Organizational and management styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Organizational and management styles - Essay Example It would be important to consider the various factors that determine the levels of efficiency in the management of educational institutions with particular reference to the mentioned universities. The theoretical framework of this study will anchor on various theories of organizational management. The theories shall be considered in terms of how they affect matters of policy and practice of management in the identified institutions. Case reviews on matters of educational management have revealed changing trends in leadership and management across the globe (Bush, 2010, p. 45). There is evidence of a determined shift from the traditional systems of leadership and management, which were more rigid to the current ones that seem to be more flexible. The traditional systems mainly involved a vertical structure where the leadership was at the top and made important policy and administrative decisions that affected the operations at all levels of the universities administration (Bush, 2010) . Educational institutions that adopted exclusivist policies of leadership favored this system. The current systems have evolved to embrace horizontal structures of leadership, in which policy matters and decision-making are handled at multiple points of the organization’s structure (McCaffery, 2010). Such developed kinds of leadership and management entail some aspect of devolution in which power is distributed evenly across various academic institutions. Both systems have important strengths and weaknesses. The increasing clamor for liberties and the advocacy for rights of the minorities have had significant impact on the levels and nature of leadership in American universities (Bush & Coleman, 2000). Gender and ethnicity are some of the factors that have been brought within the umbrella of the management and leadership structures of American universities (McCaffery, 2010). Such leadership styles have impacted positively on the nature of leadership by embracing certain qual ities that are essentially aimed towards responding to the call for harmony in the processes of leadership. Proper management techniques require constant attention to the interests of stakeholders in ways that multiply the importance of normal discourse (McCaffery, 2010). One of the advantages of the top-down leadership structures and management style includes quick decision-making processes (Morrison, Briggs & Coleman, 2012). The leaders make decisions without much consultation, which saves time and affects positively on the speed and efficiency of processes. In some cases, such styles of management feature less bureaucratic challenges since fewer people and fewer processes are involved in the decision-making processes. On the other hand, the same systems are notable for lack of motivation in the lower cadres of management because other people in the organization are not involved in making important decisions within the organization (Walker & Dimmock, 2005). According to theorists of educational leadership and ma

Dumping in our Waters Essay Example for Free

Dumping in our Waters Essay Water is probably one of the most important resources we have. People can survive without food for several weeks but without water we couldnt live for more than a week. Millions of liters of water are needed every day worldwide for washing, irrigating crops, and cooling industrial processes, not to mention leisure industries such as swimming pools and water sports centers. (Internet Source) Despite our dependence on water, we use it as dumping ground for all sorts of waste, and do very little to protect the water supplies we have. There are several threats to our water resources. Oil spills kills thousands of seabirds and can wreck water desalination plants and industrial plants drawing their water from affected coastline. (EBSCO CD-ROM source) Poor management of existing water resource can lead to these resources running out or at least shrinking. Much of the pollution in the rivers and seas comes from chemicals, mainly from agriculture. Another pollution issue, which is not brought up often, is thermal pollution. As you can see we have many problems in our waters and we need to protect the waters. In the long run water pollution is going to harm us more than we now it, because a little bit of our ocean is dieing and sometime in the future its going to kills us. The thing thats worries me the most is the animals. The animals in the ocean are dieing everyday in the ocean because of the bad pollution we have right now. Every year millions of animals dies because of the water pollution we have and 65% of the sea animals die because of the pollution. (Internet source) Companies, industries and people litter in our waters and for sure that is not a good thing. We need to learn that we are not going to live very long if we keep doing this. Every year it has gotten worse, the water pollution has gone about 3% every year and that a whole lot more litter and killing that we do. (Internet source) People like us cause water pollution. Dumping our trash into the ocean is one thing that causes this problem. Another is an oil tanker spilling oil in the ocean or not recycling our trash is seriously destroying the waters even more. The effect by all this water pollution is killing the waters but also a big part is killing our animals. Sea animals are very important to our lives. One of the main problems is the oils spill we have every year. People call this oil slicks a common name for oil spills. One of the hugest media surrounding oil spills was Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War. (Internet Source) He caused many oil spills during the war and that serious killed many of the animals in the ocean. Although measures have been taken to prevent spillage from oil tankers, there will still be accidents as the world use oil, and there is always the possibility of oil being spilled in war or by terrorist activity. (EBSCO CD-ROM source) Oil also gets into the sea from many other sources. On a graph 37% of oil pollution comes from industrial discharges and urban run-off. 33% from vessel operation, 12% on tanker accidents, 9% on atmosphere, 7% on natural sources, and last 2% from exploration production. (Internet source) Oil pollution is a major problem in water pollution and there is really no simple solution to this problem but what we can do is try to prevent, come up with ideas to stop the pollution and protect our waters. For many years has been used as coolant in industry, especially in power stations. It was never though of as a problem back in the day, because nothing was actually added to the water. However, higher temperatures can cause enzymes and microbes to speed up, and can eventually kill sea animals. Change in temperature can cause fish to migrate to regions where the water is best for them, but kill any species, which cannot move away. (Internet Source) Recently people have realized that only small changes in temperature are need to have considerable environment impact. One possible solution is to use the excess heat from industry to heat home. (Internet Source) In the book Water is everyones business it says this might sound very attractive but it is only practical when the homes are fairly close to the power station, and even promise cheap heating is not enough to persuade many people to live next door to a power station. (Behrman A.S. 121) This subject brings me up to my next one, which is a world without trout. If water temperatures keep rising such possibly thing might happen. Unless something is don trout and salmon will be eventually killed because of thermal pollution. The primary cause of this warming water trend and cold water fishery decline is by carbon dioxide. Although transportation produces whopping amounts of atmospheric pollution, fossil fueled power plants alone  generate 40% of the carbon dioxide in our air. Ways to prevent this is to find other sources to light up our houses. Now a days companies and industries have found other resources and it has been helping a little bit at a time. Last of all Drugs in the waters has cause many problems as well. Most drugs are in local streams, rivers, and perhaps even farms, as sewage bio solids used as fertilizer. Most drugs that are not used or have been used are being trashed in our oceans. Now what kind of people does that? This is serious is harming the waters, animals, and even us. Chemicals that come from drugs float around in the water and you dont even now about this. How does that make you feel because, many people have gotten sick of this pollution and even died. If people have gotten sick of this it takes a while before it kicks in but for sure you get a good dose of sickness. This serious is a big problem that we can easily prevent. Its so simple just dont trash the waters with the drugs, anywhere than the waters that we so need. This student from West Torrance high school sponsored a poll asking the students whether they think water pollution wills damage our ocean in the long run? 96% of the students think it would. The other question was do you think we should take care of the ocean more because of all the pollution? 87% of the students said yes and 13% said no. (Poll) This poll shows you that we should take care of our waters and think about what pollution is going to do to us in the long run. In conclusion all these problems that we have in the world should try to be prevented or stopped. We all can be a part of this by not littering because you really dont now where that trash is going. Most of it goes to the ocean and it kills the waters. Slowly and slowly the waters are going to be destroyed and we really need it. Water is probably the most important that we need to live. Without water we would die, animals would die and everything would die. This essay should be consider by all of the people because in the long run we are not going to live very long if we still pollute the waters. We need water in many different ways and we cannot live without it. Also the animals that we have should not go through the pain of dieing because we are polluting the waters. They have not done anything to  us so we shouldnt do anything to them. Prevent the water pollution in the world as little but as you can because you never now what possibilities it can do.

Strategic Management Issues in Low Cost Airlines

Strategic Management Issues in Low Cost Airlines Low cost airlines have been a trend nowadays anywhere in the world. There are many airlines that have adopted this strategy and have become more successful because of this. The low cost airlines have the advantage over the premium airlines due to the fact that they will never get their costs to a point where they can make a profit at low fares in bigger markets. Among these low cost airlines that are in existence nowadays is Ryan air. The Irish airline company Ryan air is the first low-cost, no-frills European airline to have any impact. Ryan air started operations in July 1985, flying between Waterford in the southeast of Ireland and Londons Gatwick airport. Three brothers, Catlan, Declan and Shane Ryan were the founding shareholders of Ryan air, which was set up to offer low-cost no-frills services between Ireland and London. Now, Ryan air, with its rapid growth occupied a most sought position in its own field, being Britains favourite airline. Ryan air currently has a team of more than 7,000 people and expects to carry approximately 73 million passengers in fiscal year 2010/11. 1.3 Current Strategic Positions: To evaluate any organisations strategic position certain factors have to be assessed. These include those below and also the environmental analysis which follows later in the report. 1.3.1 Market Segmentation: Ryan air lay claim to their market segment by stating they were Europes first no frills airline, www.ryanair.com. Ryanair have made strategic decisions based on increasing their competitive edge, the main one becoming involved in attracting customers at both ends of their routes. Haberberg and Rieple (2001), support this by showing that Ryanairs key source of revenue from as far back as a decade ago has been in enticing passengers from France, Italy and Scandinavia. This has had the advantage of increasing their market share as well as the added bonus of creating a well recognised brand name across Europe. 1.3.2 Prescriptive, Emergent or Something Unique? A prescriptive corporate strategy is one where the objective has been defined in advance and the main elements have been developed before the strategy commencesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.an emergent corporate strategy is one whose final objective is unclear and whose elements are developed during the course of its life, as the strategy proceeds. Lynch (2000) As is shown above by Lynch (2000) the two recognised strategy models are extremely different, however these are the two dominant strategy approaches as stated by Dennis Foster in his lecture on Managing Strategic Change (2006). It is safe to recognise straight away that Ryanair does not sit uniformly with either strategy. However certain aspects or functions could certainly adhere to one or the other as these are sections that make up the carrier as a whole and for an organisation of Ryanairs size different parts would have different aims and objectives underneath a main umbrella strategy for the organisation. For example any planning undertaken by Ryanair for new routes or planes would follow the prescriptive model as the objective would have been defined beforehand and elements such as finance will have had to have been agreed before any purchasing goes ahead. On the other hand emergent strategies may be in place for things like training and development where elements can be discovered along the way for example if an issue arose where staff needed more health and safety training then the training programme could be redirected. Ryanair, as already stated, follows neither strategic approach religiously and possesses a strategy unique to their organisation, which has identified their needs and objectives. However their approach to strategic management isnt unique in itself as the majority of organisations will tailor strategies to suit their business own individuality. 1.3.3 Competitive Advantages: Their main competitors are carriers including Easy Jet, BMIbaby, Fly Be and Thomson Fly all of who try to attract potential customers by emphasising their low cost tickets. This makes the competition in this market segment fierce as in order to offer the lowest fares, costs must also be kept to a minimum. Ryanair continues to be the lowest cost airline in Europe. The firm manages to maintain its cost leadership despite the presence of other low cost airlines in Europe. The source of competitive advantage of the company is its ability to drive down costs to sustain low fares while at the same time remains profitable. This is done through: Fleet Commonality The airlines fleet is made up of Boeing 737, the most common aircraft being flown in the present. Because of fleet commonality the firm is able to cut on costs in obtaining spares and maintenance services. Contracting Out of Services Other than Dublin Airport where the firm maintains its staff and services, Ryanair contracts out aircraft handling, ticketing, baggage handling and other functions to third parties. The firm is able to obtain competitive rates and multi-year contracts at fixed prices, limiting exposure to cost increases. Third party service outsourcing also limits Ryanairs direct exposure to employee relations responsibilities and potential disputes. Airport Charges and Route Policy Airport charges include landing fees, passenger loading fees, aircraft parking fees and noise surcharges. In order to reduce these fees, the firm avoids congested main airports and chooses secondary and regional airport destinations which are very interested in increasing passenger throughput. Staff Costs and Productivity In order to control employee compensation costs, the firm implements a performance related pay structure. Although the company provides lower labor costs, the employees can earn additional pay or remuneration base on their performance. Marketing Costs In order to reduce marketing costs, the firm cut its rate commission to travel agents. The firms main advertisement tools are newspapers, radio, television and its company website. 2.0 External analysis: For success within the airline industry, an awareness of the external environment is essential. This section aims to highlight the position of the industry, in particular looking at competitors and assessing Ryans capability to meet current and future challenges. 2.1 PESTLE Analysis In Pestle analysis we investigate macro external factors for companies, which are very important for identify their strategies. There are 6-core elements of Pestle analysis. These are Political, Economical, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental options. We can examine these factors in the airline industry to realize Ryanairs future external threats and opportunities. PESTEL Factor Key Points Implications for RYAN Political Heavy regulation (AEA, 2009). Compliance is essential if Ryan wants to continue operations. Increased security due to past terrorist threats (DFT, 2008). Sufficient security measures should be in place to ensure consumer confidence and competitive advantage is maintained. Economic Global economic crisis:World growth is projected to just over 2  percent in 2009 (IMF, 2008). Pound weakens especially against the Euro. Possible reduction in the amount of business travel as companies are cutting costs and using alternative means of communication such as teleconferencing. Oil prices: declined by 50 % since their peak retreating to 2007 levels. Decline in fuel price = strengthening of the dollar (IMF, 2008) Fluctuations in oil prices and exchange rates will directly affect Ryans cost base. UK consumer spending saw its sharpest decline for 13 years between July and September 2008 (Channel 4, 2008). More intense competition Social The UK has an aging population (see appendix 3) (National Statistics Online, 2008). Potential opportunity for growth as older generations havemore time to spend on leisure activities such as international travel. Increasing unemployment (Kollewe and Sager, 2008). Increased bargaining power as an employer. Technological A recent survey revealed that 34% of online consumers plan to use price-comparison sites more in 2009 (NMA, 2009). Increased consumer awareness and therefore bargaining power. Online booking services and check-in is becoming increasingly used by the airline industry. Ryan must ensure that they remain up to date with these technological advances whilst avoiding becoming overly reliant, as this may isolate certain consumer markets (i.e the elderly) who dont feel comfortable using such technology. Environmental/Ethical Noise pollution controls,and energy consumption controls (DFT, 2008). New legislation (e.g. Climate Change Bill) enforcing tighter environmental regulation may increase operational costs each year. Limited land and for growing airports Expansion is difficult at Heathrow as it would result in a loss in the Londons Green belt area. (BBC News 2006) Limited capacity=>utilisation of capacity. Consumers are becoming increasingly green and more aware of the environmental impact of their actions. Failure to adopt an integrated environmental strategy could lead to a detrimental effect on the Ryans reputation and income. Cancellations of flights and loss of baggage (Channel 4, 2008). Such ethical issues could have a detrimental effect on reputation if left unresolved. Legal Recognition of trade unions and industrial action e.g. Cabin Crew strikes. Good employee relations are essential if Ryan wants to avoid industrial action and interrupted operations. Open Skies Agreement (AEA, 2009) Opportunity for Ryan and its competitors to freely transport aircraft between the EU and US. There is a cruel competition in airline industry. Especially, after credit crunch in 2008 the competition has become crueler. Companies have to fight with recession also and in this economic situation we can see lots of threats in sector. If you reverse these threats to the opportunities you will be one step further in the competition. Ryanair is the most suitable company to gain advantages from todays world. With this assignment we answered the questions, which frequently asking for their future strategy and their positions of the future competition. Thats why; they have started to corporate social responsibilities. 2.2 Porters Five Forces Before starting to write analysis of the Ryanair based on Porters five forces I should write some special information about Ryanair or all low cost airlines. The main characteristics of these companies are designed for reducing costs. Because it is obvious that the most competitive maybe just one- side of them is their low fares. For Ryanair, their aircrafts seat density is very high and they prefer just one aircraft types (Boeing 737-800). All of their bookings are via Internet so they earn huge amount of money because of no sales commissions. They havent got any frills such as free food or havent got any air-mile promotions. They always prefer secondary airports. Actually these all I mentioned above are had mentioned at their S.W.O.T. analysis in strengths part. In my opinion we can use every single detail from S.W.O.T. analysis of Ryanair when we are writing about Porters Five Forces analysis of it. This analysis has five-core element. These are 1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers 2. New Entrants 3. Threat of Substitutes 4. Competitive Rivalry 5. Bargaining Power of Customers Bargaining Power of Customers Ryanair customers are highly price sensitive. It is very easy to change their airline and it is not related to high cost. In this century customers knowledge about the cost of service is high and there is no customer loyalty for Ryanair. Even though there is no customer loyalty, bargaining power of customers is low. Ryanair is the cheapest airline for all Europe destinations and customers are -especially in recession times- highly price sensitive. New Entrants It is very hard to be new in airline industry. There are lots of barriers to entry. You should take the flight authorizations. The capital that you will invest in this sector is very high. It is also hard to take a place current competition and also hard to find suitable airports for your flights. In my opinion in short time period there will not be any threats of new entrants against Ryanair even though some existing companies are changing their strategy and reducing their ticket price (Lufthansa). Threat of Substitutes As I mentioned before there is not any brand loyalty of customers and Ryanair preferred customer relationship is not-close relationship. If their customers find better way to travel they will not feel any hesitation to chose it. So the threat of direct and indirect substitutes is very high and the most important point is there are no switching costs for the customers. Competitive Rivalry The market is highly competitive. Most of Ryanairs cost advantages can be copied immediately. In Europe it seems like there is an agreement between Ryanair and Easyjet about not to compete head to head. However if any company does decide to compete on the same basis as Ryanair it will be highly crucial for Ryanair. There will be heavy pressure on prices, margins, and hence on profitability. 2.3 Bowmans Strategy Clock Bowman created his Strategy Clock in The Essence of Competitive Strategy book. With this strategic model he illustrates companys competitive position in comparison with their rivals. For him the real advantage of companies being achieved cost and differentiation. His strategy clock has 8 options. First two options are about the low price. First option is totally low cost low added value but the second option totally about to be a cost leader without caring its value. Second option has the risk of price war and low margin. Third option is a hybrid option. Mainly the low cost but not the lowest price. The most important difference between second and the third option is in third option reinvestment in differentiation. Fourth option is about differentiation. For option five the biggest difference is the differentiation is highly focused. It perceived added value to a particular segment warranting a premium price. Rests of the options are failure options. At option six the price is increased but the value is standard. Option seven is worse than option six. In option seven you can see increased price with low values. It is only feasible in monopoly situation. Last option is option 8, which is the cause loss of market share. Because your low value has a standard price. Ryanair had dramatic changes during last decade period time and this was flabbergasted its competitors. Their profitability rose within a short period of time. Their low-fares strategy without frills and punctuality in flight service helped their high profitability period and it brought a significant value on the growth. The high level competition needs efficient strategy to gain advantages and at the same time high profit. In different times we can put Ryanairs strategy in different options in Bowmans Strategy Clock. But all of them can be placed between options 1 to 5. Their strategy never placed in failure part of Bowmans clock. Mainly, in these days Ryanair place in the clock is between options 1-2, which is mainly about low price. We can easily realize Ryanair is the best example for this option. If they can secure their price and gives higher valued service they can easily take a place option three and they will be strongest company in the competition. In my opinion, hybrid strategy is the most preferable strategy in the clock that is why Virgin Airlines prefer this option. If Ryanair updates their lowest price strategy with a standard service they easily will be the strongest company in the competition. 3.0 SWOT Analysis: Strengths Ryanair has been known as Europes first low-cost, no-frills airline brand.This fact alone credits is the companys strongest selling point. Ryanair started in year 1985 with only 57 staff members and with one 15-seater turboprop plane from the south of east of Ireland to London-Gatwick which carried 5000 passengers on one route. In 1986, inspired from the story of David and Goliath the company go after the big guys for a slice of the action and end up smashing the Aer Lingus or British Airways high fare cartel on the Dublin-London route. From therein, Ryanairs lower fares offering increased their market share rapidly resulting to the establishment of low-cost subsidiaries of established airline companies such as British Airlines and KLM. The low-cost, no-frills strategy resulted to a rapid increase of customers and expansion of their operations, wherein the staff increased from mere 57 to 3, 400 staff members and almost 35 million passengers. In terms of operations, the EU air transport deregulation allowed the airline for the first time to open up new routes to Continental Europe with over 3 million passengers on 18 routes carried in 1997. Ryanair also launched services to Stockholm, Oslo, Paris and Brussels and took time out to float Ryanair Holdings plc on Dublin and NASDAQ Stock exchanges. The company was awarded as Airline of the Year in 1999 by the Irish Air Transport Users Committee. In 2001, while almost all traditional airline companies suffered from losses and stiff competition, Ryanair, being a low-cost airline became more than merely profitable by recording 26 percent in operating margins results that the former only dreams about. In June of the following year, Ryanair made a market capitalization amounting to 4.9 billion euro ($4.82 billion), breaking the records of 45 percent more than the mighty British Airways that has 20 times larger in terms of revenue. Ryanair possesses the sophisticated and able technology that can cater to the fast changing global marketing management trends. It has core competence in its use of information technology that can support its management and marketing operations. Thus, adding to its innovations in service providing among the wide range of clientele. Its IT supports competent procurement of services (e.g. bookings and ticketing) in e-marketing or online aspect. After establishing its website in January 2000, it became one of the busiest sites in the country with 14 million impressions a month. The booking in their web accounts have increased to 94% which has probably has something to do with opening another 26 routes. In year 2003, the company is characterized by rapid expansion and the start the year by announcing that the company has ordered an additional 100 new Boeing 737-800 series aircraft to facilitate the rapid European growth plans. The company is named as the most popular airline on the web i n 2004 by Google. The company has also passed out British Airways to become the UKs favorite airline in United Kingdom and throughout Europe. In sum, Ryanairs strengths rest on the companys commitment to low fares, deep-seated management, and willingness to address managerial challenges and marketing trends (e.g. competition, expansion, and IT solutions). Weaknesses Despite of the increase of passengers, the company is not so good in managing cost that the company has lose its money. At the moment, there have been urgent and deliberate mechanisms that were implemented to address such weakness. Such cost reduction strategy relies on five main aspects like fleet commonality, contracting out services, airport charges and route policies, managed staff costs and productivity and managed marketing costs. Ryanair, in spite of its strategies has other problems that serve as weaknesses too. One of the problems is in terms of handling customers or target market. Reports say that Ryanair accumulates hidden taxes and other fees, restricted customer services, and deceiving advertisements. In addition, another problem is assuring quality service. According to the result of poll conducted by BBC involving air travelers in 2003, 56 percent of respondents claimed that the airline caused them the biggest headaches in terms of services and customers. Also, in 2007 Irelands Commission for Aviation Regulation recorded a total of 60 percent of all complaints accumulated by the commission. There has been significant number of bad publicity for the company, thus, creating a negative impression to the airline brand. The company is faced with different unsolved issues because of lack of strategic decision making in several areas of human resources particularly in relation to trade union policies. Opportunities With the management system of the company and the strengths that it has, Ryanair has bigger opportunities to still dominate and catch up with the competition in the European airline industry in terms of providing more quality service standard and at the same time preserving it low-cost no-frills strategy to its clients or even have an opportunity to be the number one airline company in the whole region after its eventual application of its proposed plans in the future. Another opportunity that can be attached to the company is it would gain more customers if they would be able to determine the latest trends in airline management and marketing to meet the demands of their target market. The continuous initiatives of the company in diversification of its revenue resources also open new opportunities to make the business become stronger to outgrow all its rival companies. Such opportunities will include e-business development by strategic alliances as well as suppliers, leveraging the c ompanys investment in the World Class Customer Satisfaction Systems, and other business opportunities in both non-core and core areas. Threats Operating in the most competitive marketplace especially European airline industry, Ryanair is faced with the inevitable threat of stiff competition. For a company to succeed in global competition there is a continuous plan to develop new products with higher quality than its competitors. New product and new business development must be highly effective and efficient, however that alone will not ensure its competitiveness. The expansion of its operations to other areas means adjusting to the trade policies and political problems of the locality. The dynamic needs and demands of customers served to be a challenge to the management. Furthermore, consumer behaviour and satisfaction with regards to the product/service procurement is also a risk. If the company will continue to be a vertically integrated corporation, the company may fail in terms of management ability. The division of the company may tend to have internal complexity. Additionally, fast paced technological advancement may be a threat to Ryanair as a whole. In terms of the competitors, the company should be able to provide unique and more technologically advanced services to be able to survive in the competition in the world airline industry. Future Strategy and Recommendations Mergers and Acquisitions Mergers and acquisitions have become one of the most important corporate-level strategies in the new millennium. Merger and acquisition strategies are important to firm growth and success in the 21st century. As Ryanair continues to grow it is expected that the company will acquire other companies such as Buzz, in order to improve its capabilities and acquire more competitive advantage. Strategic Human Resource Management Ryanair, in its commitment to low-cost airfare have sacrificed its processes and services. The human resources of the company are not seen as a potential source of competitive advantage. The company do not seem to value its people. There is a growing belief that a companys human resources is the most important source of competitive advantage. Human resources or the companys people are one source of sustainable competitive advantage. In a fast-changing environment where technological innovations and other strategies can be copied, it is the human resources that bring a sustainable competitive advantage. Marketing Plan Strategies Ryanair should has a detailed plan for its strategic moves in the market and be able to provide good customer services to the customers like by having discounted flights and value promotion to keep the competitive advantage at a stable mode within its competitors and will need to focus more on the core competencies that allow Ryanair to practically and wisely designs suitable airline operations within the bracket of their marketing network services in a market standard-based perspective. Ryanair need to be goal oriented and must not stop to rejuvenate and change their marketing plan strategies from time to time in order to re-invent the performance process upon the upgrading of rules and regulations mandated by the state. Ryanair is to overcome the lack of product differentiation and increase it that will have the ability to revive revenue generation. Operational Effectiveness It is then recommended that Ryanair should outsources as many non-core functions as possible that may abandon peripheral services such as catering or ground handling services and can be required to perform such activities as external specialist companies defined to be independent profit centers. Recommendation Based on above analysis, it is recommended that Ryanair consider the expansion in to haul markets specially the transatlantic routes which accounts for more than 60% of worlds air travel. By moving in to this new market with its low fare strategy coupled with added service options the company can utilize its existing business with introducing complementary goods and services via its web site its also recommended as this will allow the company to further reduce its cost base per unit of customer.

Act 2, Scene 2 of William Shakespeares Henry :: Papers

Act 2, Scene 2 of William Shakespeare's Henry How does Shakespeare present Henry (and, by extension, England) in this scene? Refer in your answer to Shakespeare's language, stagecraft and sense of audience, as well as the two-filmed versions you have seen. Shakespeare presents Henry using a variety of language and stagecraft, in Act two, scene two, Shakespeare shows how Henry has a bad temper, and can go off into towering rages. First comes to the unmasking of the conspirators Cambridge, Scroop and Gray. Shakespeare uses a lot of exquisite dramatic art and a sense of the effect of irony. He makes Henry only seem to be concerned for the good of his kingdom. One of the personalities that Henry has is his liking for games. He plays with Scroop and the other traitors, handing them letters that they think are promotions when in reality they are letters to inform them that Henry knows their secret. Shakespeare's use of language was complex as he referred to biblical references and historical references through out the play. When he gets to Scroop, Henry stops using the 'we' pronoun. Shakespeare uses many linguistic devices, for example rhetorical questions. "Wouldst thou have practiced on me for my use?" This makes a difference in the tone of voice, and also in its structure, otherwise, all Henry would be doing is making statements. He also uses a pun during the first part of the speech, when addressing Cambridge. "This man, for a few light crowns hath lightly conspiredà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦". Shakespeare used a pun for a slight contrast in the atmosphere, otherwise everything in his speech would be is very serious. Henry also uses personification: "Treason and murder ever kept together, as two yoke-devils sworn to each other's purposeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦" This technique is used as Henry can only imagine Scroop had been possessed, and not that he did this by his own choice. With this metaphor of a demon, he refers to him as betraying a good friend and because of this, sending him to death is what a king has to do.

Harry Potter :: essays research papers

During this day and time there are many cool fads that catch on quite quickly and leave quickly as well. Lately there has been one fad that has caught on and it doesn’t seem as if it is going to leave anytime soon. This fad has caused much chaos and controversy throughout America. This fad is called Harry Potter. It seems as if everyone has his or her own opinion on it. Harry Potter started out being a book by J. K. Rowling, intended to entertain children. But somehow it has gotten dragged through the mud and made into a bigger deal than it was until the name Harry Potter is commonly heard on everyday news. The media and many adults are claiming that these books and movie are evil. Robert McGee, associate pastor of the First Baptist church of Merritt Island of CA Says â€Å"I’ve read the Potter books and they are wonderfully written but were not talking about the Smurfs here. Children are leaning the elements of witchcraft in the context of being told it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.† Many of the spells that are used in the movie and books are real spells from the religion Wicca from Great Britain. Roger Coleman, a Wiccan minister of the Church of Iron Oak in Palm Bay, said he found very similarity between his religion and the witchcraft in the series. This is believed to bring children to want to try witchcraft. A video was by The First Baptist church of Merritt Island has started a Potter movie of their own. The one-hour video has been shown to hundreds of people in 11 churches across Brevard County CA. The truth, according to the video, is that â€Å"children as young as kindergarten are being introduced to human sacrifice, and the sucking of blood from dead animals.† On the other hand though many people believe that the books are harmless and are meant to make children use their imagination. Kristin Kendall, an 11-year-old from Port St. John said, â€Å"most kids can tell the difference between fantasy and reality. I’ve read all four books, they are all pretty good. I like the mythical creatures like the unicorn.† Judith Krug ALA spokeswoman said the Potter books are Challenged for two main reasons. â€Å"The complaints are based on the feeling that evil pervades the works and the belief that if young people read these books they’ll forget everything their parents taught them and immediately become witches and warlocks.

Essay --

Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent, known as Yves Saint Laurenta was born January 1, 1956 in Oran, French Algerian. His family consisted of his mom, Lucienne-Andree, dad, Charles & two younger sisters Michele & Brigitte. As Yves was growing up he was bullied constantly. When Yves went home he found refuge by looking throuh VOUGE Magazines & fell inlove with the descriptions & outfits. Yves started out making paper difficut cut out dolls and designing them. Time pass & he got into designing & making dresses for his mother and sister based of the ones on the VOUGE magazines that caught his eye. In one of the magazines that Yves read their was a contest for young fashion designers, organized by the International Wool Secretariat. Yves submitted 3 of his favorite sketches. He won first place and was invited to attend the awards ceremony in Paris, in December of that year (1953). While he and his mother were in paris, they met the editor & chief of the VOUGE magazine, Michel de Brunho ff. Michael-De-Brunnoff was impressed by the sketches Yves brought with him and suggested he become a fashion designer. Yves followed his advice. Leaving Oran for Paris after graduation, began his studies there and eventually graduated as a star pupil. The next year, (1954) Yves considered a course at Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, the council which regulates the Haute Couture industry and provides training to its employees. Later that same year, he entered the International Wool Secretariat competition again and won, beating out his friend Fernando Sà ¡nchez and young German student Karl Lagerfeld. Later after his win, he brought a number of sketches to de Michael who recognized close similarities to sketches he had been shown that morning by Ch... ...he decade, with Saint Yvez slowing down his work pace, he and Berge had sold the company they'd started, netting the two men a fortune.In January 2002, Yvez participated in his final show and then retired for good in Marrakech. Five years later, Saint Laurent's imprint and importance on French culture was cemented when he was appointed Grand Officer of the Legion d'honnerur by French President, Nicolas Sarkozy. Yves Saint Laurent later passed away in Paris on June 1, 2008 after a brief illness. YSL Company Head-Quarters Located in New York City 10022 3 E 57th Street Corporate Phone Number: 1-212-832-7100. Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent a.k.a. Yves Saint Laurent is a famous French fashion designer credited with developing â€Å"Le Smoking,† a tuxedo made just for women. The tuxedo design earned the attention of other designers like CoCo Chanel, Pierre Cardin and K

Pixar and Walt Disney Merger

NEW YORK – Mickey Mouse and Nemo are now corporate cousins. Walt Disney has announced that it is buying Pixar, the animated studio led by Apple head Steve Jobs, in a deal worth $7. 4 billion. Speculation about a deal being imminent raged on Wall Street for the past few weeks. Disney has released all of Pixar's films so far, but the companies' current distribution deal was set to expire following the release of this summer's â€Å"Cars. The merger brings together Disney's historic franchise of animated characters, such as Mickey, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck, with Pixar's stable of cartoon hits, including the two â€Å"Toy Story† films, â€Å"Finding Nemo† and â€Å"The Incredibles. † â€Å"Disney and Pixar can now collaborate without the barriers that come from two different companies with two different sets of shareholders,† said Jobs in a statement. â€Å"Now, everyone can focus on what is most important, creating innovative stories, characters and films that delight millions of people around the world. † As part of the deal, Jobs will become a board member of Disney, the companies said.And John Lasseter, the highly respected creative director at Pixar who had previously worked for Disney, will rejoin the House of Mouse as chief creative officer for the company's combined animated studios and will also help oversee the design for new attractions at Disney theme parks. â€Å"The addition of Pixar significantly enhances Disney animation, which is a critical creative engine for driving growth across our businesses,† said Disney CEO Robert Iger in a written statement. During a conference call with analysts Tuesday, Iger said that acquisition discussions had been going on for the past several months.Jobs added that after a â€Å"lot of soul searching,† he came to the conclusion that it made the most sense for Pixar to align itself with Disney permanently instead of trying to distribute films on its own or si gn with another movie studio partner. According to the terms of the deal, Disney (Research) will issue 2. 3 shares for each Pixar share. Based on Tuesday's closing prices, that values Pixar at $59. 78 a share, about a 4 percent premium to Pixar's current stock price. Shares of Pixar (Research) fell slightly in regular trading on the Nasdaq Tuesday but gained nearly 3 percent in after-hours trading.The stock has surged more than 10 percent so far this year on takeover speculation. Disney's stock gained 1. 8 percent in regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange and was flat after-hours. Prior to the deal's announcement, some Wall Street observers had speculated that Disney may be paying too much for Pixar. A source tells FORTUNE that some Disney board members also thought the price was too high. To that end, Disney chief financial officer Thomas Staggs said during the conference call that the deal would reduce Disney's earnings slightly in fiscal 2006, which ends this September, a s well as fiscal 2007.He added though that Pixar should add to earnings by fiscal 2008 and that Disney was still on track to post annual double-digit percentage gains in earnings through 2008. But one hedge fund manager said that the risk of Disney losing Pixar was too great. â€Å"The question isn't did Disney pay too much but how expensive would it have been for Disney if Pixar fell into someone else's hands,† said Barry Ritholtz, chief investment officer with Ritholtz Capital Partners, a hedge fund that focuses on media and technology stocks. Jeffrey Logsdon, an analyst with Harris Nesbitt, agreed with that assessment.He said that Pixar's â€Å"success quotient† justified the price of the deal. Pixar has yet to have a flop with its six animated movies. They have grossed more than $3. 2 billion worldwide, according to movie tracking research firm Box Office Mojo. Disney, however, has struggled in the computer-generated animated movie arena. Even though its most recen t CG-animated film, â€Å"Chicken Little† performed better than many had expected at the box office, it was not as big a hit as any of the Pixar films. â€Å"Robert Iger has made no secret of the fact that he wanted to get the animated business back to where it was.It's what Disney has known for but the movies they did in-house did not do as well as the ones they did with Pixar,† said Michael Cuggino, a fund manager who owns about 100,000 shares of Disney in the Permanent Portfolio and Permanent Portfolio Aggressive Growth funds. Pixar has yet to announce what movies it is working on after â€Å"Cars,† however. It is believed that Pixar's next film about a rat living in a fancy Parisian restaurant, tentatively titled â€Å"Ratatouille† may be released on 2007 and that a â€Å"Toy Story 3† may be in the works as well.Jobs said during the conference call that nothing has been decided about future Pixar releases yet, but added that the company feels s trongly about making sequels to some of its previous hits. And Iger said that announced plans for Disney-produced animated films, including the release of â€Å"American Dog† in 2008 and â€Å"Rapunzel Unbraided† in 2009, are still on track. It would have been unthinkable to imagine Disney and Pixar teaming up just a few years ago.The two companies broke off talks to extend their current distribution agreement in 2004 due to a strained relationship between Jobs and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. But since Iger succeeded Eisner last year, he has extended an olive branch to Jobs. Disney and Apple have already announced several online programming deals during the past few months. Disney now has agreements in place to sell hit ABC prime time shows, such as â€Å"Desperate Housewives† and â€Å"Lost†, as well as content from ABC Sports and ESPN on Apple's popular iTunes music and video store.Cuggino said the addition of Jobs, who will also become Disney's l argest individual shareholder, to Disney's board could mean that more innovative digital deals could be in the works. â€Å"Jobs is a dynamic personality who knows consumer electronics. It's an opportunity to bring some youthful energetic thinking to Disney's board. † Disney, like many other large media companies, has seen its stock price stagnate during the past year as investors have flocked to more rapidly growing digital media firms such as Apple as well as search engines Google (Research) and Yahoo! Research) But Logsdon said the acquisition of Pixar could help Disney increase revenue throughout all of its business lines. So even though some may be quibbling in the short-term about how much Disney had to spend, he thinks Disney made the right move. â€Å"It's a smart strategic deal,† Logsdon said. â€Å"The benefit in theme parks, consumer products and cable will probably make this deal look a lot smarter a year or two from now. â€Å"