Airline Industry Analysis Essay Example

Airline Industry Analysis Essay Example Airline Industry Analysis Essay Airline Industry Analysis Essay Real and nominal growth Trends and cyclical variation around trends Hard to find much that is interesting in the macro data. Possible real growth is limited to 2 3% p. A. In the long-run. Add inflation for a possible 5% nominal growth. If costs are going to rise faster, consumption will be constrained. 4. Supply Analysis Degree of concentration who are the rivals, what are market shares? Easy of entry Industry capacity Returns to scale vs. returns to scope all the scheduled airlines are large. The niche players like Porter and North operate in limited markets, either cherry-picked or ones that major airlines cannot service. No such thing as scope in the airline market. There is an overcapacity, shown by the number of airlines that have failed 5. Profitability Supply/demand analysis Cost factors fuel volatile Pricing Discuss the factors that are most important to the profitability of airline industry Perishable inventory 6. International Competition and markets US mainly. Its airlines and Canadian airlines now compete cross-border. Competition lessened by code- sharing deals. E. G. United and Air Canada code share; so if you book with Air Canada, you may fly with either United or Air Canada. Reduces price competition and improves capacity utilization. 7. Porter Five Factor Analysis of the Industry (Assessment using the information from the preceding sections) Names and market shares domestic and foreign Big Jet Boeing and Airbus Smaller size Jets and turboprops Embrace and Bombardier . SOOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) of one company in the industry Strengths Look at the load and yield factors. Must do it, cannot Judge strength otherwise Deep pockets. This industry is so cyclical a company has to be able to ride out a downturn even with the very high fixed costs of the airplanes. Since 1974 some of the most famous names in the airline industry around the world have failed or been forced to merge. This can be a strength or weakness. Service. You make the argument that it matters and how well or badly AC or W] does. Chris believes WAS has much stronger reputation and it is a perceived weakness for AC, but you could find the evidence. AC claims in its annual report that it got more international quality awards than any airline in the world, but such awards are always a bit questionable, in Chrisms opinion. Threats Sustained rise in fuel prices with a simultaneous economic downturn What if American airlines could freely offer domestic flight in Canada High speed rail Montreal-Toronto or Montreal-Windsor Sustained economic recession Chris believes the party is over forever Is video-conferencing a significant threat to business travel

Definitions and Discussions of Redundancy in Language

Definitions and Discussions of Redundancy in Language The term redundancy has more than one meaning. (1) In grammar, redundancy  generally refers to any feature of a language that is not needed in order to identify a linguistic unit. (Features that are not redundant are said to be distinctive.) Adjective: redundant. (2) In generative grammar, redundancy refers to any language feature that can be predicted on the basis of other language features. (3) In common usage, redundancy refers to the repetition of the same idea or item of information within a phrase, clause, or sentence: a pleonasm or tautology. See Examples and Observations below. Also see: 200 Common RedundanciesExercise in Eliminating Deadwood From Our WritingInformation ContentPadding (Composition)Practice in Cutting the ClutterRAS SyndromeRevision Tip: Eliminate the Blah, Blah, Blah Etymology:  From the Latin, overflowing Examples and Observations A sentence of Englishor of any other languagealways has more information than you need to decipher it. This redundancy is easy to see. J-st tr- t- rd th-s s-nt-nc-. The previous sentence was extremely garbled; all the vowel in the message were removed. However, it was still easy to decipher it and extract its meaning. The meaning of a message can remain unchanged even though parts of it are removed. This is the essence of redundancy.(Charles Seife, Decoding the Universe. Penguin, 2007)Thanks to the redundancy of language, yxx cxn xndxrstxnd whxt x xm wrxtxng xvxn xf x rxplxcx xll thx vxwxls wxth xn x (t gts lttl hrdr f y dnt vn kn whr th vwls r). In the comprehension of speech, the redundancy conferred by phonological rules can compensate for some of the ambiguity in the sound wave. For example, a listener can know that thisrip must be this rip and not the srip because the English consonant cluster sr is illegal.(Steven Pinker, The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language. Wi lliam Morrow, 1994) Redundancy can be something as simple as the u that tends to follow a q in English (inherited from Latin), my saying PIN number, or my reciting my phone number twice when leaving you voicemail; or it may be something more complex, such as the harmonious recurrences sewn into a poem. Generally, you need to pick up about three words in ten to get an inkling of what a conversation is about; it is the lack of redundancy in mathematics and its teaching that explains why so much maths bewilders so many people. Redundancy can be rhetorical, but it can also be a practical way of shielding meaning from confusiona safeguard, a reassuring and stabilizing kind of predictability.(Henry Hitchings, The Language Wars. John Murray, 2011)Highly predictable phonetic elements, grammatical markers that all must agree within a sentence, and predictable word-order constraints can help one anticipate what is coming. These are all direct contributors to redundancy.(Terrence Deacon, The Symbolic Species: The Co-Evolution of Language and the Brain. Norton, 1997) Redundancy: Definition #3 Legal writing is legendarily redundant, with time-honored phrases such as these: . . . To avoid needless repetition, apply this rule: if one word swallows the meaning of other words, use that word alone.(Bryan Garner, Legal Writing in Plain English. Univ. of Chicago, 2001)I believe in an America where millions of Americans believe in an America thats the America millions of Americans believe in. Thats the America I love.(Governor Mitt Romney, quoted by Martha Gill in Eight Phrases From the Election Well Probably Never Hear Again. New Statesman, November 7, 2012)Planning your funeral service in advance can offer emotional and financial security for you and your family.(Erlewein Mortuary, Greenfield, Indiana)alienate, transfer, and convey (transfer suffices)due and payable (due suffices)give, devise, and bequeath (give suffices)indemnify and hold harmless (indemnify suffices)last will and testament (will suffices) The Lighter Side of Redundancies First and foremost, I hope and trust that each and every one of you shares my basic and fundamental belief that needlessly repetitive and redundant word pairs are not only troublesome and bothersome but also vexing and irritating. We should, of course, be thankful and grateful, not worried and concerned, when a thoughtful and considerate teacher or editor makes a truly sincere effort to completely eliminate any unnecessary and superfluous words from our written compositions. Put another way, redundancies clog our writing and bore our readers. So lets cut em out. Pronunciation: ri-DUN-dent-see

The problem of corruption in Liberia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The problem of corruption in Liberia - Essay Example At the beginning of 2002, UNHCR assisted the refugees who voluntarily wanted to repatriate to Sierra Leone, and by the end of September, close to 13,000 refugees had been repatriated. UNHCR intends to continue its work in close cooperation with the Liberia Refugee Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC), which is the government institution responsible for constructing and implementing programmes for the displaced in Liberia (UNHCR, 2002c; Kamara, 1999b). Many of the studies on the topic of resettlement and repatriation emphasise the security conditions and the importance of guaranteeing protection for the refugees. This seems to be a major concern not only throughout the conflict but also in the postwar period. In late 1992 there were reports of security problems, especially in the northern Lofa County, and as a result UNHCR and NGOs were unable to reach the Sierra Leonean refugees in that area. Moreover, although UNHCR has had a voluntary repatriation plan in place since July 1991, the ongoing fighting has prevented Liberian refugees from returning (Jesuit Refugee Service, 1993:7). According to UNHCR, the security situation improved somewhat in 1993. However, the implementation of the Cotonou agreement, which was argued to be a condition for the return of the refugees, was behind schedule (UNHCR, 1993). Furthermore, in early 1994, UNHCR was asking donors for funds regarding the voluntary repatriation of some 700,000 Liberian refuge es residing in neighbouring countries at that time (Jesuit Refugee Service, 1994). Abdi and Tinstman discuss voluntary repatriation to Liberia, and they too argue that the security situation in Liberia is precarious and that there is a need to ensure that the refugees are protected (Abdi and Tinstman, 1995). Paul Stromberg reports that, in late 1997, the UNHCR shifted its policy of facilitating repatriation to a more active policy of promoting repatriation, but progress has been slow. The problems have been several, for instance, the cross border insurgencies, together with the lack of interest from the international donors which have resulted in lack in funding (Stromberg, 1998). In a paper by Tom Kamara, several aspects concerning returnees and repatriation are discussed. Kamara argues that security issues, as well as the economic environment, make the conditions for repatriation and reintegration difficult (Kamara, 1999b). Along the same lines, Philippa Atkinson has conducted a study of the political and socio-economic conditions facing the Liberian refugees as they returned from neighbouring countries to Liberia. She analyses a number of different factors, including shelter, food aid, income distribution, and employment (Atkinson, 1992). In a more recent study on economic opportunities for those returning home, Rein Dekker studies a group of Ghanaians who moved to Liberia, but due to the war returned to resettle in their home country. The government of Ghana and international agencies were focusing on the Liberian refugees while Ghanaian refugees were left to fend for themselves. However, loan schemes were offered by an NGO, and it is this scheme which Dek ker evaluates in her study. Dekker examines the factors that determined whether the refugees were successful in making use of this economic opportunity and able to repay their loans (Dekker, 1995). Jeff Crisp reports on

Questions Chapter 5 & Chapter 6 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Questions Chapter 5 & Chapter 6 - Assignment Example The companies would adopt globalization strategies when seeking to strengthen their position in the global market by increasing their market share and brand awareness. The process of a firm going global begins with export-import activity, then minimal change in operation or management, then direct overseas investment to be followed by the most involved phase of substantially increasing foreign investment. Therefore, companies globalize so as to benefit from technologies and industries from abroad. These reasons have been categorized as proactive or reactive or both by Pearce and Robinson (2012). Proactive reasons for globalization are the reasons that a company initiates and later on followed by other players in the industry. These reasons include search for additional resources, economies of scale, power and prestige, synergy, attraction by incentives, need for new and expanded markets, protection of home market and to exploit firm-specific advantages. On the other hand, companies c ould be driven by reactive reasons to globalize where a trend set by a competitor would be adopted. The reactive reasons for firms going global include trade barriers, international customer demand, international competition, chance and regulation. In spite of both reasons being practiced in the modern business environment, proactive reasons have been noted to yield more beneficial long-term returns. ... As such, plans to be adopted by the overseas markets would be developed at the home office using procedures and polices similar to those employed in the domestic market. Such firms would therefore have an international division or export department. When the culture of the country where strategy would be implemented dominates the decision making process, a polycentric orientation would be said to have applied. The domineering philosophy would be that the local techniques and personnel would be best suited to deal with the local market. Therefore, each subsidiary established in the overseas markets would operate independently with its own strategies. Thirdly, a regiocentric orientation perceives each region as a different market. It applies where the parent company attempts to blend its predispositions together with those of the region where the strategy would be implemented so as to reach a region-sensitive compromise. Objectives would be negotiated between the headquarters and the r egional headquarters and also between this regional headquarters and its subsidiaries. Finally, a geocentric orientation would adopt an approach of global systems in the process of decision making with the aim of achieving global integration. This perception of the entire world as one market enhances the development of standardized strategies that would project a uniform image for the products of the company and the company itself. 7.) Explain the control problems that are faced by global firms. One of the major problems facing global firms would be the fact that the adopted financial policies aim at furthering the goals and objectives of the

Beowulf the Archetypical Hero Essay Example for Free

Beowulf the Archetypical Hero Essay An archetype as defined by Carl Jung is a universal and innate pattern of behaviors that fit a person or character and define their characteristics and actions. The hero is a popular figure in many stories and is a well-defined archetype. For example the classic or mythical hero like King Arthur, is one who has a mysterious birth of royal lineage, is spirited away as a child, guided on a journey to discover his past, prove his courage, win the princess and become king. Later this archetype loses favor, kingdom and his life but his accomplishments form the foundations for the future. Another is the tragic hero who struggles against a fate predetermined by the gods and ultimately dies frustrated and unfulfilled. Beowulf represents yet another hero archetype, the Germanic hero. The Germanic hero archetype is defined by his great strength and intelligence and similar to the mythic hero, is a great warrior willing to face overwhelming odds and to fight to the death for the honor and safety of his people. Unlike the Mythic hero the struggles are less motivated by individualism and rather driven by a great sense of honor never to be destroyed by selfish activities. Finally the archetypical Germanic hero must also exercise humility and restraint. Like all other hero’s this archetype also dies and with death comes destruction. The story of Beowulf’s life demonstrates the building of his character into the archetypical Germanic hero. The story begins with Beowulf on an epic quest where he will define himself as a powerful and courageous warrior and also one of great honor. When Beowulf arrives at Heorot he meets Hrothgar the ruler of the kingdom and immediately states that he has come to defeat Grendel who has been terrorizing the land for twelve years. Consistent with the archetype of the Germanic hero we are introduced to the knowledge of Beowulf’s great strength. As Hrothgar proclaims Beowulfs merits, he states that he has heard of his awesome strength and declares â€Å"a thane with the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand. † (380-381) The reader is then given the knowledge that the quest is not simply designed to prove Beowulfs great strength and courage but rather to define him as an honorable man not motivated by the selfish desire, but rather a greater desire to act honorably. This is demonstrated by Hrothgar recounting his memory of him as a young boy with his father. The story then departs and tells of how Beowulfs father had killed Heatholaf a member of the Wulfing tribe. Hrothgar had ended what could have been a bloody feud by giving treasure to the Wulfings with the result that Beowulfs father swore allegiance to Hrothgar. Through this lens we understand the Beowulf is not simply here to slay a monster but that there is even deeper meaning to this quest, he his here for the honor of his family, to repay a debt and to honor the allegiance sworn to Hrothgar by his father. Beowulf’s arrival in Heorot also demonstrates Beowulf’s intelligence and self-confidence when his courage and honor are questioned by Unferth who accuses him of losing a swimming race with Breca. Beowulf defends himself by recanting his own side of the story boasting that he was drug down into the sea by a sea monster which he killed and then killed eight others. Even though this is a boast, Beowulf is able to convey the idea that the competition between he and Breca is not one based on personal vanity but rather a respectful match between friends. Beowulf ultimately puts Unferth in his place and defends his honor by telling him that he (Unferth) was a killer of his brothers, and could not have battled the sea monsters because he could not even defeat a single monster such as Grendel. â€Å"You killed your own kith and kin, so for all your cleverness and quick tongue, you will suffer damnation in the depths of hell. The fact is, Unferth, if you were truly as keen or courageous as you claim to be Grendel would never have got away with such unchecked atrocity, attacks on your king, havoc in Heorot and horrors everywhere. † (587-594) This shifting of the focus from being accused of defeat to the public reclaiming of his heroic status while stopping Unferth without further argument defines Beowulfs intelligence and secures his status and heroic reputation with the Danes. The ensuing battle between Beowulf and Grendel further defines this heroic archetype by defining Beowulfs prowess as a warrior and his immense strength. As the battle commences the reader is shown a mighty and powerful monster that not even Beowulfs men could defeat. Beowulf meets the enemy on equal terms, unclad with armor and with no weapon but brute force. Beowulf quickly dismembers Grendel and the monster runs from the Mead Hall to its death. This demonstration of Beowulfs super human strength, agility and warrior powers defines this hero as a godlike figure that is immensely powerful. In the morning when the Danes return and begin to celebrate, Beowulf shows the humility and restraint that is characteristic of this archetype by stating that â€Å"Nevertheless,/ if you could have seen the monster himself/ where he lay beaten, I would have been better pleased. He does not boast of his accomplishments nor does he exercise selfish desire for treasure or power. Even though this battle has defined Beowulf as a mighty and godlike warrior he never attempts to act in anyway to usurp the authority, leadership or power of Hrothgar even though he was not strong enough to defeat Grendel and could easily have tried to take the throne. Although Beowulf has defeated the adversary that he came to kill, Grendels mother is still terrorizing the kingdom, in seek of revenge for her sons death. After Grendels mother returns to the hall and retrieves his arm and claw, Beowulf is offered more treasure and fame to kill Grendels mother. Beowulf could leave and return to Getland having satisfied the debt owed to his father but instead demonstrates devotion to Hrothgar and agrees to battle Grendels mother. The unfaltering courage of the hero is demonstrated by his facing of evil in the â€Å"dismal wood† (1414) and ultimately his plunge into the bottomless lake to battle Grendels mother. After an epic battle Beowulf returns to Heorot with Grendels head. To complete the picture of the hero and end the story of the early life of Beowulf, Hrothgar praises Beowulf after his victory but cautions him on the evils of pride by using the example of a king named Heremod who was not generous and allowed arrogance to destroy him. Taking this to heart Beowulf symbolically casts off arrogance the following day by returning the hilt of a sword given him by Unferth who had initially challenged Beowulf upon his arrival to Heorot. The middle part of Beowulfs life deepens the sense of Beowulf as the Germanic hero. He remains loyal while keeping his ambition in check and continuing to be virtuous in all of his activities. Hygelac is shortly after killed in battle and Beowulf is given the opportunity to take the throne from Heardred as he was viewed as weak â€Å"Both owned land by birth in that country, ancestral grounds; but the greater right and sway were inherited by the higher born. †(2197-2199). But Beowulf declines opting instead to faithfully follow and support Heardred. At some point Heardred is killed and Beowulf assumes the throne legitimately and with honor. He then rules for fifty years during which Beowulf bore himself with valor; he was formidable in battle yet behaved with honour and took no advantage(2177-2179). â€Å"He ruled it well for fifty winters, grew old and wise as warden of the land† (2108-2110). Beowulf has taken to heart the earlier words of Hrothgar and not allowed pride to destroy him thus he has assumed nearly all living aspects of the Germanic hero archetype. The last phase of Beowulfs life completes the final aspects of the Germanic hero. Near the end of Beowulf’s life a dragon is awakened and is terrorizing his kingdom. After the deaths of many of his men he is confronted with a decision as to whether or not he should send a brigade of men to try to stop the dragon or face it himself. Although old and growing weak, in an act of selfless courage to save his kingdom and prove his honor once again, he decides to face the dragon. With the help of his loyal thane Wiglaf, the dragon is defeated but Beowulf is mortally wounded and approaching the end of his life. The final characteristic of the Germanic hero, death and destruction, is symbolized by the destruction to Beowulf’s land wrought by the dragon and the encroaching armies of surrounding nations. Without the hero all that has been gained is lost and destroyed by old enemies that will bring further destruction and loss to what the hero had created, â€Å"Now war is looming/ over our nation, soon it will be known/ to Franks and Frisians, far and wide, / that the king is gone. † (2911-2914). As Beowulf dies what he has created is destroyed and the picture of the Germanic hero is complete. According to Carl Jung the archetype resides in the unconscious mind as a pattern or image. The existence of such a form can only be made visible by finding the pattern in images, art religions or myths. The tale of Beowulf clearly illustrates the archetypal pattern of the Germanic hero. As the story develops the reader sees Beowulf fully develop the characteristics of the Germanic hero. Beowulf begins his life obscurely but matures to be the strongest and bravest of all great warriors, never willing to back down from a battle and always motivated by honor and the need to protect his people. He becomes a great and fair king who is respected by all and treats everyone fairly and with kindness. Ultimately Beowulf faces the final assault on his people and although he triumphs his life is forfeit. With his death comes the end of the hero’s journey and fulfills the Germanic hero archetype.

How OR can Aid the complex problem of Management Decision Making :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

How OR can Aid the complex problem of Management Decision Making How OR can aid Management Decision Making Modern businesses have more need to predict future operations than those of the past do. Managers in large corporations have to summarise and analyse the various data available to them when making decisions. The U.K. OR Society defines the operational research decision-making techniques â€Å"as a scientific model of the system, incorporating measurements of factors such as chance and risk, with which to predict and compare the outcomes of alternative decisions, strategies/ controls.† The purpose of these techniques is to help management determine its policy and action scientifically. ‘The models of OR are symbolic or abstract representations of real life problems.’ Examples of techniques that can be used by managers for use in decision making are for example, forecasting. Statistical forecasting is to an extent, an extension of the prediction of a dependent variable. A reasonably accurate forecast can be extremely valuable for a marketing or production strategy. ‘Time series forecasting attempts to capture the past behaviour of the time series and uses this information to predict future values. No external predictors are considered.’ (Kvanli et al, chapter 17) The types of factors that determine the strengths of forecasting are the time horizon of the forecast; the stationarity of the data and the presence of trend, seasonality or cyclical activity. The accuracy of forecasting can be measured by calculating the MAD, MSE and the MAPE. These are useful for comparing the accuracy of a particular forecasting technique on two different time series. The advantage of forecasting is that there is no need to search for external predictors to explain the behaviour of dependent variables. The main disadvantage is that the observed values can be extremely complex and difficult to work out. Such methods are often hard to sell to managers who may not be able to understand the technique. However as mentioned earlier, if a technique is reasonably accurate, it is invaluable to managers. Networks are another decision-making technique that concerns the planning and the control of specific projects. The aim of networks is to complete the project in the shortest time, using the least resources with the minimum cost. Methods that can be used are CPA (critical path analysis) and PERT (Project Evaluation and Review Technique). The advantages of networks for management decision making are that ‘they provide a logical picture of the layout and sequence of a complex project.

Formal Letter in the Public services Essay

This is a formal letter used to send information out to external parties. This specific letter is used to engage students in an exciting opportunity and potential career option. Letters are used by all in the public services and this letter that I have has been given is used by someone in the armed forces as they need to tell the headteachers about an excellent challenge for their students. Letters like this are used to inform someone about a meeting that will be happing at a certain time and day and where it will be at. In the RAF this would be a normal form of communication that they would use to inform one another of important dates coming up, but in the normal day an e-mail would suffice. Firstly on this letter the name of the Sergeant sending it is highlighted in bold this is so it will get the reader’s attention straight away and the reader will want to continue to read it, it will also show who they need to respond to in order to get the day out for their students and then underneath it states that it is from the RAF so this is letting the person know where the letter has come from and who they are, and then underneath this there is other information about where the letter will be sent off to and who will be getting the letter, this information will let the person that is delivering it know where it has to go to as it has the street name and the post code. Secondly they have information about the person that it has been sent to they use lines to split it up so that they page looks better and the information will be easier to read, Tony splits it up because he does not want the reader to think that there will be lots of information to read through which often puts readers off reading it as they think it is going to be too much, and too much effort. This also would get the readers to view the letter as the reader will think it is important and will want to know the information that he has written in on the letter. Thirdly the information they have put in the other side of the split up box is about if the person would like to write back to them, so if they need more information or just want to ask them something about what they have written in the letter they can contact them on the provided details and use the reference so Tony knows immediately what they are talking about. This information is also given because they will need to reply to say that they would.