How the Internet is Enabling Dell to Reinvent E-Commerce

How the Internet Is Enabling Dell To Reinvent e-Commerce Dell Computers initial business model concentrated on creating build-to-order personal computers to customers specific needs. This has grown from a fairly modest operation to a $62B business as of the close of their latest fiscal year (FY 2012). Dell succeeded with an Internet-based business model by concentrating on the accuracy, agility and speed that its much larger competitors could not match. Honeywell, IBM and others could not match the speed and agility that Dell had in basic build-to-order product strategies, which would eventually grow into the core part of their business model. Dell was able to rely on the ubiquity of the Internet to create a much large, diverse customer base compared to its competitors who were constrained by traditional retail channels (as was IBMs case) or a reliance on direct sales forces (Salvador, de Holan, Piller, 2009). Dell was able to capitalize on latent customer demand for customized PCs, laptops and servers at a much greater rate that competit ors who failed to see the disintermediating influence the Internet was having on distribution channels (Salvador, de Holan, Piller, 2009). Dell succeeded at this strategy where dozens of other companies failed by concentrating on having the most thorough integration of their supply chain, production, fulfillment and services online globally, all unified through secured Internet-based networks. While the many competitors Dell hadShow MoreRelatedCase Study: Dell Computer – Organization of a Global Production Network; Using E-Commerce to Support Its Virtual Company3365 Words   |  14 Pages[pic] Case Study: Dell Computer – Organization of a Global Production Network; using E-Commerce to support its Virtual Company 1.0 Executive Summary Dell’s Direct Model  of selling PCs directly to the consumers, bypassing the distributors and retailers (resellers) channel, has been pioneered and provides distinct advantages over the indirect sales model. Customers have the ability to contact Dell directly and order technologically advanced systems at competitive prices. This direct contactRead MoreManaging Information Technology (7th Edition)239873 Words   |  960 PagesCONTENTS: CASE STUDIES CASE STUDY 1 Midsouth Chamber of Commerce (A): The Role of the Operating Manager in Information Systems CASE STUDY I-1 IMT Custom Machine Company, Inc.: Selection of an Information Technology Platform CASE STUDY I-2 VoIP2.biz, Inc.: Deciding on the Next Steps for a VoIP Supplier CASE STUDY I-3 The VoIP Adoption at Butler University CASE STUDY I-4 Supporting Mobile Health Clinics: The Children’s Health Fund of New York City CASE STUDY I-5 Read MoreIbm Decade of Transformation13401 Words   |  54 Pagesbillion. In April 1992, John Akers, IBM CEO from 1985 to 1993, vented his frustrations during a company training program. His comment, â€Å"People don’t realize how much trouble we’re in,† made its way from company bulletin boards to the press, shaking employee and investor confidence. In April 1993, Gerstner took charge. 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You may also complete your request on-line via the Elsevier homepage (www.elsevier.com), by selecting ‘Customer Support’ and then ‘Obtaining Permissions’ British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue recordRead MoreMarketing Management130471 Words   |  522 Pagesrelationship management Marketing of services Rural marketing Types of marketing research Process of marketing research Tools and Techniques of marketing research Applications of marketing research Preparation of marketing research report Online marketing E-commerce Trend s in marketing Page No. Marketing management – an introduction Unit structure: 1. Introduction 2. Learning Objectives 3. Marketing Management 3.1. Evolution of marketing management 3.2. The Role of Marketing 3.3. 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Importance Of Selection Measures And Performance...

Introduction In today’s business world, there is an increasing trend of diversification. Diversity contributes a multitude of benefits to an organization’s success and competitiveness. Even though many companies fully understand the advantages of being a diverse organization, they still subconsciously or intentionally engage in practices that may lead to discrimination in the workplace. In this paper, we will take a close look at diversity and discrimination separately, and provide valid answers to the following two focus questions: first, what types of selection measures and performance management practices tend to have the most adverse impact?; and second, what can organizations do to mitigate this problem? These questions encourage thoughts and brainstorming surrounding diversity and discrimination in the workplace. It is extremely important in our increasingly connected world for companies to do everything in their power to mitigate and eliminate discrimination in their policies and practices. Diversity Before we dig deeper into this topic, we need to carefully discuss the definition of diversity. Diversity, by itself, can mean many different things depending on the context of the situation. Its definition ranges from â€Å"the state or fact of being different† to â€Å"a variety of perspectives†. Although diversity has several meanings, the important point to remember is that it indicates a point of difference. Broadly, diversity refers to points of difference betweenShow MoreRelatedSelection And Performance Management Programs1546 Words   |  7 PagesSelection and Performance Management Selection and performance management programs that are designed for organizations that have expanded their U.S. workplace to other countries must be designed to take in many other considerations that normally wouldn’t make a difference if all the employees were from the same origin. Expatriate employees and their families should be assisted to help with adjusting to their new culture. Performance management and selection programs should be designed to incorporateRead MoreDifferent Theories Of The Credit Risk Management1732 Words   |  7 Pagesdiscuss the different theories of the credit risk management .The first chapter will be divided into two parts; the first part will be the theoritical review of the credit risk management. 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How People Behave And Perform As A Group Education Essay Free Essays

How people behave and perform as members of a group is every bit of import as their behavior or public presentation as persons. Pulling on your ain experiences and on the theory and research on groups, discourse critically how working in a group can be both psychologically rewarding every bit good as potentially demanding for the person. For illustration, you could utilize your experience of working as a group on a undertaking in a university or in your workplace Contentss: Aim of the Assignment Introduction Individual behavior and public presentation Peoples behaviour and public presentations as members of a group Pros A ; Cons of working together for an person Critical Analysis A ; Conclusion Mentions Aim of the Assignment: The chief purpose of this assignment given to each person is to analyse and research on how people behave and to detect closely their public presentation as an person or members of a squad which are every bit of import. We will write a custom essay sample on How People Behave And Perform As A Group Education Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Besides sing our ain experience being a squad member or working separately on a undertaking and analysing how it would be honoring both potentially and psychologically. To understand it in a much simple manner allow me set the full purpose into a mathematical equation, which is as follows: Peoples Behaviour + Performance as a squad member = Individual behavior + Individual public presentation This Equation would look to be about similar when we look at the Left Hand side A ; Right Hand Side, but it is non, because with my experience as an perceiver, when we look at people ‘s behavior and their public presentation as a squad member, we can besides do out their single behavior and their single public presentation. If we understand any portion of the equation, we can acquire to cognize that person or presume the other portion of the equation, as each portion is interlinked with the other. For illustration: To gauge the value of ‘A ‘ where C = A + B, and C = 10. We can presume B to be of ten value and the value of A = 10 – ten. It might look to be small confusing and complicated but in my position if we understand or analyze a individual in one facet, we can foretell the other facets as good, wherein each facet is every bit of import and rewarding. Introduction: It is really interesting to cognize or to foretell how one single reacts or behaves in an Organization. It feels really good when we can foretell the behavior of a individual if we understand the fortunes good. Is n’t it interesting? Well it is for me at least. â€Å" What is Organizational Behavior? † ( 2006, Vandeveer, Menefee, Sinclair ) It is the methodological analysis to understand how single, people or group behaves at workplaces. The whole construct is to understand and foretell the human behaviour in the organisation. In an organisation we have directors who are the leaders and the persons working under them are its followings. If we understand the behavior of the followings and its leaders so it would take us to the success of the organisation as we would be able to cognize the attack of each in assorted state of affairss. Well now we get another inquiry in our head which is â€Å" Does Organisational Behavior require a systematic attack? † ( 2006, Vandeveer, Menefee, Sinclair ) Many people think that it is merely the common sense that we need to use and many think it is merely intuition, but how would this be defined. In my position, common sense is our ain personal sentiments which non needfully be right and intuition is our ain feeling which can non be supported by any theory. Yes, there is a systematic attack for OB because the organisations change, competition addition, affect of engineering on assorted persons. So, we must alter our thought of foretelling people by our common sense and intuitions to following up a systematic system to understand behavior of organisations, persons and groups. I would take this as a privilege to portion my experience as the School Leader for three old ages where I was besides the President of the School Parliament and The Prefect to stand for our Educational Society. It was a ambitious function as I had to pull off all the section and besides study to the office with the behaviors of different cabinet members in the proper running of Assorted Houses. I had to supervise each subsidiary who had a direct attack with the pupils, having their feedback and paying concern to their jobs. Bing immature I had to foretell or presume few things in ways which did non had any theoretical support, but this was necessary to decently understand their behavior and attacks to assorted state of affairss to accomplish the purpose provided and carry through the undertaking anyhow. For illustration: If we analyze an person on a peculiar undertaking, we can presume that individuals ‘ attack to the other undertaking. There are besides elements which act as base for a strong foundation of the organisation where in the directions vision, doctrine, civilization and ends are most of import. There are used to put the organisations environment ( Organizational Behavior.A Available: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadob.html. Last accessed 19 March 2010. ) The people working in the organisation as persons contribute as the whole to present quality work. The result is the public presentation, development, satisfaction and growing of single. All these elements together build the model of the organisations ‘ public presentation. When I was working for Michael Dell as his declaration expert, I had to be a portion of a group of experts where each single public presentation was calculated wittingly or unwittingly. A path record of each person was maintained and farther public presentation was besides forecasted. It gave everyone an purpose to accomplish, though with tonss of force per unit area as the organisations public presentation was dependent on us irrespective of our psychological wages. We as persons in a group learnt a batch as it gave us an first-class exposure, pleasant for few, and non for few. Individual behavior and public presentation: Martin Goodyer ( 2009 ) ( is an experient professional manager and behavioral alteration practician. He is a corporate manager with a background of 17 old ages in senior concern direction and development ) negotiations about transforming attitude and behaviour jobs into assets. He says that all persons in some point or the other have jobs with their behavior which straight or indirectly affects them at their workplace with the alteration in public presentation degree. Some managers with their single behavior jobs drive their organisation backwards. This is a common thing which we see around us, non merely with managers but besides with other staff members who are trained to present and besides provided support but they are non able to present the undertaking good due to some behavioural or attitudinal issue, that ‘s halting them traveling frontward. Recognizing this is the first of import thing and second is what could be done in work outing the job and change overing it into r ewards/assets. All persons in the organisation could n’t be an plus but some of them are who could turn themselves from the behavioural job and can add value to the organisation, alternatively bing the organisation. There is no common sense or logic in work outing the job as worlds are driven by their emotions and non by logic because emotions control our behavior. So, it is our emotions that cause a alteration in our behavior which affect us psychologically and potentially. In order to execute good in a group, each person must screen their ain behavioral job which could originate by itself or while being a portion of the squad. We can happen that issue which is impacting our public presentation and make something about it. Some persons change their behavior or undergo an emotional stimulation under the influence of other individual ‘s behavior in order non to see the hurting or to do them experience better from insight. We can besides analyse them and detect what they are making and why they are making it and understand their behavioural model in order non to acquire a hapless public presentation degree. Even in the most ambitious fortunes we must keep a good degree of communicating in or der to construct a resonance with everyone so that we can cognize the job which is bing organisation and single in public presentation. Tom DeMarco ( 2008 ) negotiations about different forms of Behaviour, where he says, how good a human encephalon is in acknowledging forms. It records different forms which controls our behavior. Our head tries to retrieve assorted forms unconsciously by assorted names or features which we react consequently when our head identifies a similar state of affairs once more. So far there have been 88 different forms over 37 old ages across 25 states which are recognized, each of which has been given a snappish name to retrieve and an essay about it to acknowledge a form and how to continue. The behavior which we adapt might be good or really good in fact, but sometimes it might be destructive and leads to defeat. In my ain experience as the School Rep as mentioned earlier, I had to undergo many emotional stimulation and observe assorted forms in order to set my behavior suited with everyone so that the public presentation degree does non travel bad. I had to keep a proper O degree with everyone about so that everyone could breath good and there prevail no opposition. An single differ from the other in sentiments, attitudes, beliefs, committedness, communicating, experience, civilization, values, instruction, intelligence, emotions, age and life manner, and I got to cognize these different facets with the experience or exposure which I got. The chief thing is communication accomplishments and merely through unfastened and crystalline communicating accomplishments we would be able to transport forward information good with proper lucidity and present it good. It helped me a batch while undergoing this, as this helped me to be emotionally flexible and acknowledging my possible as a leader with a self-praise of assurance. It was a ambitious undertaking, though interesting and cherishable throughout. â€Å" Abilities such as being able to actuate oneself and prevail in the face of defeat ; to command unprompted and delay satisfaction ; to modulate one ‘s tempers and maintain hurt from drenching the ability to believe ; to sympathize and to trust. † ( Daniel Goleman ) . It is non an easy undertaking to actuate our ego when we are hard-pressed or non feeling good. But, if we master in this so it becomes really easy to do right determinations and execute better as it is observed that emotions change quickly at work, due to the circumstance or state of affairs in which we are. OB is really complex as it deals with cardinal things like motive ; it deals with emphasis which is a chief concern these yearss. Some persons find it easier to expose or to stamp down certain emotions or emphasis and accordingly can hold less negative effects. ( Totter dell A ; Holman, 2003, Call Centre Employees ) . Peoples behaviour and public presentations as members of a group: Harmonizing to Donelson R. Forsyth ( 2006 ) , aA groupA is connexion of two or more persons who are connected to one another by societal relationships. Normally we find that different authors come out with their ain definition of what a group is because they write in respects on their work. Some definitions of a Group: â€Å" Conceiving of a group as a dynamic whole should include a definition of group that is based on mutuality of the members. â€Å" A Kurt LewinA ( 1951: 146 ) â€Å" We mean by a group a figure of individuals who communicate with one another frequently over a span of clip, and who are few plenty so that each individual is able to pass on with all the others, non at second-hand, through other people, but face-to-face. â€Å" A George HomansA ( 1950: 1 ) â€Å" To set it merely they are units composed of two or more individuals who come into contact for a intent and who consider the contact meaningful. â€Å" A Theodore M. Mills ( 1967: 2 ) â€Å" A group is a aggregation of persons who have dealingss to one another that make them interdependent to some important grade. As so defined, the termA groupA refers to a category of societal entities holding in common the belongings of mutuality among their constitutional members. â€Å" A Dorwin Cartwright and Alvin ZanderA ( 1968: 46 ) â€Å" Descriptively talking, a psychological group is defined as one that is psychologically important for the members, to which they relate themselves subjectively for societal comparing and the acquisition of norms and values, †¦ that they in private accept rank in, and which influences their attitudes and behavior. â€Å" A John C Turner ( 1987: 1-2 ) â€Å" A group exists when two or more people define themselves as members of it and when its being is recognized by at least one other. â€Å" A Rupert BrownA ( 1988: 2-3 ) What I feel, a group is a set of different persons who are involved in the group and has a particular bonding amongst them so that they can put to death the undertaking good by demoing first-class public presentation. Sing my experience so far for working in assorted groups at School, College, University or work topographic point ; to present first-class quality work: We should be able to understand each other good in a group because we are sailing ‘in the same boat ‘ ( Brown 1988: 28 ) , so it is good to understand each other psychologically. We should be able to pass on with each other in a clear manner in order to acquire the right response, transmit orders, to acknowledge jobs, to obtain or supply feedback, to cognize others perceptual experiences and to defy struggles. ( Wendy Bloisi, Curtis W. Cook and Phillip L. Hunsaker 2007:355 ) . With my experience, we must pass on in a proper which is really indispensable because it allows the squad members to co ordinate assorted things, portion information with lucidity and fulfill each other demands good. As we are given a undertaking to put to death as a group, we must execute it with high values and criterions and alternatively of taking single recognition ; we must retrieve that our squad is defined by us as a whole and by others working with us as a squad. As Benson ( 2000:5 ) says, â€Å" We must come together to work on common and for in agreement intents † which harmonizing to me is honoring for all in the squad. Pros A ; Cons of working together for an person: Stephen P. Robbins ( 2005 ) gives us the grounds of why single tend to organize groups. His first ground is Security A ; Status which everyone is concerned today. None would wish to jeopardize themselves. We feel secure as we are non put to deathing the undertaking entirely and there are others in the group every bit good to supply originative input which gives a multi dimensional position to the undertaking and which in return besides yields better public presentation. It besides helps us acknowledge our potency of working in a group, as in a group when we execute the undertaking given to us ; we get to cognize our capacity of executing that undertaking which is besides psychologically honoring. We besides urge to be a portion of the group because consciously we are cognizant of accomplishing the end if we are a portion of a group instead than working entirely by our ego where we are cognizant of non accomplishing the end because of deficiency of diverseness and inputs. ( Stephen P. Robbins 2005 ) . Hence, it is an chance to work together in groups on undertakings. â€Å" The many are smarter than the few † James Suriwiecki ( 2004 ) As we have seen in single public presentation and behaviour subdivision, persons besides get to cognize their behavior towards other and how it can be altered to experience happy from penetration. They tend to cognize them self much better with the feedback which they get, if it ‘s taken positively by them or else it might take to struggles which is a downside. There are besides jobs which teams face, such as: form of work, accomplishing the end, deficiency in preparation or support, civilization and communicating. ( Betty Conti and Brian H. Kleine 1997 ) . The direction of the organisation must finalise a form or construction of work that best suits the organisation. Sometimes there might be some jobs in the organisation or persons ain committednesss which might upset the docket of the squad. To get the better of this we must ever maintain path of the end to be achieved which is really of import for the squad ‘s public presentation. The direction must besides supply proper preparation and support to the squad participants in order to anticipate good consequences from them. If they do n’t acquire proper support or possess deficiency of preparation, so it might take to group ‘s failure. Sometimes people from different civilization may happen it hard to get by up with the state of affairs and there could besides stay some c ommunicating spread. Robert Loo and Karran Thorpe ( 2002 ) references emphasis which is a factor to worry in squad work caused due to clip force per unit area or defeat. This definitely affects the public presentation as negative response is expected at nerve-racking state of affairss. Persons working in a group are stressed due to non active engagement of the squad mates which increases work burden. Therefore, we must take attention of all these things in order to avoid squads ‘ failure and obtain better consequences. It is besides good for organisation to back up squad work as it would pull more figure of best people to fall in their organisation so that the organisation could execute better. My position is that, it depends all in the organisation which pattern it adapts to give net income and vie with the remainder in the sphere. Critical Analysis A ; Decision: Working in a group is more good as it is a topographic point where dealingss can turn and a topographic point where people can happen support which is honoring personally. Many people, like me, like to socialise a batch and I ever believe in group work because it yields choice work due to different persons present in group with different mentalities and thoughts, though it is a disputing undertaking to pull off them, as I have an experience of taking a few groups. It is besides potentially demanding as while working together we unconsciously compete with one another and tend to give our best which lets us cognize our ultimate potency and when each clip we go beyond our possible it is good for an person ‘s personality. It is besides psychologically honoring due to the points mentioned earlier. None would wish to neglect at any point and ache their ego regard and position. Working is a group besides helps us beef up our ego regard, behavior with others and command our emotions. For us to do certain that a group delivers the effectual work with efficiency, the squad members in the group must be competent in utilizing all their minute accomplishments. â€Å" Worlds are non born with these accomplishments ; they must be developed. † ( Johnson and Johnson 2003: 579 ; 581 ) This is the best thing which I liked the most while working on this. None of us have come out from the uterus with some particular accomplishments ; it is here were we learn ; which is endlessaˆÂ ¦ How to cite How People Behave And Perform As A Group Education Essay, Essay examples

Fresh Perspectives on Airline Fleet Strategies

Question: Discuss about the Fresh Perspectives on Airline Fleet Strategies. Answer: Introduction A fundamental role is played by the airline industry in the globalisation process of other industries as it is a strategic sector which helps in promoting foreign investment, world trade and tourism and thus leads to economic growth. However, every airline in the industry, operates in an environment which is highly dynamic and in which the different economic, technological, social and legal forces interact with one another and have an impact on their actions and decisions. The main question here is what are the ways which are most attractive and feasible for accessing the market access to the airlines across the world? the ingredients are provided by the competition policy as well as the policy of international trade. A condition that needs to be recognised by all the businesses is competition and it happens to be a vital factor in the determination of a businesss success or failure. The competitive intensity is the strength of competition that is faced by a business. The number of c ompeting firms along with their competitive strategies and the competitive forces of the industry determine its competitive intensity. The intensity as well as balance of the tension that is +created by competition has large implications on the strategy. What can and what cannot be done by an airlines is impacted by the environment wherein the airlines competes (Nhuta, 2012). This paper will conduct a competitive analysis of the airline industry of U.S. to find out the reasons for its low profitability and also analyse its economic performance. Strategies will be suggested for bringing improvements in the chances of it being profitable persistently. An Overview of the U.S. Airline Industry In the U.S. Airline industry, there are over 100 certified passenger airlines that are operating accounting for more than 11 million flight departures in a year. They carry more than one-third of the total air traffic of the world. Commercial aviation makes a contribution of approximately 8% to the GDP of the country (Airlines_Eric_Henckels, 2016). The U.S. airline industry has been struggling for long time to make profits. A number of factors have been responsible for this. Through the years, there has been entry of low cost budget carriers like Virgin America, AirTran Airways, Jet Blue and Southwest Airlines into the industry which has hurt the larger carriers like American, Delta and United. Non-union labour has been utilised by such new entrants and they usually fly only a single kind of aircraft that helps to reduce the cost of maintenance. The focus of these aircrafts has been on the routes that are more lucrative and they usually fly from point-to-point which is dissimilar to the incumbents which have been historically routing passengers via the hubs. Low fares are offered by them in order to compete. The entry of the new players has led to the creation of a situation where excess capacity exists in the industry and share from the incumbent airlines has been acquired by the new entrants as the cost structures of incumben t airlines are high as a consequence of high costs of labour. The incumbents had no choice but of responding to fare cuts which resulted in protracting a price war in the industry. The matters were made worse with the rise of the travel sites like Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia on the internet. This made it very easy for the consumers to compare the prices and assisted in keeping the fares low. The matters were further complicated when in 2011, the prices of oil started increasing. In 2011, the costs of fuel formed 32 percent of total revenues while the cost of labour was 26% of the total revenue. Together they formed the two largest items of variable expense. During the 2000s several airlines become bankrupt which included the US Airways, United, Northwest and Delta. Even though the larger airlines were flying, reorganisation took place under the bankruptcy law of Chapter 11 and persistence of excess capacity continued in the industry. The latter half of 2000s and the early part of 2010s witnessed a large number of mergers in the airline industry. Merger of Northwest and Delta occurred in 2008 and merger of Continental and United occurred in 2010 while plans were announced by Southwest Airlines to merge with AirTran. In the later part of 2012, the American Airlines was put under bankruptcy protection of Chapter 11. Subsequently, U.S. Airways started pushing for an agreement on merger with American Airlines and this was till early 2013 under negotiation. A Competitive Force Analysis of the Industry The origin of this model is in the 1980 book of Michael E Porter which was known as Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analysing Industries and Competitors (Porter, 1980). From then onwards it has been a tool which is used frequently for conducting an analysis of the industry structure of the company and also its competitive strategy (Thimpson. Strickland., 2003). Five competitive forces were identified by Porter in his book and these forces give shape to each and every market and industry. Such forces assist in the analysis of all the things including intensity of competition to industrys profitability to its attractiveness (Magretta, 2011) (Porter, 2008). The main aspect of utilising the Portes Five Forces for the U.S. Airline industry is that the industry has been constantly battered by strong headwinds from a number of factors externally which consist of a decline of passenger traffic, increase in the operating expenses, high process of fuels and higher costs of maintenance and landing in addition to the immense competition posed by low cost carriers that has resulted in an intense price war and has had a severe impact on it (Rahman et al., 2015). The airline industry especially in case of the U.S. is said to be in a death spiral as the major carriers had to either merge with some other airlines or was forced into bankruptcy for staying afloat. Supplier Power In the U.S, airline industry, the suppliers have an immense power due to the three inputs in form of labour, aircraft and fuel all of which are impacted by the external environment. Firstly, the prices of the fuel are subject to any fluctuation which might occur in the oil prices in the global market. There might be high fluctuations due to geopolitical as well as other factors. Secondly, labour is often subject to the union power and they usually bargain with the airlines in order to obtain concessions which are often costly and unreasonable. Thirdly, aircrafts are needed by the airlines either on the basis of wet lease or outright sales meaning that there is dependency of the airlines on Boeing and Airbus for their requirements. Due to these reasons, the bargaining power of the suppliers is high as per the framework of Porters Five Forces. Buyer Power The growth of the online ticketing as well as distribution systems, the fliers are no longer dependent on the intermediaries and agents or the airlines for purchasing their tickets. Additionally, with the low cost carriers making their entry and the price wars which have resulted due to that has provided the carriers with several benefits. Apart from this, the presence of tight regulation on the side of demand in case of the airline industry has meant that fliers and passengers have got protection by means of regulators indicating a balance of power in their favour. The power is ceded to the airline industry by a combination of all the factors and therefore there is a presence of moderate to high power of the buyers in accordance with the methodology of Porters Five Forces. Additionally, the buyers can also be engaged in price discovery which means that fluctuations in price cannot stop them as there is availability of multiple channels for booking tickets. Entry and Exit Barriers There is a requirement of huge capital to enter the airline industry and even while exiting the sector, the airlines have the need of writing down as well as absorbing several losses. This is an indication that the barriers of entry and exit are high in this industry. Since, entry requires a big capital infusion; it is not possible for everybody to make an entry in the industry. It requires expertise along with sophisticated knowledge on the part of the companies which proves to be a deterrent. The barriers for exiting are also subject to regulations since in case of the U.S., the airlines are not permitted to exit the industry by the regulators till they get the satisfaction that a genuine business reason exists for it. Additionally, the synergies as well as the efficiencies from scale are leveraged by the industry and there is an existence of high barriers for entry as per the Porters Five Forces. Threat of Substitutes and Complementarities In the U.S., the airline industry does not face threat from substitutes as well as complementarities as consumers often do not take the journey through trains or buses as seen in the developing world. This indicates that for the consumers flying happens to be phenomenon which is natural and hence there is minimum impact of the substitutes. However, cars are used by several Americans which shows that a threat exists from this substitute. As far as complementarities are concerned, full service airlines offering services such as passenger amenities, a la carte meals, free Wi-Fi, etc. does not increase the number of passengers as recently it has been observed that low fares induce passenger more than these aspects. Intensity of Competitive Rivalry Intense competition exists in the U.S. airline industry due to several reasons that consist of low cost carriers making their entry, presence of tight regulations within the industry which makes safety paramount resulting in higher operating expenses along with the fact that the operations of the airlines occurs as per a slightly outdated business model particularly when the industry is facing rapid turnover as well as churn. Additionally, there is more regulation on the side of supply in comparison to the side of demand in the airline industry. This signifies that rather than the airlines having the freedom to select the markets where they can operate and which segments can they target, the regulators are pampering the fliers. Due to this reason, the full service airlines have been literally grounded by the low cost carriers. When this is put together with the intense competition which has always been observed in the markets of the U.S., it makes airline among the most competitive s ectors of the U.S. Economic Performance of the airline industry of the U.S. The economic performance of the airline industry in the U.S. looks at the way the industry has been adding value to the consumers, the investors, the wider economy as well as the Governments (IATA, 2016). Cost reductions due to declining energy prices, consolidation of the industry along with capacity discipline has resulted in the US airline industry enjoying a high of 15 year in terms of operating margins which is healthy for airlines deprived of profits in the recent years. This was despite the revenue challenges present recently. In the 2015, during the second quarter, there was an increase in margins by 6.8 points and 6.2 points of network as well as value carriers. This is when yields and revenue were declining and thus reflected a favourable environment of costs along with skilled management of airlines. The decline in yields has coincided with a capacity growth that is creeping systemwide for US carriers especially in domestic markets and slight relaxations in capacity restra ints recently in the industry. Capacity growth recently in domestic markets has put it closer to growth estimates in terms of the GDP. Recent years have also witnessed a strong focus of the industry to constraint capacity either at or below the GDP growth. Capacity growth in available seat miles exceeded GDP growth in 2015 and the overall growth of ASM in the domestic market was 3.3%. The increase in capacity along with high competition in fares in the domestic markets softened the yields. There was a decline in systemwide passenger yields. Revenue also declined after peaking in mid-2014. However, despite the challenges of revenue, airlines have been able to sustain and also show increased profit margins as unit cost declines have outpaced unit revenue declines. The cost declines have been due to lowering of fuel prices and also other costs like maintenance and ownership. Labour costs were however, high. The overall decline in costs has been largest since 2009 (Wyman, 2016). Identifying strategies for airline profitability Differentiation, cost as well as agility can be used as strategies for increasing competitive advantage. differentiation can be in form of positive reputation of the company, high value and superior quality. Costs include lowering costs to make products cheaper to the competitors products and agility comprises being agile in terms of speed of responding to demands of the market (Eller Moreira, 2014). Besides this, increased financing can be used along with price cuts in the form of sales and programs of frequent flyers, offering new services and improving the quality of existing services. In 2008, the fuel prices had reached 40% of the operating costs while in 2015, they declined. The volatility in the prices of oil in the recent years have made it necessary for the U.S. Airline to develop new strategies for the purpose of increasing revenues and reducing costs. Strategies such as charging baggage fees helped it in offsetting the effect caused by rise in fuel prices. Charging this ancillary fee was used for offsetting the impact of the decrease in demand due to economic recession and financial crisis. The ancilliary fees comprised fees for priority seating, cancellation of reservation and excess baggage fees. The fuel inefficient aircrafts were retired along with discontinuing unprofitable flying in case of city pair markets where the costs of fuel render the routes as being unprofitable (Leigh Fisher, 2011). These strategies can be continued with. The focus should be also on low unit costs for getting an increased market share (Embraer, 2013). The competitive analysis shows that entry and exit in this industry involves huge investments and is thus high, the supplier and buyer bargaining power are also moderately high. There is intense competition from rivals but not so much from substitutes. The unit costs in the airline decreased in 2015 due to ASM increase and greater density of seats. The industry has been marred by low profitability in the recent years. However, the airlines are showing improvements in matching their capacity to the demands of the consumers and have maintained high load factors in peak as well as off-peak times. The last two years saw load factors at a record level because of the stimulation of off-peak demand and either maintenance of or reduction of non-peak capacity. Even though the ASM growth was the lowest in North America, it exceeded the estimates of GDP (Wyman, 2016). The above mentioned strategies should be implemented for increasing profitability. Conclusion It is an encouraging sign that the airline industry has been able to maintain profits which are healthy even though intense competition exists but it is debatable if the profits will be able to outlast the low fuel cycle and will the costs of the industry be affected by the renewed focus on the customers. In addition will the carriers give in to the temptation of flooding the market with an unsustainable capacity given the estimates of economic growth and will the weaknesses that have been covered by low prices of fuel be exposed ultimately. In light of this, it is recommended that the airlines implement the above mentioned strategies so as to increase their profitability even more in the coming years. Bibliography Airlines_Eric_Henckels, 2016. Airline Induustry Overview. [Online] Available at: https://www.columbia.edu/cu/consultingclub/Resources/Airlines_Eric_Henckels.pdf [Accessed 16 December 2016]. Eller, R.d.A.G. Moreira, M., 2014. The main cost-related factors in airlines management. Journal of Transport Literature, 8(1), pp.8-23. Embraer, 2013. Fresh Perspectives on Airline Fleet Strategies. [Online] Available at: https://www.embraercommercialaviation.com/MarketInfo/The_New_Metrics_of_Success.pdf [Accessed 16 December 2016]. IATA, 2016. ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY. [Online] Available at: https://www.iata.org/whatwedo/Documents/economics/IATA-Economic-Performance-of-the-Industry-end-year-2016-report.pdf [Accessed 16 December 2016]. Leigh Fisher, 2011. The New Drivers of Airline Profitability Influence Service Decisions. [Online] Available at: https://www.leighfisher.com/sites/default/files/free_files/focus_-_new_drivers_of_airline_profitability_-_nov_2011.pdf [Accessed 15 December 2016]. Magretta, J., 2011. Understand Michael Porter: The essential guide to competition and strategy. Harvard Business Review. Nhuta, S., 2012.An Analysis Of The F0rces That Determine The Competitive Intensity In The Airline Industry And The Implications For Strategy , 2(9), pp.433-69. Porter, M., 1980. Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries. Free Press. Porter, M.E., 2008. The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy. Harvard Business Review, January. Rahman, K., Azad, S. Mostari, S., 2015. A Competitive Analysis of Airline Industry: A Case Study on Biman Bangladesh Airlines. Journal of Business and Management (IOSR-JBM) , 17(4), pp.23-33. Thimpson. Strickland., 2003. Strategic management: concepts and cases. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Wyman, O., 2016. AIRLINE ECONOMIC ANALYSIS. [Online] Available at: https://www.oliverwyman.com/content/dam/oliver-wyman/global/en/2016/jan/oliver-wyman-airline-economic-analysis-2015-2016.pdf [Accessed 15 December 2016].

Letter From Birmingham Jail Essays - Gangs In The United States

Letter From Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr.'s essay, A Letter From Birmingham Jail has become a classic for good reason. Martin Luther King was an excellent writer and speaker, appealing not only to the logical side of most people, but also to their emotional side. He was an intelligent man, keeping up with all the current events of not only the nation but the world, and was well read in issues of the past. What he said and wrote came from deep inside him and was influenced by his belief in God and Jesus Christ. His essay took his knowledge and his talents of persuasion, and summed up what he was working for and what he believed in. When he stated, "Anyone who lives inside the U.S. can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds..." he was saying that Americans are people made up of many cultures and backgrounds. He was celebrating America's diversity, which makes the United States such a wonderful place to live. He would be ashamed and sorrowful if he saw how citizens of The United States treated each other today. If we had to take a million immigrants in, say, Zulus, next year, or Englishmen, and put them in Virginia, what group would be easier to assimilate? Patrick Buchanan is outspoken on many subjects, immigration is one of them. Buchanan believes that there should be a 200 mile fence built along the U.S. Mexican border, and that Congress should pass a five-year moratorium on legal immigration. He also feels that an Executive Order should be signed which would abolish federally mandated minority programs and affirmative-action plans, plans that were put in place during the Civil Rights Movement which King helped to lead. Buchanan is the same man who stated that women were "simply not endowed by nature with the same measures of single-minded ambition and the will to succeed." Yet, if he becomes President he will re-instate prayer and Bible study classes because he believes that family values and morals are non-existent in American society today. Is this guy for real? What happened to equality? How can someone be religious and still go around declaring that some people are better then others? Supposedly our country was to have gotten rid of all its racists notions during the 60's and the 70's. Apparently not. Buchanan is creating outsiders within the U.S. Measure 9 and Measure 13, measures, had they been passed, would have caused discrimination on a public scale, legal in Oregon. It would have isolated gays and lesbians as freakish groups who live their lives differently then the main stream, and therefore should be punished for their uniqueness. The founders of these measures, Lon Maybon and the Oregon Citizens Alliance, are so determined to pass such a measure that they are thinking of putting a third measure on the ballot next November. The OCA believes that they have the right to declare homosexuals as dirty people because it says so in the Bible. That, because they have intercourse with members of their own sex, homosexuals should not be allowed to adopt children, or to become legally married. That God has damned them for eternity and that they should be treated accordingly. The OCA is creating outsiders within the U.S. The Crips and the Bloods are two widely known gangs in America. They are centered in the Los Angeles area, but they have groups all across the United States in nearly every city. The Crips and the Bloods are only two of hundreds of growing gangs that are surfacing nation wide. The gangs are prominently located in the inner-cities, the poorer areas of large cities. The gangs play on the idea that they are a family. If anyone attacks my brother, then I'm here to fight back for him. Occasionally, they kill an innocent bystander or two. The kids (Kids they are. Gangs have been known to recruit children between the ages of 10 and 13.) that become members commonly have problems at home, abuse or neglect are prevalent. They feel that the only place left to turn is to the streets, and to the brotherhood of the gangs. Gangs are commonly associated with drugs and violence, for good reason. They attack each other for violation of territory and for interference in each others business, causing a vicious circle of revenge. The result of this violence is fear and anger felt by their victims and neighborhoods. It also leads to a separation between the inner-cities and the suburbs, and stereotyping of whites

Marine Corps Issue Viewpoint Essays

Marine Corps Issue Viewpoint Essays Marine Corps Issue Viewpoint Essay Marine Corps Issue Viewpoint Essay Is a very well written story told from the 1st person point of view. If It was written In any other point of view the essence of the story would be lost. 1st person point of view reveals the most about the character, It shows the emotions and the different phases he/she passes through In the story. I think that It Is best that It Is written In 1st person because It becomes more readable and Interesting to hear a personal account. If It were to be written In 3rd person (limited/ omniscient) it would not be the same and would not be as emphatic and moving. If it as told in 3rd person it would have sounded like a story in a history book. The author wants us to realize the real damage done by war on the victims and their families that are not taken into account but scar them emotionally. For this reason a first person point of view was the only way to tell the story. Flashbacks are used effectively to give us the sense of the past and help us identify with the characters. We are shown the war through the eyes of Jonathan. First person view gives the plot its strength, because it has the power to move our emotions. It is not an interpretation of the events by an outsider but a firsthand experience narrated by one affected. The point of view effects the characterizing in the story because you see the characters through a persons eyes, and whatever the person thinks of these people is what passes on to you as their description. The theme presented in the first person is all the more dramatic, shown through a person eyes it wouldnt be powerful enough in another view. The conflict essential to the plot of a story, it doesnt have to be spelt out but is conveyed throughout the story in silent tones. It could be involved in another perspective but would not be expressed as naturally. As I mentioned before, the story is very moving because we can Identify with the feelings and experiences of Jonathan. A different perspective of third person would still tell us the story but we would not be able to develop as close as an empathy with him. The most Important part which plays In first person In Marine Corps Is the choice of character. In choosing a child as the mall character and the narrator In order to present a frightening truth, the author ensures that the Impact Is great. I think the respective In which the story Is told fits perfectly with the purpose of the story. If the view point was changed the outcome would be completely different. Ail Razz M. Seed is a very well written story told from the 1st person point of view. If it was written in 1st person point of view reveals the most about the character, it shows the emotions and the different phases he/she passes through in the story. I think that it is best that it is written in 1st person because it becomes more readable and interesting to hear a personal account. If it were to be written in 3rd person (limited/ errors is all the more dramatic, shown through a person eyes it wouldnt be powerful enough in another view. The conflict essential to the plot of a story, it doesnt have to mentioned before, the story is very moving because we can identify with the feelings most important part which plays in first person in Marine Corps is the choice of character. In choosing a child as the main character and the narrator in order to present a frightening truth, the author ensures that the impact is great. I think the perspective in which the story is told fits perfectly with the purpose of the story. If the

Describe denver art museum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Describe denver art museum - Essay Example Since then it undergone several changes, and had different temporary locations. It was transformed in the form of a museum in 1949. The museum shifted to its present location in 1971. At present, the museum has 356,000-square-foot museum complex which includes collection gallery space, three temporary exhibition venues, and the Lewis I. Sharp Auditorium. Apart from art collections, the Denver Art Museum is internationally recognized for its family-friendly environment (Denver Art Museum: History). (Denver Art Museum: Asian Art- Hayagriva mandala, monk-artists of Seraje Monastic University, India) Hayagriva mandala is one of the major paintings kept in the Asian art section in the Denver art museum. The above painting is a Tibetan art which represents the universe and its powers. This painting has been portrayed by three Tibetan monks in 1996 and it took around two weeks time for them to complete it. This painting is done with the help of sands painted in different colors and hence it is called sand mandala. Normally sand mandalas were painted for rituals and it may not be displayed to the normal public. However, the above sand mandala is one of the few of that kind which is preserved for permanent viewing.    (Denver Art Museum: American Indian art- Shuffle Off to Buffalo Five, Harry Fonseca) Shuffle Off to Buffalo Five is a painting by Harry Fonseca which is kept in the American Indian art department of Denver art museum.... (Denver Art Museum: Asian Art-Shinto Deity) The sculpture is dressed in court attire with a hat in the head. Shinto arts are normally not visible to the public since it is used for the worshipping purposes only by the devotees. In other words, the sculpture of Shinto deity kept at Denver art museum is one of the rarest one which is displayed publicly. To conclude, Denver Art Museum is a place which is useful not only for student, but also for art lovers. It gives us the opportunity to watch some of the rarest paintings, sculptures and art forms of different regions and countries. Works Cited 1. â€Å"Denver Art Museum†. Web. 12 February 2011.

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Financial Decision Making Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Business Plan for Indian Restaurant

Business Plan for Indian Restaurant BUSINESS PLANNING UNIT SIX FOR THE NEW RESTAURANT CALLED ‘THE STAR OF INDIA’, AN INDIAN CUSINE. CONTENTS PAGE (Jump to) SECTION 1 Business name Business activity Type of Ownership Objectives SECTION 2 Market analysis Price list of Potential suppliers Competitors Information on Banks Loans Target Market Competition Analysis SECTION 3 Marketing plan Price list for Items in the ‘The star of India’ Place Promotion SECTION 4 Production process SECTION 5 Resource requirements Financial resources Physical resources SECTION 6 Financial analysis and planning Sources of funds Business Plan for the new restaurant called ‘The Star of India’. SECTION 1 Business name and address: The Star of India 137 Earls Court Road London SW5 Business activity: The new restaurant will sell a wide variety of Indian Cuisine from its secondary retail location which is the Earls court area of London. The different types of foods that will be served in the restaurant will include Samosas, Nan bread, Tandoori, rice, biryani, balti, jalfrezi, karahi, bhuna, vindaloo, madras, noodles, burgers, desserts, beverages, special dishes, and side orders such as aloo and potatoes as appropriate for the different seasons as it unfolds. In addition, the restaurant will provide a free delivery service for orders above  £10 within a 3 mile radius, and will also include a 10% discount for orders above  £15. Suppliers will include retail outlets in the Earls court area that sell Asian foods such as Rajah and TRS products from wholesale suppliers in Earls court, Wembley and Southall, which are established cash and carry wholesale outlets for Indian foods in the London area. Wholesale stores such as Tescos and ASDA will also be visited if necessary. Type of Ownership: In this case the business will be a partnership based business, in which the major stake holder will control 55 percent of the whole business and the remainder will be controlled by 3 other stakeholders (4 stakeholders’ altogether). Objectives: The objective of the business is to provide high quality prepared foods and high quality service to the general public. In addition, we foresee to generate sales in excess of  £100,000 in the first year! SECTION 2 Market Analysis: Primary Data A questionnaire was not deemed appropriate as the area of location does permit an influx of people, in which it can be said with hind sight that it will be worthwhile to press ahead with the opening of the business. Price List: The following is a table of a price list for potential suppliers: Gandhi Oriental Foods Southall Food Suppliers Rajtha Food Suppliers (Wembley) Pounds ( £) Pounds ( £) Pounds ( £) Bag of gold self raising flour 25kg 8.25 7.99 7.99 Case Barson (Gram Flour) 6 bags 2kg 8.45 6.25 7.99 Drum vegetable oil 15 ltr KTC 7.79 5.99 6.99 Tin Mustard Oil 4 ltr 4.45 3.99 4.99 Tin pure ghee 2 kg 6.25 5.99 5.49 Tin chilli powder 18.9 17.99 17.99 Tin haldi (tumeric) powder 14.9 12.99 13.99 Cinnamon 2kg 5.45 4.99 5.25 Packet Tejpatha (Bay leaves) 750 grams 3.45 2.99 Case boiled chick peas (12) 411 grams 2.85 2.99 2.99 Packet Chana Dai 2kg 1.95 1.99 0.99 Jar mint sauce 3kg 2.95 2.99 1.99 Bag Salt 12.5kg 2.95 2.99 1.99 Case cathey container 26.9 25.99 22.99 Case carrier bag large 250 12.49 11.99 11.99 Case Cobra Beer large (12) 650ml 16.5 13.99 13.5 Kingfisher beer (12) 660ml 16.95 14.99 15.99 Basmati Rice (2kg) 12.99 11.99 12.99 Tilda Rice (2kg) 14.99 13.99 13.99 Sureeya Rice (2kg) 11.99 9.99 9.99 Lamb (per kilo) Chops 3.99 3.99 3.99 Liver and Heart 2.17 1.99 2.17 Leg 7.49 6.99 7.5 Shoulder 7.29 6.99 7.25 Back Chops 6.19 5.99 5.7 Chicken (per kilo) Leg Boneless 3.65 2.99 3.45 Wings 2.99 2.99 2.99 Roasters 2.17 2.25 2.2 Leg 1.18 1.25 1.1 Boneless 4.99 3.99 3.99 Sheep (per Kilo) Chop 3.5 2.99 3.25 Neck 2.64 2.49 2.5 Ribs 2.17 1.99 1.99 Leg 4.99 4.99 4.99 Shoulders 4.89 4.99 4.5 Back Chops 4.15 3.99 3.99 Competitors: Names Strengths Weaknesses Lapappardella Ristorante (Italian) Located off earls court road, very busy at weekends. Limited range (mainly pasta) Zizzi (Italian Restaurant) Located on the high street (Earls court road) New and modern European) It is a bit cramped in the sitting area Nandos Restaurant Very popular for its grilled and flamed chicken. Very busy at most times of the day and weekends. A very strong competitor Limited range of food served (mainly chicken) Dragon Palace (Chinese Restaurant) Very competitive in terms of its different types of foods served. It is cramped with limited space for more customers Masala Zone Recently opened and new in the area. It serves mainly Indian foods. It is a powerful competitor as its items are geared towards city life, i.e. city workers etc. It is not as popular yet. It range of items sold to the public is limited. Bibimbub (Oriental fusion dishes) Quite a wide variety of oriental dishes and cuisine. Very busy at the weekends Its foods are geared towards nutritional and healthy diets Although located on the high street, it is very cramp with limited space for a large number of customers to eat. Lotus Garden (Chinese restaurant) A wide variety of Chinese food As mentioned the sitting area is cramped. Information on Bank Loans: Having carried out an in-depth search for the best rates offered by banks, one came to the conclusion that the rates offered by the Halifax, offered the best rates when it came to obtaining a bank loan. For loans between  £5,000 and  £100,000, there is a variable discounted rate of 0.10% below Bank of Scotland Base Rate. For the remaining term of the loan the rate then changes to 3% above Bank of Scotland Base Rate and remains on variable rate terms for the rest of the loan. For the fixed rate business loan the rates are published on the Halifax website every fortnightly, in which the interest rates are based on LIBOR (London Inter Bank Offered Rate) plus a margin. In addition, security is required on any property or assets that this agreed with the bank. The overall cost of comparison is 11.1% APR. The actual rate available will depend upon the outcome of the initial start-up capital. Secondary Data Most of the information collated with regards to the price of items and competitors were gathered by the stakeholders of the restaurant. The factors that are deemed as possible effects on the demand for the service are: The price of the items sold to customers. The quality of the menu and how it is served to customers. The type of products used to serve the menu items, e.g. fresh farm produce, organic foods, and completeness. The customer service offered to customers will be a deciding factor in how the restaurant is viewed on from its initial opening. The way the competitors mentioned above respond to our presence in the Earls court area will play a part in how our customer base grows. The state of the economy, e.g. rising personal incomes, changes in interest rates and the change in house prices. In addition, because Indian cuisine has been a rising trend in British society over the past 6 years, it is expected that the demand for this growing in-fashion trend will continue to rise for the foreseeable future. Target Market: The majority of existing customers we expect to come into the restaurant will be based within a 4 mile radius of the Earls court area. Typically, they will be single people, couples, tourists and families all wanting to go out and have a good meal. It is expected that they will be middle class and above, who come from very affluent backgrounds. Most of the potential customers expected will be people who earn on average, incomes starting from  £17,000 upwards. Competition Analysis: The potential strengths and weaknesses of competitors have been commented upon in the competition table. In retrospect, it is believed that the prices we will be offering with regard to items on our price list will be set below the average price of our major competitors mentioned i.e., Masala, Zone, Nandos, and Zizzis. This will enable us compete with our competitors head-on and with hind sight we will be able to carve out a growing market share into the future for the business. In addition, the items we are offering has a much wider range than our competitors in which the quality of the products used (fresh farm produce and organic), will set us above the competitors mentioned. Also, the service we ascribe to present to customers will be far reaching than our competitors. I.e. a waiter/waitress will always be on hand to attend to customer questions, taking customers to their table, and always making sure that the customer is satisfied with how they are being treated and offered in the ‘Star of India’ cuisine. SECTION 3 Marketing Plan: The use of the marketing mix will be used to start off the business. They are product, price, place and promotion. Product/Service: The product / service that will be offered to customers as a whole will mainly be organic foods which include fresh farm produce from suppliers, whole sale outlets and also canned items from the suppliers mentioned above. The service will consist of customers coming into the restaurant to have a meal or take away, in which there will be a seating area for smoking and non-smoking. Also, a waiter/waitress will be on hand to serve and assist customers on the wide range of different cuisines available. As stated previously, there will be a free delivery service for orders above  £10 and a 10% discount on orders above  £15. This will change subject to seasonal demand. Price: The use of pricing strategies such as penetration pricing, promotional pricing, and price discrimination will be used to market the items offered by the restaurant. Penetration pricing will be used to set a low initial price in order to penetrate the market quickly and deeply, so as to attract a large number of customers quickly and win a large market share. With time the high sales volume will result in falling costs, allowing the restaurant to cut its price even further. With promotional pricing, the restaurant will temporarily price its items or products below the list price and sometimes even below cost. This will take several forms. I.e. a few items or products will be priced as loss leaders so as to attract customers into the restaurant in the hope that they will buy items at normal mark-ups. Price discrimination will be used to offer customers different prices for the same items or products offered by the restaurant. For example, if a customer ordered a special dish, it would automatically come with a side order of rice, in which the price is already included in the price of the special dish. However, if they ordered rice separately and the sauce separately, they would have to pay different prices for the two items. Price list for ‘The Star of India’ The Star of India Appetisers Price ( £) Chicken Samosa  £3.20 Veg Samosa  £3.20 Lamb Samosa  £3.20 Papadom  £0.40 Sheek Kebab  £2.40 Shami Kebab  £2.40 Chicken or Lamb Tikka  £2.40 Chicken Chatt  £2.40 Aloo Chatt  £2.40 King Prawn Butterfly  £3.50 Potatoes of the day  £2.75 The Star of India Breads Nan  £1.30 Keema Nan  £1.80 Vegetable Nan  £1.80 Peshwari Nan  £1.80 Garlic Nan  £1.80 Balti Nan  £1.80 Paratha Nan  £1.40 Stuffed Paratha  £1.80 Tandoori Roti  £1.20 Chapati  £0.80 The Star of India Tandoori Delicacies Half Tandoori Chicken  £4.70 Whole Tandoori Chicken  £9.20 Chicken or Lamb Tikka  £4.70 Chicken or Lamb Shaslik  £5.50 Coconut Chicken  £5.50 Tandoori King Prawn  £8.40 Garlic Chicken  £5.50 Tandoori Mixed Grill with nan  £7.95 The Star of India Rice Delicacies Pilau Rice  £1.60 Boiled Rice  £1.50 Mushroom Rice  £1.95 Egg Fried Rice  £1.95 Lebu Rice  £1.95 Garlic Rice  £1.95 Narial Chawal  £1.95 Vegetable Rice  £1.95 Special Fried Rice  £1.95 Keema Rice  £2.25 The Star of India Biryani Delicacies Chicken, Meat or Prawn  £5.50 King Prawn  £8.40 Chicken or Lamb Tikka  £5.75 Tandoori Chicken  £5.75 Vegetable  £4.95 Mushroom  £4.95 The Star of India Special  £6.50 The Star of India Balti Delicacies Chicken, Meat or Prawn  £5.75 King Prawn  £8.40 Vegetable  £4.80 The Star of India Special  £6.95 Chicken or Lamb Tikka  £6.75 Chicken, Meat or Lamb Sagwala, Jalfrezi, Dhansak  £5.95 The Star of India Jalfrezi Delicacies Chicken Jalfrezi  £4.60 Prawn Jalfrezi  £5.70 Lamb Jalfrezi  £4.60 King Prawn Jalfrezi  £7.40 Chicken Tikka Jalfrezi  £5.60 Lamb Tikka Jalfrezi  £5.60 Vegetable Jalfrezi  £4.95 The Star of India Karahi Delicacies Chicken Karahi  £5.20 Prawn Karahi  £5.70 Lamb Karahi  £5.20 King Prawn Bhuna Karahi  £7.40 Chicken Tikka Karahi  £5.60 Lamb Tikka Karahi  £5.60 Vegetable Karahi  £4.95 The Star of India Bhuna Delicacies Chicken Bhuna  £4.40 Prawn Bhuna  £5.40 Lamb Bhuna  £4.40 King Prawn Bhuna  £7.40 Chicken Tikka Bhuna  £5.70 Lamb Tikka Bhuna  £5.70 Vegetable Bhuna  £4.95 The Star of India Vindaloo / Madras Delicacies Chicken / Lamb Curry  £4.10 Chicken / Lamb Madras  £4.50 Chicken / Lamb Vindaloo  £4.50 Prawn Curry / Madras / Vindaloo  £4.80 King Prawn Curry / Madras / Vindaloo  £6.50 Vegetable Curry  £3.95 The Star of India Noodles Malabar Seafood  £5.70 Chicken Madras  £5.20 Konkan Chicken  £5.20 Malabar veg  £5.20 Veg madras  £5.20 The Star of India Burgers Lamb Burger  £5.20 Chicken Burger  £4.80 Veggie Burger  £4.80 The Star of India Special Dishes The Star of India Special  £5.90 The Star of India Khazana  £6.95 Nawabi Chicken  £5.90 Murgh Charga  £5.90 Achari Chicken  £5.90 Chingri Bahar  £7.95 Lamb Nashilee  £5.90 Ghoust Laziz  £5.90 Jerra Chicken Massala  £5.90 Kufta Massala  £5.90 King Prawn Delight  £7.95 Shaslik Massala  £5.90 Garlic Green Chilli Massala  £5.90 Special Tandoori King Prawn Massala  £7.95 Butter Chicken  £5.90 Peshwari Chicken  £5.90 Black Pepper Chicken  £5.90 Black Pepper King Prawn  £7.95 Chicken Tikka Podeena  £5.90 Chicken Tikka Massala  £5.90 Chicken Tikka Pasanda  £5.90 Chicken Tikka Markhani  £5.90 Chicken Rezala  £5.90 The Star of India Desserts Gulab Jamun  £2.10 Falooda  £3.00 Chocolate, Vanilla, and Raspberry Ice Cream  £2.10 The Star of India Beverages Fruit Juices  £1.30 Mango and Coconut Lassi  £1.20 Masala Chai  £1.00 Coke or Diet Coke  £0.65 Mineral Water  £0.65 Place: The business will be located in the Earls Court area of central London. The reasoning b

Of Mice And Men :: essays research papers

"The best laid schemes o'mice and men Often go awry And leave us nought but grief and pain For promised joy!"-Robert Burns Writers throughout history have often written about the plight in which the American people have had to endure. John Steinbeck, an influential author during the 1940's and 1930's, focused primarily on the lives and problems of migrant workers. His novels hit close to home, not only for himself, but for thousands across the nation. Steinbeck received inspiration, as well as the title, for his novel Of Mice and Men from a Robert Burn's poem. This poem is the underlying frame of his book. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck champions the underdog who, though denied access to the American dream, develops his own coping mechanisms for survival. Of Mice and Men centers around the nomadic lifestyle of two Californian migrant workers; Lennie, who is mentally retarded, and George, who serves as Lennie's protector and provider. Lennie's condition seems to be a constant threat to the pair's jobs. The book opens with George and Lennie walking to a new ranch. The reader finds out later that Lennie's love to touch soft things lost them their last jobs. They finally arrive to the ranch to find friendly, and then not-so-friendly faces. One of Steinbeck's purposes for writing Of Mice and Men is to illustrate the trials and tribulations certain individuals must overcome. For Crooks, the African-American stable buck, it is the oppression he faces because of the color of his skin. Steinbeck quite frequently states the harsh conditions under which Crooks must live. "Little skinner name of Smitty took after the ni**er. Done pretty good, too. The guys wouldn't let him use his feet....If he could used his feet, Smitty says he woulda killed the ni**er." (20) This quote is a prime example of how African-Americans were viewed. However, Crooks holds to some dignity. "I ain't sure I want you in here no more. A colored man got to have some rights even if he don't like 'em." (82) Lennie, a main focus of the novel, is a main character for a reason. Steinbeck uses Lennie's character in order to show how American society attempted to ignore mental retardation and continued to live in ignorance about the disability. Steinbeck portrays Lennie as a constant burden on George. He is the cause of their having to switch jobs. George feels he must speak to bosses for Lennie, because Lennie is not able to speak intelligently for himself.

Barnes and Noble Business Assessment

Barnes and Noble Booksellers MGT 499 Barnes and Noble was acquired by Leonard Riggio in 1974 after they had fallen into decline. He started his career selling books early in his college career when he founded the Student Book Exchange or SBX. Once purchasing the rights to the name he quickly began transformations on the once giant retailer, making it into his dream, the worlds largest book store. In addition to all the Barnes and Nobles around today, Mr. Riggio also owns an operates over 600 college campus bookstores, like the one at Wright State University, which is where over 4 million students and 250,000 faculty members buy their books.Internal Environment Barnes and Noble has many strengths which are quickly fading in the ever changing book market. When individuals think of a bookstore these days, typically two come to mind first, Barnes and Noble and their now dead competitor Borders. They had and still have the great strength of partnering with College Campus’s to opera te their bookstores which allows them to connect with the consumers who typically spend the most on books (textbooks). With this being said, we also need to point out Barnes and Noble’s weaknesses.This can be summed up by saying that their lack of innovation failed to keep up with consumer trends and the changing market. Barnes and Noble is now trying to compete in the technology market by the creation and selling of their Nook, which is essentially an IPad where you can download and read books electronically. Barnes and Noble’s current leadership team consist of: Leonard Riggio- Founder and Chairman William Lynch – CEO Michael P. Huseby – Chief Financial Officer Chris Trola – Chief Information Officer Mary Ellen Keating- Senior VP of Corporate Communication and Public AffairsCompetitive ConsequencesPerformance ImplicationsValuableRate Non SubstitutableCostly to Imitate Sustainable C. A. AARNoYesNoYes Temporary C. A. Avg – AARYesYesYes/NoYes Competitive ParityAvg ReturnYesYesYes/NoNo Competitive DisadvantageBelow Avg ReturnNoNoYes/NoNo Mergers and Acquisitions Barnes and Noble has had several mergers and acquisitions, but only a few are extremely important when we look at the financial impact and operations impact they had on the company. In 1987, it purchased B. Dalton Bookseller from Dayton Hudson.This acquisition of 797 retail bookstores made it Barnes and Nobles largest acquisition and opened consumers eyes across the nation to the then second largest bookseller in the United States. Another major one that hit news headlines was in 1999 when Barnes and Noble acquired Babbage’s Ect. , which is now known as GameStop. Barnes and Noble had control of GameStop until 2004 when the game store bought back 6 million shares from the bookstore to gain its independence. The next and most important acquisition occurred in March of 2009 when Barnes and Noble acquired a company called fictionwise which is now known as eBoo k marketplace.This was the first step they made into the digital world of books with their Nook. This was by far their most important acquisition because it was an attempt to meet the demands of the ever changing market by inserting themselves into the digital book market place. The External Environment When talking about the external environment in terms of Barnes and Noble, the company has many strengths and weaknesses. Starting with the demographics, Barnes and Noble attracts a wide range of consumers, from students to elderly for either educational purposes or recreational purposes.The wide range of demographics is because most consumers either have to read for school or like to read for recreation or entertainment. Today, the retail stores draw mainly an older audience while the stores on college campuses attract mainly just college students. The economics of Barnes and Noble go hand and hand with the sales of the company. Not to long ago there was a rumor that Barnes and Noble was going to be bought out by a company named Liberty which causes the stock to spike 30% in one day. It soon there after returned to its $14 dollar range, which was a 16% decrease from previous years caused by the company announcing a . 6 million dollar loss.. There are also other factors at work in the market that are affecting Barnes and Noble negatively. One of the biggest players that impact B and N is Amazon, and their online, digital marketplace of books where the consumer and compare prices and find the cheapest option. Barnes and Noble has struggled to compete and overcome this obstacle since a majority of their previous consumers are now looking in their stores then going to the internet and Amazon to find cheaper prices. When it comes to bargaining power, Barnes and Noble is between a rock and a hard place.They would love to compete with the low prices their competitors offer, but cannot drop below certain prices because they must have some sort of profit margin on the s ale of their books after the authors take their cuts. Competition Barnes and Noble has millions of competitors because anyone with a computer can put a book on the internet to sell these days. However, this being said, there are a few formal competitors out there that greatly impact Barnes and Noble and their bottom-line. The biggest competitor is by far Amazon.Amazon is an online giant that sellers and buyers can place all of their new and used books on the market at their own set prices. This allows a consumer to â€Å"shop† for the cheapest price for the quality of book they desire to purchase. This was one of the major reasons a previous competitor in the industry, Borders, closed its doors not to long ago. Barnes and Noble has identified that they are in a changing market and that they need to adapt to the changes being made around them. This was the goal of the launch of the Nook in 2010.The Nook is a digital tablet that operates on Android software that gives access to the eBook Marketplace. This allows consumers to purchase books at cheaper prices and have them downloaded directly to their tablet for easy reading. Launching the Nook took Barnes and Noble into a different field which they had not previously experienced with other competitors. Now in addition to competing with retail bookstores, Barnes and Noble is also competing with Apple’s IPad, Amazon’s Kindle, RIM’s BlackBerry Tablet, and all other technology companies who are launching their tablet style computers onto the market.So now Barnes and Noble is competing with Apple, Amazon, RIM, EBAY and thousand of other smaller retailers. That is not a group I would like to be competing against. Barnes and Noble’s Struggles On October 29 of 2011, Barnes and Noble announced it 6. 6 million dollar loss or 17 cents per share to the public. This was just months after their biggest competitor in the retail side of the business closed. Some would think the closing of Borde rs would allow Barnes and Noble to grow, but the decline across the table shows that bookstores are a dying industry, and one that a smart investor would most likely not invest in.Fastforward a year to 2012. Barnes and Noble announced that it was projecting a loss of between $1. 10 and $1. 40 per share. As of late Barnes and Noble has been pumping money into the development and marketing of its Nook, the electronic book of the future. The question that needs to be asked here though is can the Nook really support an entire company with it having to compete against the IPad and the Kindle? Although the Nook has created the greatest revenue for the company, it is really all it has going for it.Liberty Technology offered to buy Barnes and Noble for a whopping 1. 03 billion dollars, this just to acquire the rights to the Nook which Barnes and Noble promptly turned down. But although the company is making money selling this tablet, the gap between the number of IPad users and Kindle users compared to Nook users is growing wider every day. Corporate Level Strategy Barnes and Noble’s strategy is extremely easy, offer customers inexpensive books. This is the cost leadership and a differentiation strategy that we learned in class.Barnes and Noble found a hole in the retail bookstore industry, which focused on bigger named, and newer types of books and well known authors that topped the best sellers list, that the bookstores then sold at a extremely high costs. The best seller books were not sources for great gain for Barnes and Noble though. Barnes and Noble found, that the customers wanted inexpensive books, regardless of author of rank on the best selling list. By publishing books internally through their company they were able to increase their profits.Differentiation was also prevalent in the cost leadership strategy because of the companies intense focus on the outside of the top seller list which only accounted for 3% of the companies Today however, althoug h the retail side of the industries corporate level strategy remains the same, the insertion of the Nook has caused the company to take is cost leadership and differentiation strategy and focus it toward the online eBooks marketplace, selling those cheap books through a digital market. International strategyBarnes and Noble has 691 stores covering all 50 states and 641 stores on college campuses, but has no stores in other countries. At this time is has no intention of spreading globally and says that it meets the demand of the international markets by its website. Recommendation Moving Forward At this point in time I believe the best strategy for Barnes and Noble would be to sell off the company to a company like Liberty to maximize profit for the stockholders. Although their current business strategy with the Nook is succeeding, that piece of technology does not have the capability to support an entire company by itself.

Genetics and Child Development Essay

Genetics play a vital role in our development and that of our children. Our genetic make-up, or traits, directly affects our children’s development, from the moment of conception and the beginnings of a new person, throughout his or her life. The child’s developmental fate is all in the deoxyribonucleic acid, (DNA). Deoxyribonucleic acid, is fashioned in the shape of a double helix; a twisted ladder of genetic code, which along with various proteins, which are essential to aid the DNA in proper cell division, are found in chromosomes. These are the microscopic structures that contain all an individual’s genetic information which are found in every cell of the human body except red blood cells, which have no nuclei (TGC, 2013). Half our chromosomes (23) come from our father, and the other half from our mother, for a total of 46. Together, this set of 23 pairs of chromosomes is responsible for giving us our hair color, eye color, height, the shape of our earlobes, our facial features, our shape, and the color of our skin; our genotype, or inherited traits from both parents’ genes (Mossler, 2011). Child development is dependent on genetics and the compatibility and health of the combined parental sets of chromosomes (GSLC, n.d). Things can go wrong, and parts of essential chromosomes may be deformed, rearranged, abnormal or missing; this can wreak havoc on the well-being of the developing fetus, resulting in deformities, mental retardation, and birth defects (GTC, 2013, para.1, sub sect. 2). Risk factors for a higher incidence of these chromosomal abnormalities include maternal age, and sometimes paternal age, and/or they may be due to a glitch in meiosis; the process where gametes or sex cells are formed; the egg (ovum), and the sperm, each containing 23 chromosomes (GSLC, n.d). Genetic counselors talk to couples before conception or during their pregnancy, regarding any worries they may have with their combined family genetic history. The counselor is consulted to assess the outcomes of possible genetic disorders such as Tay-Sachs, Cystic Fibrosis, Down syndrome, and many others. Fetal intervention may be a distinct possibility for some inherited diseases with which a genetic counselor may assist couples. Down syndrome is one of the most common chromosome abnormalities, which is recognized by a duplicate copy of chromosome 21. Babies with Down syndrome have flat features, including extra skin behind their necks, short, stubby hands, and recessed chins. Their eyes look as if they were born of Mongolian heritage, and Down syndrome was formerly known as Mongolism in the pre-1965 era, due to this exact feature, even though it has nothing whatsoever to do with this particular syndrome. The term â€Å"Mongolism† was dropped in 1965 by the World Health Organization (WHO), (Lowe, 1949). Maternal age is relevant when it comes to an elevated risk of Down syndrome; according to a study, 1/350 normal live births born to mothers age 35 resulted in Down syndrome; whereas, one Down syndrome birth in 85 normal live births occurred when the maternal age was 41. Mothers over 45 years of age, had a 1/25 chance of giving live birth to a baby with Down syndrome (Hook, 1983). Oddly enough, 80 percent of Down syndrome occurs at a maternal age of less than 35 (TGC, 2013, para.1, sub sect. 2). Child development of the child with Down syndrome is held on a parallel with normal children; however, the child with Down syndrome may achieve with less competence than that of his normal classroom counterpart. Evidence reveals that children with Down syndrome benefit from integration and interaction with others in a normal school environment. In particular, they show significant gains i n spoken language, reading, writing and arithmetic. This enhances their ability at a later stage to successfully interact with adults and become productive members of society (Buckley & Sachs, 2001). When I had my youngest child at almost 42 years-old, I had amniocentesis to test for Down syndrome and other abnormalities, as I was an older mother. My obstetrician believed I may be carrying twins; however, he came to the conclusion that my single baby absorbed his twin in utero, which today is quite commonplace. â€Å"Cystic Fibrosis is the most common genetic disease in Caucasians. The incidence is 1/300, and 4 – 5 percent of Americans are carriers. Chromosome 7 is the one affected here, whereby it is caused by a change in a single nucleotide (a phosphoric ester of a nucleoside; the basic structural unit of nucleic acids, DNA or ribonucleic acid (RNA). This disease affects the respiratory tract, in that it becomes clogged by mucus, which increases the incidence of pulmonary infection. Additionally, secretions obstruct the pancreas, which leads to dietary problems (GSLC, n.d).† Cystic Fibrosis or â€Å"55 Roses† as it is commonly called by children suffering from the disease, affects child development by posing cognitive, emotional and behavioral challenges. To conclude, in writing this paper I have developed a better understanding regarding the world of genetics and chromosomal diseases and their effect on child development. Children and their individual development through the various stages of these chromosomal diseases and disorders pose many challenges for them to overcome, and are more often than not, life-changing events for their families. Life expectancy for CF sufferers is not longevity; however, the quality of their limited lifestyles should be paramount within their family’s goals to make their child’s life on Earth as pleasant a time as possible. Down syndrome, however, although outwardly obvious to the perfect stranger, is nevertheless one of the milder forms of chromosomal diseases that can be worked through, albeit a challenge, to transform the sufferer into a fully functioning productive member of society. References Buckley S.J., Sacks B., (2001) An overview of the development of children with Down syndrome (5-11 years). Down syndrome Issues and Information. Retrieved February 12, 2013, from: http://www.down- syndrome.org/information/development/childhood/ Ernst, M.M., Johnson, M.C., Stark, L.J., (2010). Developmental and psychosocial issues in cystic fibrosis. Retrieved February 12, 2013, from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20478499 GSLC, (n.d). Genetics and child development. Retrieved February 12, 2013, from: http://gslc.genetics.utah.edu/units/disorders/karyotype/ Hook, E. B., (1983). Frequency of Down syndrome per maternal age. Jama 249:2034- 2038. Retrieved February 12, 2013, from: http://www.ds-health.com/risk.htm Lowe, R. F., (1949) The eyes in mongolism. Br J Ophthalmol. Retrieved February 12, 2013, from: Mar;33(3):131–174, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC505809/ Mossler R. A., (2011) Child and Adolescent Development San Diego, CA. Bridgepoint Edu TGC, (2013). Genetics and chromosome analysis. Retrieved February 12, 2013, from: http://www.thegeneticscenter.com/chroman.htm