxes to the government without hesitations or limit. Therefore, equal rights must be given to them. It is only proper, that the six African American golfers were able to fight for their right to enjoy what they deserve. References Robertson, R. (2005). Fair ways: how six black golfers won civil rights in Beaumont, Texas. Texas: Texas AM University Press.

Study Of Easyjet And The Airline Industry Tourism Essay

Study Of Easyjet And The Airline Industry Tourism Essay Easy Jet Airline is one of leading low-cost British airline established in 1995. Easy Jet has seen a rapid expansion, operating domestic and international service on 500 routes between Europe, North Africa and Asia. Its successful strategies based on low-cost, no frills model which derive from the a concept that demands for short-haul air transportation is price elastic. That means if the price of plane tickets are being reduced, more people will fly. Microeconomics Major determinants of demand The demand for a particular good or service depends on a variety of factors. Key influences include the price of substitutes; especially goods that are close substitutes, and the price of complements, the levels of consumer income, consumers expectation.(à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) The availability of alternative modes of transportation for air travel are increasing, in particular ownership of automobile and the railway development. These close substitutes might be a threat a number of traditional airline companies, dominating short journey sector (less than 3 hours). However, it is extremely difficult for rail transport to challenge a low-cost airline company like easyjet. For example, Euro stars cheapest tickets to Paris is  £149, whereas Easy Jets prices start from  £17.99 Airline costs per passenger, and rail fares, from Barcelona Price Elasticity As demand law, when other factors on demand remain unchanged, a higher price for a product will lead to a lower quantity demanded. The price elasticity of demand measures the responsiveness, or sensitivity, of the demand for a good to changes in its price when other influences on demand are held constant. It is defined as the percentage change in quantity demanded resulting from a given percentage change in price. For example, if a 1% increase in price leads to a 1.5% drop in quantity demanded, the own-price elasticity of demand is 1.5. In this case, since the percentage fall in demand is greater than the percentage rise in price, total spending on the good will decline, and the demand for it is said to be elastic. If, on the other hand, a 1% price rise causes a smaller percentage decline in the quantity demanded, the own-price elasticity will be less than one, and demand is said to be inelastic.(à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.) The demand for air travel should be distinguished among markets for: business and leisure travel; long-haul and short-haul travel; and international and long-haul travel. Accordingly, to examine the sensitivity of the demand for air travel to its price, separate estimates of the own-price elasticity of demand are gathered for each of these distinct markets. Since the alternative modes of transportation for long distance are not widely available, it is considered that the demand for air transport will be less elastic for long-haul flights than for short-haul flights. Moreover, international travel tends to be spread over more time than domestic travel due to globalization, so that the plane ticket is more expensive than domestic tickets. globalization makes international travel especially business travel less sensitive to changes in ticket prices. On the other hand,  travelers for leisure are more likely to postpone trips to specific locations in response to higher fares, or to shop around and looking for more affordable fares. Therefore, it is concluded that the demand for air transport for leisure travel will be more elastic than business travel. Price Elasticity of Supply and Demand The relationship between demand and price of traveling by air can be both elastic and inelastic. To a large extent it depends on the type of customers traveling. For example a family planning a vacation that requires air travel, if the price of an airline ticket is extremely high, they are more likely decide to delay the trip until the prices are lower. This shows that leisure air travel is considered elastic. However, if a business customer needs to travel across the country by the next day, they will need a plane ticket regardless of the ticket price. For business travel, the price of airline would be considered inelastic because it is a necessity. The current market for business travel has a big part in the supply and demand within the airline industry. More so in the economic downturn with the price of oil rapidly increasing, the cost of an airline ticket is consequently has risen and the demand for leisure travel has fallen. In addition, another reason for the decline in demand is that after 9/11 there has been growing concern over in-flight safety. Another factor that influences the price of an airline ticket is the date that it is purchased. If there is an  emergency, the customer may need to book a ticket on the day of travel or even purchases a ticket close to the departure time. The fact that there are still many unsold tickets is disregarded and the price will be higher. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1013568/the_economys_affect_on_the_airline.html?cat=27 elastic.gif http://www.fin.gc.ca/consultresp/Airtravel/airtravstdy_1-eng.asp Market structure of Airline industry There are many factors impacted on the recent poor financial performance of traditional airlines, including the effects of 9/11, the global economic recession, the increasing growth of low cost airlines that operate under a different business model, and the recent surge in fuel prices. As described below, several simultaneous factors are transforming the global airline industry. The growth of low-cost airlines: The increasing growth of the market share of low-cost, low cost fares during the last few years is one of the most significant trends in the industry, and has presented a considerable threat to the viability of network of traditional carriers. The response of the traditional network airlines to the growing low cost airlines challenge will be critical to determining the future structure of the airline industry, both in the United States and in Europe. Competitive analysis The most obvious competitive advantages Easy Jet had are delivering low-cost and maximizing margins. easyJet keeps costs low by cutting off the unnecessary costs and frills which is in traditional airlines. This is done in several major ways: firstly, easy jet take advantage of the Internet to reduce distribution costs and then maximize the utilization of the substantial assets and maximize utilization of each aircraft and therefore, significantly reduces the unit cost Secondly, Easy Jet launched paperless operation and ticketless travel which means passengers receive an email containing their travel details and booking reference instead of get a paper ticket when they book online. This lower the cost of issuing, distributing, processing and reconciling millions of tickets each year. At the same time, Easy jet simplified its work practice by delivery the concept of paperless operation and a well designed information system allows management and administrative job carried out through its IT systems of company. The no-frill service on board is another reason for Easy Jet to keep cost low, because everybody always complain about food on board so why bother to provide food if people dont want it? Cutting off free catering on-board decrease cost and unnecessary bureaucracy and management. It is also an important differentiator between easyJet and other airlines and a potent reflection of our low-cost approach. Passengers can purchase food on-board if th ey need it . ironically, Easy jet have won awards for our catering service. The new concept of a simple service model also reflects a more general need about eliminating other unnecessary, costly services. pre-assigned seats, interline connections with other airlines and cargo/freight carriage are the characteristics of traditional airline result in high complex to manage cost. Moreover, easyJet use airports effectively by flying to main destination airports throughout Europe with high frequency and obtain efficiencies through rapid turnaround times. By cutting off turnarounds time to 30 minutes and below, easyJet can gain extra turnaround rates on the high-frequency routes, thus, maximizing utilization rates of its aircraft. Easy Jet made an agreement with airports about progressive landing charges. the operation easyJet currently has operating various bases throughout the UK and mainland Europe. It is a truly European operation and was one of the few airlines to take advantage of the reforms offered by the single European aviation market. Manage cost Fuel cost is one of the biggest and volatile single cost for Easy Jet therefore fuel efficiency is very important to Easy Jet. In 2009, Easy jet saved 1.2%of fuel they burn through the improvement of fuel efficiency and new flight planning system. Easy Jet have aimed a 3% improvement in fuel burn, which will deliver 20million by 2012. It is crucial for Easy Jet to manage cost effectively so that it can continue to offer competitive fares profitably. Easy jet plans to make at least 190million of cost reduction by the end of 2012, which will allow Easy Jet to offset inflationary pressures and produce 1 per seat benefit to the bottom line. The crew efficiency will be improved by 10% through route and crew optimal tools and a new roster system. Marco-economic Transport economics in general, especially air transport has been viewed as the laboratory of economic activity. Flourishing transport derived by booming economy, as an increasing economic activity, expanding industrial production and booming trade relation will inevitably lead to an ever-greater need for transport. A decline of the same parameters will reflect on a decreasing demand for transport. Within the transport industry, air transport seems to be more sensitive to such economic environment. In the face of recent financial crisis that affected world economic growth and international trade, airline industry are affected by this crisis. The EUs air transport system has been considered as a very important factor of the Unions economy. In the meanwhile, it is quite sensitive to economic environment and economic development in other industry. In 2008, the worldwide financial downturn had increasingly resulted in a global economic crisis. At the same time, the impacts of this crisis for air transport sector reflected on obvious decline of air travel demand because of less transported passengers and goods, reduction of supply through reduction of frequency, and lower company profits. Figure3: GDP Yearly Growth from 1990-2008 Inflation and Oil Price Impact The inflation rate in Europe was 0.90% in February of 2010. Inflation rate reflected on a general rise in prices measured against a standard level of purchasing power. The effective measures of Inflation are the CPI which measures consumer prices, and the GDP that measures inflation in the whole of the domestic economy. Oil prices are pushing up inflation across Europe. And oil price really matters to the health of global economy. The global economic downturn in 2000-2001 resulted from higher oil price since 1999, and global GDP growth have decreased. Higher oil price are contributing to high level of cost and unemployment and accelerating budget-deficit problem. The impact of high oil price on oil-importing countries varies mainly depending on the degree to which they are net importers and the oil intensity of their economies.. European countries are highly dependent on oil imports, which would suffer most in the short term, their GDP went down by 0.5% and inflation increasing by 0. 5% in 2005. The United States suffered with GDP declining by 0.3%,mainly because its domestic production meets a bigger part of share of its oil needs. Japans GDP decreased 0.4%, with its low oil intensity compensating for its almost high dependence on imported oil. The problem of fuel rates/ cost is one of many factors all airline companies faced with. The price of a barrel of oil has been a huge impact on airliner and global airline industry. According to the statistics, the cost of fuel has been made up by 31% of the total cost of business of airline companies. The aviation industry is always sensitive to the change of fuel price. In the economic recession, the number of the passenger would scare away if airline company rise the ticket price, despite of the situation of fuel price surge. Therefore, the only ways for airline company to minify the loss because of the higher oil price are strengthening management, cutting cost and efficiency improving, instead of simply raise the price. Another financial risk exposure in the airline industry is interest rate. Interest rate risk is important to airline companies in terms of the cost of debt finance. Higher financial leverage ratios are dominant in the aviation industry because of its capital intensive nature and high cost of equity. High earnings volatility made cost of equity increase. Equity can be less attractive due to lower price earnings ratios found in the airline industry. In the meanwhile, cost of debit is closely related to the interest rate changes. Therefore, the impact of interest rates on general business could be large consequential effect. Moreover, high interest rates result in higher cost of distress, this is especially for the airline industry. Legislation Impact One of the most difficult balancing acts that airline companies faced is the challenge of balanceing global warming and remaining competitive position in marketplace. The airline industry is responsible for 2% of the worlds man-made carbon emissions and 6% of the Uks. It has already achieved a great deal in keeping emissions down,and it is continuing to take its responsibilities seriously through industry-wide initiatives, in-depth research, roadmaps, not to mention new airframe and engine technology.In 2005,the climate impacts of aviation have finally landed on european political agenda.because the air travel is the worst climate choice of all transport modes, per passenger kilometer of aircraft emits tree times more than cars. Per tonne kilometer of freight, aircroft measured about an order of magnitude worse than lorries. the UK Climate Change Act, passed last November called into question how quickly the industry could deploy into new aircraft and fleets the technological advance ments it was claiming were going to help it deliver a percentage reduction in CO2 emissions. Airline companies must act quickly to lower its own CO2 emissins to meet goverment regulation,many people argued that the climate change policies will destory the development of aviation industry. However, the study shows that climate change legislation could be designed in a sustainable way. Survival of the Easy Jets Low-cost Model Low-cost airline model has proven to be successful, and has been copied by the many airline company worldwide. Low-cost airline model is based on strict adherence to several major principles: point to point flight, maximization of flying hours, short-haul, use of secondary airports, no-frill, and no delay, which result in low cost, low fares and high demand and capacity utilization. ( Macario et.al.2007) Although the air transport market is heavily impacted by the economic crisis, in turn, economic recession provides a potential opportunity to low-cost airline company. Easy Jet announced a profit increase in 2009. Low cost airline companies are increasing their market share compared to traditional airline. Potential strategies for Easy Jet Firstly, Easy Jet should build stronger air transport network. Although Easy Jet has a leading presence on Europes top 100 routes, it still needs to strengthen its positions in the key market and focus on the routes customers find the most attractive, at convenient times. Easy Jet needs to continually manage schedule quality and fine-tune its network. Which means it will offer customers the opportunity to arrive when they want and when they want. It will allow Easy Jet get increasing market share of flight and have higher load factors than its competitors. Increasing frequency and stability on major routes with launching new the route mix offer more choice to its customers based on market research. For instance, Easy Jet launched flight with daily return flight from several cities in UK to many European cities. As the demand declines through the summer months, it should manage its schedule and move assets to leisure routes in order to maximize its capacities. In addition, unnecessary cost created by overnight stops could be avoided by base management, in order to improve efficiency and maximize revenue. Secondly, it is important to listen to customer and understand their need and then design schedule and service to match. the relative effective way to get close to its customers is to collect all customer data, which provides a fast and intelligent view on trends in customers travelling habits. With these customer databases, it allows marketing department tailor marketing emails according to individual customer purchasing patterns and preferences. Moreover, build increasing customer experience to appeal business travelers. Departure time is vital for customer and ensuring customers arrive at their destination on time is a key to delivery of a winning customer proposition. In a recession economic environment, Easy Jet has potential opportunity to increase share of the business travel market due to many corporate tend to low cost air travel company to cut business cost. http://hubpages.com/hub/rise-in-fuel-prices-airline-industry How a rise in fuel prices affect the airline industry

Subliminal Advertising :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Subliminal Advertising 1.) On television, a common technique to influence a viewer is to flash messages or images for so little time, that it almost seems like a flicker that really never happened. Ways that this has been used is by flashing images that are pleasing to the eye, like a flashy color, or maybe even a picture with sexual innuendo. The cheapest technique, usually used by people, like car salesmen, is to ask the viewer a string of questions, which we all know will have the answer "yes." By doing this, the commercial gets you ready to agree with any pitch they are trying to make you buy. 2.) A more cunning way to make you buy a product is to brainwash your emotions, questioning yourself, "Would I be a bad person if I do not by this product?" For instance, the people that would like you to donate money to the sick, hungry children is some run-down village. They show you pictures of babies crying, adults with hardly any meat on their bones. The commercial then claims that by your donation, you can save a life, but if you do not, you're letting a life die. This technique is an effective way, but I believe that there are some ethics involved in purposely tampering one's emotions. 3.) A technique usually described as using "buzz words" is found more in print than on television or radio. If we are scrolling through a newspaper and we see an exciting flashy word, our eyes tend to draw towards it. Companies are entirely aware of this, so that’s why they flash words on their ads like, "FREE," "NEW," "HURRY." Something about these words makes us want to see what the fuss is all about, and to read the company's ad. Now when you do read the ad, there will be "buzz words" embedded into the ad that do not even look flashy. It is always words that do not actually have any significant meaning, but they are added in anyways. For example, words like, homemade, improved, 100%, tasty, just to name a few. 4.) Michael Jordan is selling you Gatorade, Jerry Seinfeld is backing up American Express, and Paul Reiser wants you to use AT&T. Why do these famous stars appear on commercials and ads? The purpose is to subliminally give the product traits that it never even deserves, like wealth, fame, and success.

what we need :: essays research papers

â€Å"What we need†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Summer Olympics a venue that the world looks forward to every 4 years. Various sports that athletes train hard for day in and day out to achieve the coveted gold medal. An opportunity arises the chance for a given city; â€Å"your city† to hold the 2012 summer Olympic games. One dilemma, the city that they might pick is in dire need for psychological and physical uplifting. Is this the right opportunity to do so for the city of New York and try to give new life too much changed city after the September 11 tragedies? Is this a good choice for the Olympic games to be held in our own New York City, or is this an invitation for terrorist groups too spoil plans and moral once again? As well as add too the congestion of an already chaotic traffic system?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many different opinions are voiced in a situation that can affect a city of 8 million people for the better or for the worse. Most of the people of New York City are very optimistic of the possible coming of the Olympic games. The pros of this proposed idea are many and very beneficial for the city as well as the people. A great benefit that comes from this event is jobs. In a time of economic decline and people loosing their jobs are the main positive things that the Olympic games will bring; Kevin Fleming said that the Olympics would probably put money in his pocket. â€Å"I think it’s great, I’m looking forward to getting a lot of work from it.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other great aspects of the Olympics possibly being held in New York City is that the city will get the much needed â€Å"face-lift† in areas of the city that was already planned but it will just get done sooner. â€Å"Most of the things the Olympics need, the city needs anyway,† mayor Bloomberg was quoted to say. Businesses will boom and jobs will there for the willing to work. Some risks that we take will be well worth it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People are also worried about the traffic and the gridlock that would be caused by the Olympics but New Yorkers deal with it day in and day out the whole traffic is well worth it because when it is all said and done the Olympics go down in history and â€Å"you â€Å" will be one of the lucky ones to see history in the making.

American Dream in The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

American Dream The novel, The Great Gatsby, portrayed the American dream in a positive light. The novel shows how people were living, what they had to live for, and how the world was evolving. All three of these were read about in The Great Gatsby, and the way they were portrayed was more than just average, they showed real life factors. Everyone would have to agree that The Great Gatsby is an all time great novel, but not everyone can agree on the views of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the American dream in a positive light. The novel The Great Gatsby, goes into detail on how people of either West Egg or East Egg lived. F. Scott Fitzgerald described living conditions of both towns, one was rich, and one was poor. Fitzgerald talks about how people from the more wealthy side of town, West Egg, were able to do more and are treated with better respect. He also showed the more rundown, less wealthy side where people did not receive the same amount of respect. In the article â€Å" A Jay for Today, The Jay Gatsby’s of Today† a quote reading, â€Å" In the 1920’s, the rich were content to play with yachts and buy racehorses, their modern counterparts fly jets and aspire to own a football teams.† This quote shows how in the novel The Great Gatsby they are told to be happy with what they have and that most people are not able to do what they can. Both citizens of East and West Egg have a lot to live for whether they shall be rich or poor. As in the article â€Å" Gatsby: False Prophet of the American Dream† (in English Journal. Vol. 59, No. 5, May 1970, pg. 638-42). â€Å"My family all died and I come into a good deal of money. After that I lived like a young rajah in all the capitals of Europe, Paris, Venice, Rome, collecting jewels, chiefly rubies, hunting big game, painting a little thing for myself only, and trying to forget something very sad that had happened to me a long time ago.† This quote from Gatsby shows how no matter how life takes you, you should always keep your head up and think positive even if its not how you live, try to make things better for yourself so you can one day go somewhere in life.

Direct Democracy

In the United States, direct democracy takes its most evident form in ballot initiatives. According to the president of the Initiative and Referendum Institute, M. Dane Waters, a version of this practice was said to have existed as early as the 1600s in New England. The practice then was for proposed ordinances to be placed on the agenda to be discussed by the whole town and later approved by voting on them during their town meetings.However, Dane Waters continued, ballot initiative as it is known today started during the 1900s – specifically in 1978 when Proposition 13 reduced the property taxes in California from 2. 5 percent to 1 percent. That California initiative resulted to limitations in the property taxes of 43 states and a reduced rate in the income taxes in 15 states (Cato Policy Report). A Washington Post columnist, David S.Broder described ballot initiatives as a tool designed to enable the people to directly write laws and in the process, check the influence being wielded by interest groups in the legislative process. Unfortunately, Broder explained, the initiative process is flawed since the opinion of those who are in disagreement is not being heard. Because of this defect, he maintained, statutes approved through ballot initiatives are not being subjected to checks and balances, effectively robbing the minority of their right to be heard.Broder argued that this contradicts the intent of the founding fathers (Cato Policy Report). The chairman of the Cato Institute, William A. Niskanen, disagreed. He stressed that the initiative process is actually a system of checks and balances since it regulates the power of legislatures. In other words, it does not weaken the American system of government. Dane Waters supported the view of Niskanen. He maintained that ballot initiatives were not meant to introduce adverse changes in the American system of government but to enrich it.In fact, he said, even the founding fathers had recognized its wisdom. To prove his point, he quoted James Madison, one of the founding fathers, who said that As the people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the Constitutional Charter under which the several branches of government hold their power is derived, it seems strictly consonant to the republican theory to recur to the same original authority whenever it may be necessary to enlarge, diminish, or new-model the powers of government (Cato Policy Report).Ellen Ann Andersen, in â€Å"OUT OF THE CLOSESTS & into the Courts, demonstrated how a ballot initiative works. In her search for a suitable illustration, she decided to look at the effects of the initiative process on the civil rights of lesbians, gays and bisexuals (lgb’s). Her decision was baaed on the fact that until 1993, the focus of approximately 60 percent of all ballot initiatives in the country was the civil rights of lgb’s.She therefore concentrated on the most famous of these initiatives à ¢â‚¬â€œ Amendment 2 which was approved by the voters in Colorado in 1992 (Andersen). Amendment 2 was sparked by a proposed ordinance on human rights which was heard by the Human Rights Commission of Colorado Springs in 1991. The proposal sought to prohibit discrimination of any kind based on â€Å"race and color, their religion and creed, their national origin and ethnicity, their age, marital status, their sexual orientation, or their disabled condition.† It immediately encountered stiff opposition mostly from big fundamentalist Christian groups which included the biggest Christian radio ministry in the country – the Focus on the Family. Due to the relentless assault that they made against the proposed ordinance, it was finally defeated in the city council by a vote of 8-1 (Andersen). Things did not end there, however. The defeat of the proposed human rights ordinance started a statewide campaign against gay rights which culminated to the framing of Amendment 2.A grou p named Colorado for Family Values (CFV) was organized at the behest of three individuals, namely: Tony Marco, an anti-gay activist; David Noebel, head of anticommunist Summit Ministries, and Kevin Tebedo, who was the son of Maryanne Tebedo, a senator of the state of Colorado. CFV was able to establish links with national conservative organizations. It obtained the assistance of the â€Å"National Legal Foundation† in drafting Amendment 2 and used the handbook which was written by a lawyer who represented the â€Å"Concerned Women for America† as a guide for its efforts to promote the amendment.The proponents of Amendment 2 appealed to the moral values of the people and capitalized on their lack of adequate knowledge about homosexuality as they painted gays and lesbians as a hazard to society. It distributed a bulletin which alleged that Lately, America has been hearing a lot about the subject of childhood sexual abuse. This terrible epidemic has scarred countless youn g lives and destroyed thousands of families. But what militant homosexuals don’t want you to know is the large role they play in this epidemic.In fact, pedophilia (the sexual molestation of children) is actually an accepted part of the homosexual community (Andersen)! CFV also declared to the people of Colorado that homosexuals represented a great danger to the overall health of the community because they are the most relentless carriers of â€Å"sexually transmitted diseases; they are the most fertile breeders of diseases; and that by the middle of the 1990s, hospital bed would be difficult to come by due to the large number of homosexuals who are infected with AIDS (Andersen).Black propaganda such as these, coupled with the findings of a poll which was commissioned by the Denver Post which showed that 46 percent of respondents considered homosexuality to be morally wrong, 40 percent tolerated homosexuals, and 14 percent declared their neutrality, enabled the anti-gay secto rs of Colorado to deal a crushing blow to the gay militants. The CFV campaign also argued that lgb’s should not be granted protected status or â€Å"special rights† because they were not â€Å"legitimate† minorities having failed to satisfy the criteria set forth by Supreme Court decisions, namely:1. A group wanting true minority rights must show that it’s discriminated against to the point that its members cannot earn average income, get an adequate education, or enjoy a fulfilling cultural life. 2. The group must be clearly identifiable by unchangeable physical characteristics like skin color, gender, handicap, etc. (not behavior). 3. The group must clearly show that it is politically powerless (Andersen). In spite of the sting that black propaganda caused, it was the â€Å"no special rights† campaign slogan that dealt the greatest damage to the gay militants.Lawyer Jean Dubofsky said that The â€Å"no special rights† slogan was very cleve r, particularly given a time when at least white males don’t like affirmative action. The Amendment 2 people spent a lot of time talking about (how) you don’t want gays and lesbians getting in front of you in line for jobs or scholarships or college. Of course, that wasn’t what Amendment 2 was all about overall, but that’s the way it was sold†¦. People I talked with voted for it because they felt gay and lesbians should not get affirmative action (Andersen).In other words, Amendment 2 was ultimately approved by the voters of Colorado, thanks mainly to the underhanded campaign tactics employed by its proponents. Thus ended the political struggle waged by the gay activists. They were decidedly beaten in the political battle. However, it turned out that they were far from accepting defeat. Defeated in the political arena, they then turned to the legal battle. Amendment 2 proponents had only nine days to savor the taste of victory before the lgb’s petitioned the federal district court.A complaint was filed in the name of the following: Richard Evans (he was a former employee at the Mayor’s office of Denver who was open with his being gay); five other lgb’s; and a heterosexual male who was infected with AIDS. The cities of Boulder, Denver, and Aspen were also included as complainants because they had ordinances which protected the rights of lgb’s which Amendment 2 would effectively nullify (Andersen). The second aspect of the initiative process (the legal battle) turned out to be a different matter altogether.Prepared even before the election day as a â€Å"fallback† strategy, the complaint included several allegations. First, it argued that Amendment 2 violated the equal protection clause of the constitution. Then it claimed that the amendment denied lgb’s of their freedom of expression as well as association. Finally, it alleged that Amendment 2 was in violation of due process and the â₠¬Å"right to petition government for a redress of grievances† (Andersen). The difference between the political and the legal aspects of the initiative became immediately evident.Whereas the voters were the center of decision-making in the political exercise, the legal battle transferred the power to decide to the judges. A total of thirteen judges heard the arguments whether Amendment 2 should be considered constitutional. One was a district court judge; three were justices of the Supreme Court of Colorado; and nine justices came from the United States Supreme Court (Andersen). The two sides presented the same arguments that they used during the campaign.The proponents of the amendment argued that they were simply against granting homosexuals special rights and that they were interested in safeguarding the well-being of children and the family, and allow the state to allocate its resources to assisting the legitimate minorities. The gay advocates, on the other hand, argued that in fact â€Å"special rights† as employed by the proponents of the Amendment was merely a red herring to mislead people and that the Amendment would effectively deprive them of their rights and constitutionally-guaranteed protection.They further claimed that Amendment 2 was only motivated by the hostility of its proponents towards lgb’s and that homosexuality was in fact not only a â€Å"life-style choice† but is comparable to race and sexual orientation (Andersen). What happened, however, was while their arguments won for the proponents the battle for the ballot, the same arguments caused them to lose their case in court. Ironically, a dissenting judge claimed that the act of the majority justices from the Supreme Court in striking down the Amendment had been an act â€Å"not of judicial judgment, but of political will† (Andersen). Direct Democracy The assumption underlying the discussion on the initiative process is that the employment of paid petitioners is a harmful development reducing the quality of our democracy and privileging money over true commitment to causes that are put on ballot. However, this assumption is a questionable one, and counterevidence is abundant.Therefore, this essay will have the following structure: first of all, it will show little harms in employing paid signature-gatherers that are offset by possible benefits of such design of the initiative process, and, secondly, the essay will criticize the workability of the solutions offered in the concluding section of the chapter. The perceived danger in allowing paid petitioners is that only causes that enjoy considerable financial support can make their way to the ballot. Another threat, as opponents of this policy argue, is associated with the fact that it is devastating to the spirit of volunteerism and civic involvement.There is a view that ‘[p] aying petitioners degraded the signature gatherer because it came to be seen as a sales job rather than as the precious province of the public-spirited citizen’ (Ellis, 2002, p. 48). Thus, the need for mobilizing and engaging citizens becomes virtually irrelevant to policy-making process. However, there is little persuasive evidence that paid petitioners signify the death of grassroots and the advent of the ‘greenback democracy. ’ Issues that arouse strong public sentiment can recruit a sufficient number of volunteers to push their case through.There are several reasons why volunteer signatures drive will survive in the future. First of all, using volunteers in the qualification phase can help save money for the electoral contest. Secondly, volunteer petitioners often gather signatures with higher validity rates, thus the number of signatures needed decreases whenever volunteers are used. Thirdly, volunteer-based signature gathering campaigns constitute a way to mobilize and inform citizens. Fourthly, volunteer signatures drive is a powerful public relations tool, since such initiatives usually enjoy positive publicity (Ellis, 2002).Volunteer campaigns have potential to succeed only if a campaign issue can easily generate strong feelings among the public. Yet issues arousing strong public sentiment are few and far between; more often, it is an interest of a smaller group of people that is at stake, but it is undemocratic to disregard the plea of such groups of citizens only because their case does not excite hearts and minds of their fellow citizens. In the modern democracy, there are few deeply appalling wrongs that need immediate remedy and can attract crowds of concerned citizen, like the case of African Americans in the 1960s.In the modern democracy, incremental changes need to be made to accommodate different interests and to make their coexistence more efficient and pleasurable for all. Numerous notable initiatives, serving community interests best, made their way to the ballot thanks to paid petitioners. Furthermore, the ban on paid petitioners will affect different states in different ways. It will create a dangerous disparity in the quality of the initiative process in states with smaller and bigger populations.For example, it will create considerable complications for signature gathering in such states as California, where the number of signatures that are necessary for an initiative to be put on ballot can be several times higher than in other states. It is especially relevant given the everyday life constraints on citizenship and civic participation. Consumerist ideology makes long working hours an imperative and leaves people with less time to participate in politics and community affairs. People volunteer in their leisure time, and leisure is a competitive sector.It is hard to expect a large number of citizens to sacrifice their spare time for gathering signatures in favor of their cause, however strongl y they feel about it. Indeed, ‘[t]he main hurdle that most initiative proponents face is finding enough people willing and able to dedicate a large number of hours to gathering signatures’ (Ellis, 2002, p. 53). Moreover, there are legitimate concerns that the ban on paid petitioners will privilege people with abundant amount of spare time over those possessing more financial resources. In fact, paid petitioners democratize the initiative process by making it more inclusive.Many citizens do not hold strong opinions on some issues, but it by no means indicates that these issues should be excluded from the democratic debate. There are issues that are hard to frame in the way that solicits a passionate positive or negative attitude. In addition, privileging people with spare time over those with money borders on classism. For example, unemployed citizens with a lot of spare time can recruit a large number of volunteer to campaign for a welfare reform, while middle-class bus inessmen do not have such time to petition for a tax reduction.In a democracy, all groups ought to have equal access to the mechanisms of democratic participation and should be allowed to make the best use of resources available to them to ensure such participation. Therefore, as Ellis (2002, p. 54) notes, ‘the rise of paid petitioners and professional signature-gathering firms promotes democracy by increasing the involvement of a wider diversity of groups. ’ The ban on paid petitioners will not significantly decrease the role of big interests and money in the initiative process.A fact that is often overlooked by the opponents of paid petitioners concerns the evidence that recruitment, training, and coordination of volunteers mean considerable costs to an initiative sponsor, although volunteers work for free (Ellis, 2002). Moreover, the ban on paid petitioners will give an unfair advantage to organizations with better access to human resources. It ‘would advantage firms that employed large numbers of people and would make it impossible for all but the most popular causes to exercise the right of direct democracy’ (Ellis, 2002, p. 48).The opponents of paid petitioners also overlook the fact that signature gathering firms have a more professional approach to the initiative process. One of the possible advantages, as Ellis (2002) acknowledges, is that such firms have more experience in planning signature gathering campaigns and can offer a clear timeline for the process. However, there is another important advantage in employing signature gathering firms. Professionals working there can inform citizens more efficiently by presenting information about the issue at stake in a more accessible and understandable way.Thus, the indirect benefit of using paid petitioners is greater awareness of the citizenry on a wider array of issues. The proposal to ban paid petitioners also underestimates people’s ability to choose whether to sign a p etition. It is argued that signatories to petitions do not express their real opinion but agree to sign them ‘for a variety of reasons, among which are desire to be rid of the solicitor or to help him earn a day’s wages’ (Register, 1913; in Ellis, 2002). However, citizens are often more aware and concerned than this notion assumes.Many of them refuse to sign petitions that contradict their convictions. If ignorance was the case, volunteer signature drives would be as futile as professional signature gathering firms. Having proven that the harms involved in the process of employing paid petitioners in the initiative process are often exaggerated, there is a need to critique the proposed solutions to the perceived crisis. Providing more information about signature gathering will have little effect, as citizens are already overwhelmed with information on public issues.Few would dedicate their time to studying booklets on how certain initiatives made their way to the ballot. There are cognitive constraints on the amount of information citizens can consume. Furthermore, few would have enough spare time to devote it to reading booklets with information on how many volunteers and how many paid petitioners were employed to gather support for a certain initiative. The proposal to leave petitions with county registration officers can be dismissed on similar grounds: citizens do not have enough spare time to dedicate to public affairs.Valuing signatures collected by volunteers over those collected by paid petitioners is simply non-enforceable. Abandoning signature gathering altogether is also not a viable alternative, since the process of petitioning presents at least some checks on the power of large interests. Paid petitioners ensure that issues of at least some interest to at least some groups of citizens make their way to the ballot. In fact, it does not quite matter how issues are placed on ballot; what matters most is the citizens’ abilit y to express their opinion about different initiatives in a popular vote.