Personal Philosophy Of Educational Essay Essay - 1240 Words

Artifact #2: Personal Philosophy of Educational Nobel Peace Prize winner, Kofi Annan, of Ghana said, â€Å"Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family† (nobelprize.org). My ambition to become an educator stems from a desire to help children grow into productive and successful adults. I am a mother of six children. As I have guided my individual children through the different stages of their childhood, adventures, adversities, and educational experiences, I have come to realize that all children have similar basic needs. Along with food, water, shelter, and clothing, children have the need to be accepted, protected, nurtured, and an innate desire for knowledge. Every child has the ability to learn and mankind can only thrive through the power of knowledge. I was a very shy child growing up and knowledge did not come easily. I had two elementary teachers that made a profound impact in my educatio n. Their kind, friendly, and patient demeanor encouraged me when I felt inferior to all my peers. Even though my learning came more slowly, those two teachers taught me that I did have the ability to learn. Through many years of raising children and volunteering in their schools, I discovered that I have an inherent ability to nurture, encourage and teach children—in the same manner in which those two teachers touched my life. Although not a gifted learner, I made immense progress as I discoveredShow MoreRelatedMy Personal Educational Philosophy Essay866 Words   |  4 Pages Educational Philosophy Essay My personal educational philosophy is a combination of perennialism and essentialism, which leaves me uniquely well-armed to teach my subject of choice: History. History, viewed as a whole, is a monument to the achievements of Man. It is unchanging, though new aspects may be found or brought to light, and it can be viewed from many angles, it is an unchanging truth that what happened, has indeed happened. Through a thorough and guided exploration of this subject, studentsRead MoreEssay about Personal Educational Philosophy1069 Words   |  5 Pagesis my personal educational philosophy statement. It represents my ideas and values about teaching and learning; it reveals my personal teaching beliefs and their relation to the five major established educational philosophies; it shows my role and responsibilities in educational process. I place great significance on personal style of instruction and its influence on curriculum implementation. The paper also highlights my career aspirat ion and orientation. Personal Educational Philosophy Read MoreMy Personal Philosophy Of Education938 Words   |  4 PagesPHILOSOPHY ESSAY 2 I remember my history teacher. He would often chat with me in German before or after class; sometimes helping explain certain nuances of the language. However, I can’t tell you what information we covered that year, let alone if it was American History, or Ancient History. Can you remember anything specific from your history class in high school? My hope is that ifRead More A Labor of Love Essay974 Words   |  4 Pagestheir ambitions, while providing them with a solid academic foundation. Only then will my professional objectives be achieved. When exploring educational philosophies, it became very apparent that it is a highly debatable and extremely personal decision. My educational philosophy is an eclectic blending of each of the philosophies, along with my individual principles and vision. Proverbs 29:18 reads, â€Å"Where there is no vision, the people perish.† Within my professional vision, communicationRead MoreThe Contributions Of John Stuart Mill1250 Words   |  5 Pageswhich highlighted the demand for a scientific foundation for philosophy, as well as a humanist approach to economics politics. It was this foundation from which James Mill urged and advanced his eldest son s education from a very early age. John Stuart studied Greek at age three and Latin at eight, and he was asked to recite everything he had learned to his father every day. John Stuart also studied mathematics and science for his personal enjoyment and would engage in long discussions with his fatherRead MoreReading Roma ns Of Context : Paul And Third Temple Judaism Essay1354 Words   |  6 PagesChristians from different time periods read the Bible differently and what the importance of the Bible is in both ancient and modern contexts. Dr. Blackwell’s educational background ties well into both his current positions and in his editing practices. His educational background consists of many degrees, starting with a Doctorate in Philosophy in both the New Testament and in Historical Theology from Durham University in England. Second, he has a Master’s in Theology in Historical Theology and PastoralRead MoreIntelligence and Character1284 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"teacher† I have never actually thought about my personal educational philosophy. Yet, I can look back now on my schooling experiences to see what has been important to me and to identify the major concepts and beliefs I posses in order to form my own teaching philosophy. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, â€Å"Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.† I believe this single statement reflects my entire philosophy of education. I do not believe that any student canRead MorePhilosophy of Education985 Words   |  4 PagesMy Personal Philosophy of Special Education Christina L. Richardson Grand Canyon University: SPE-529N November 18, 2012 My Personal Philosophy of Special Education As educators, we need a foundation for why we want to teach, where students with different disabilities fit in that foundation, a rationale for how we teach, and a principle that keeps us striving to be the best educators we can be. The purpose of this essay is to point out what I believe the foundation, student location, rationaleRead MoreMy Personal Philosophy of Education958 Words   |  4 PagesMy Personal Philosophy of Education It is customary that on New Year’s Eve, we make New Year resolution. The fact is that we are making a set of guideline that we want to live by. These are motives that we seek to achieve. In a similar way, teachers live by philosophy. This essay focuses on my personal philosophy of education. It unfolds the function of philosophy in a teacher’s life, my view on the purpose of education, the student teacher- relationship and the philosophy which influences myRead MoreMarketing, Customer Value, and the Link1750 Words   |  7 PagesMKF1120 ESSAY TUTOR NAME: ALEX SCHALL-RIAUCOUR STUDENT NAME: CRESSA CORNELIA JAP STUDENT ID: 24282596 INTRODUCTION In today’s economy, firms are no longer the center of business. In order to survive, companies need to acknowledge the fact that business now revolves around customers (Keith, 1960). As a result, marketing becomes one of the most prominent philosophies in business. Therefore, to get a better understanding of today’s business, this essay will be discussing about three

The Discrimination Against Pregnant Employees Essay

INTRODUCTION Ever since women have began stepping out of conventional roles, a wave of sexist opinions and consequently, incidents have manifested. Discrimination, although subtle at times, is easily perceived by women and often goes unreported - which is an issue in itself. This report shall concentrate on the same, narrowing itself down to the discrimination against pregnant employees in particular. Pregnancy discrimination is a type of employment discrimination that occurs when expectant people are sacked, not given jobs and opportunities, or otherwise discriminated in any way against due to their pregnancy or intention to become pregnant. Common forms of pregnancy discrimination include not being hired due to visible pregnancy or likelihood of becoming pregnant, being fired after informing an employer of one’s pregnancy, being fired after maternity leave, and receiving a pay dock due to pregnancy. Employers discriminate on the grounds of pregnancy for a number of reasons: -PREJUDICE against working women and mothers -FEAR OF LOSS OF PRODUCTIVITY due to the absence of an employee -INSUFFICIENT RESOURCES to support temporary employees or provide overtime pay for other employees to fulfill the duties during leave -Belief that the employee will require too many accommodations even after her return. LAWS REGARDING PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA In the United States, since 1978, employers are legally bound to provide the same insurance, leaveShow MoreRelatedPregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace1000 Words   |  4 PagesSeptember 29). Pregnancy discrimination in the workplace Summary According to the article Pregnancy discrimination in the workplace target of new EEOC crackdown, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is focusing on the problem of discrimination against pregnant women in the workplace as part of its renewed vigor in enforcing anti-discrimination laws. During the past week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed four pregnancy discrimination related lawsuits and settledRead MoreEthical Behavior Can Be Defined As Business Principals Essay1178 Words   |  5 Pagesfalsifying reports, stealing, poor working environments, illegal trading and employee discrimination. With the growing number of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaints, this analysis will focus on pregnancy discrimination. In 2007, Peggy Young filed a lawsuit against United Parcel Service, Inc. (UPS) alleging her unfair treatment due to her pregnancy is in violation of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act 1978 (PDA), Young states that UPS refusing to accommodate her lifting restrictionsRead MorePregnancy Discrimination Act Essay1521 Words   |  7 Pagesuntil the 1960’s women faced severe discrimination when trying to enter and maintain a position in the workforce. Often qualified women would be passed over for men with less experience and education. Employers were fearful that women were too emotional and were not equipped to handle the stress of the work environment. Also driving the decision to not hire or promote women was the concern over the additional health care expenses and leave time pregnant employees would require. The road to equalRead MorePregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978983 Words   |  4 PagesRunning Head: Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 Michelle C. Nelson Strayer University: Human Resource Management - BUS310002016*201004 Instructor: Carol G. Durst-Wertheim, Ph.D. Abstract The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 is an amendment to the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. Under the act, an employer cannot lawfully refuse to hire a womanRead More Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace: How Far Have We Come?1269 Words   |  6 PagesPregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace Outline Title: Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace: How Far Have We Come? Introduction: Define employment discrimination I. Pregnancy Discrimination Act A. Hiring B. Pregnancy and Maternity Leave C. Health Insurance II. Reasons for increase of complaints A. Staying in the workplace B. Productivity and economy C. Stereotypes III. Employers concerns Conclusion: Know your rights. Pregnancy DiscriminationRead MoreWere You Fired Due To Your Pregnancy Essay813 Words   |  4 Pagesprotect the rights of pregnant workers and ensure that employers treat them the same as all other workers and that their work affairs remain free of prejudice in all areas of employment. Although highly publicized, pregnancy discrimination cases keep occurring by the thousands each year. At the forefront of pregnancy protection is the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (â€Å"PDA†) which amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (â€Å"Title VII†). PDA prohibits discrimination against a job applicant orRead MorePregnancy Discrimination Act1510 Words   |  7 Pagesthe Pregnancy Discrimination Act. Managers in every organization should be familiar with this important act and the associated legal issues. In this paper, I will discuss the Pregnancy Discrimination Act by reviewing the history, presenting the employers and employees perspective, and I will conclude with suggestions for all managers and employers. History In 1976 the United States Supreme Court held that an employers failure to provide disability benefits to pregnant employees did not violateRead MoreWorkplace Discrimination : Tips For Executives, Managers, And Students1261 Words   |  6 Pages David A. Robinson wrote a short book, Workplace Discrimination: Tips for Executives, Managers, and Students to Increase Productivity and Reduce Litigation, in hopes to help managers and future managers avoid illegal discrimination and avoid discrimination lawsuits. Robinson began with telling about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s â€Å"I have a dream† speech and compared it to the time today to American President Barak Obama. From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech to the inauguration of American PresidentRead MoreDiscrimination In The Workplace Essay1565 Words   |  7 PagesDiscrimination is a topic that has been around for a very long time. Most people today do not realize how discrimination affects everyone around them and might even happen to them from time to time. â€Å"Discrimination means treating a person unfairly because of who they are or because they possess certain characteristics such as age, gender, race, disability, religion, pregnancy and matern ity, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, and marriage and civil partnership† (EOC 2017). There are many typesRead MoreDiscrimination In The Workplace Essay1386 Words   |  6 Pages2017 Assignment 1: Discrimination in the Workplace Workplace diversity is beneficial in many ways and on a variety of levels. When a workforce is comprised by people of different races, religions, genders, cultural origins, and sexual orientations, this allows a company to draw from the experience and knowledge that may be unique to each group, widening its frame of reference. Additionally, in terms of recruitment, this ‘widening of the net’ goes to insuring that the company appeals to more individuals

Gordon Growth Model Free Essays

What is Gordon Growth Model, â€Å"This model is use to determine the fundamental value of stock, it determines the value of stock based on sequence or series of dividends that matured at a constant rate , and the dividend per share is payable in a year† Stock Value (P) = D / (k – G)————–Equation 1 Where D= Expected dividend per share one year from now G= Growth rate in dividends k= required rate of return for equity investor This model is useful to find the value of stock, with following assumption should be taken into account while calculating value of stock, which are: 1. That dividends remains to grow continuously on a constant rate 2. The growth rate should remain less than the required return on equity Relationship between monetary policy and stock market Monetary policy is a state owned measure which is an an important determinant of stock prices , lowering of increase in interest rate couzld be use by fedration to influence stock prices. We will write a custom essay sample on Gordon Growth Model or any similar topic only for you Order Now it is very useful to find theâ€Å"value of stockâ€Å". Monetary policy effetcs stock prices in two ways: 1. When in certain circumstances when the federations or the controller of monetray policty lowers interests rates, the return on bonds or securities (which is also considered as an alternative assest to stocks) decreses, this results that the investors who have invested ,are ready or accept to receive a lower required rate of return on an investment in equity. This will automatically reduces the amount of equity , hence it will also lower the (k – G) (denominator in Gordon Growth model). The lowering of this denominator will lead to increase in the value of stock (price of stock). Hence it will increase stock prices. The lowering of interest rate is also a way from the federation to stimulate and energise the economy, this will help to have a higher growth rate in dividends. The rise in dividends can also results the denominator (k – G) to decrease, it also results in higher stock prices . 2. The denominator in equation is always under the monetary policy influences. Because of that, the stocks and stock prices are also influenced by monetary policy. This model clearly demonestrate how monetary policy influence not only stock markets but also investors , stackholders, those who are investing at that particular time. It is always have been seen that the stock market analyst keep an eye on monetary policy measures as monetary policy always an important factor to know the stock prices etc. The relationship between stock prices and monetary policy is an important factor that directly impacts the economic situation of a country, so this measure should be use carefully. Should one follow the typical recommendation of an investment advisor to buy an actively managed mutual fund? If we are really interested in having a real outcome or return on our investment then it is not an ideal thing to follow the typical recommendation of an investment advisor: this recommendation could be from a direct advisor or we can have such information or prediction read outr from article or news etc, I f we really want to buy some already active mutual funds than it is totally not enough to go on word of the mouth of someone or listen to hot tips from our investment advisor. Basically it is all about correct and uptodate informations oft he market,this can be a useful way of knowing and gaining profits as an investor. One oft he most important factor which an investor can do is, not always buyand sell securities, for those who are interested in buying mutual funds,it is a best practice to buy no-load mutual fund,which are with lkow management fee. Plus it is also important that we should always be informed about the market, especially any new information about our intended funds that we are interested in buying. From studies it has been established that having a good track record of past performences when investing does not guarantee that the future will also be bright. This is what the efficient â€Å" market hypothesis predictsâ€Å". How to cite Gordon Growth Model, Essay examples

Pneumonia Manual of Infection Prevention and Control

Question: Discuss about thePneumonia for Manual of Infection Prevention and Control. Answer: Introduction Joice is a 76-year-old lady presenting with pneumonia. She has a previous medical history of osteoporosis and a surgical history of hysterectomy. She is allergic to sulphur, and she is currently she is on Atonel and ostelin vitamin D calcium medication. She has started manifesting signs of having a productive cough, expectorating yellow sputum, being febrile (39.2oC), feeling of coldness, and shortness of breath. These are typical symptoms of pneumonia which affect gaseous exchange in the lungs. The elevated temperature can be linked to an infection in the lungs due to a certain pathogen while the shortness of breath is due to hypoventilation in the lungs due to consolidation (White, Duncan Baumle, 2012). A productive cough is a sign of a bacterial infection which causes irritation of the mucosa within the tract hence production of secretions by the goblet cells.Nosocomial pneumonia is an infection that usually affects the lower respiratory tract. It occurs when the system is not i ncubated during the period of patient admission and typically manifests itself few days after hospitalization. Investigations should be done to rule out other diseases such as metastatic lung cancers and pneumonia of radiation origin. Sputum evaluation, complete cell count and bronchoscopy are the major tests done accurately to diagnose the condition Patients under ventilator machines are at risk of contracting the disease (Lippincott, 2012). The occurrence of the condition in the old lady can be linked to her advanced age because her immunity is compromised. Other risk factors for the condition are alcoholism habits, HIV infection, diabetes disease and heart failures. Anatomy and Physiology Exchange of gases in the body takes place in the lungs. The upper respiratory tract delivers air into the lungs during inhalation. Lungs are covered by a serous layer referred to as pleura which contains pleural fluid that aids in the smooth motion of the lungs during the process of breathing. Each lung is divided into lobes with several alveoli in them (Marieb, E. N., Hoehn Hutchinson, 2014)). The alveoli are arranged in clusters facilitating sufficient gaseous exchange. Several factors determine the movement of air in and out of the lungs which include resistance to air flow and compliance of the lungs. The alveoli are highly vascularized to ensure maximum diffusion of the respiratory gases. The alveolar-capillary membrane is very effective in a healthy individual during this process due to its large surface area and its thinness. In a healthy adult, the gases diffuse with no complication due to the concentration gradient created in the capillaries and alveoli. Blood flow through the capillaries is referred to as pulmonary perfusion (Marieb, Hoehn Hutchinson, 2014). Any deviation from the norm in the process is due to a respiratory disease or anomaly. Microbiology The laboratory results show an elevated number of white blood cells mainly neutrophils (8x109/L) which should ideally be 2.0x109/L. This is typical of pneumonia infection. The arterial pH (7.0u/l) is lower than the norm (7.35u/l-7.45u/l). This can be attributed to building up of high levels of carbon dioxide as a result of ineffective ventilation (Williams Hopper, 2012). The levels of calcium are compromised from the usual of 10.0mmol/L.This is due to the advanced age of the patient which causes a decrease in oestrogen levels in the body. Oestrogen is a crucial hormone in calcium synthesis in the body (Fox, 2014)). There is an elevated level of aspartate aminotransferase hormone (39u/l) which is more than the usual value of between 12u/l and 20u/l. This is due to the increase of liver function of detoxification of impurities that build up in the body. The common microorganisms for hospital-acquired pneumonia are s.aureus, p.aeruginosa and enterobacter (Imran, Amjad Haidri, 2016). I t is often associated positive blood cultures. Certain strains of the pathogens are resistant to antimicrobial drugs except for vancomycin (Lippincott, 2012). This can be linked to overuse or misuse of certain antimicrobial agents. A new pulmonary infiltrate on chest x-ray is common. A purulent sputum and bacteraemia are common in affected patients Pathophysiology Following exposure of the lungs to a pathogen during the process of inhalation, metastasis of infected haematogenous agents or aspiration, the lower respiratory system gets compromised. The process is aggravated by impaired host defences or the presence of a pre-existing highly virulent organism (Hart, Loeffler Kent, 2012). Some diseases such as lifestyle illnesses, comorbid conditions, metabolic syndrome and malnutrition put the patient at a greater risk of acquiring the condition. The patient presents with advanced fevers,tachycardia, and pleural effusions. The state alters natural ventilation and diffusion of gases within the lungs. A reaction which brings about inflammation takes place in the lungs resulting in the production of exudates which consequently impairs the normal exchange of gases (White, Duncan Baumle, 2012). Leucocytes then shift into the alveoli and occupy the air spaces. The ventilation is inhibited due to the increased secretions and oedema from the mucosa whic h causes occlusion within the bronchi. Patients with a pre-existing airway disease may suffer from bronchospasm due to hypoventilation, poor perfusion results. Blood traversing the pulmonary circulation end up not being oxygenated adequately (Hart, Loeffler Kent, 2012). This brings about the deficiency of arterial oxygen hence the reduced oxygen saturation in the body of the affected patient. Nursing Consideration for the Patient in Relation to Infection Control Strict adherence to aseptic technique by nurses and other health care providers during any invasive and non-invasive procedure is essential in order to prevent introduction of microorganisms into the body that may possibly cause nosocomial infection (Damani Damani, 2012). Therefore, proper sterilisation of any equipment that is to be used in any invasive procedure is crucial. Additionally, disinfection of the hospital environment using a proper disinfectant should be advocated for by the nurse to minimize the chances of microorganisms thriving within the patients environment (Moody, Septimus, Hickok, Huang, Platt, Gombosev, Terpstra, Perlin, 2013). Furthermore, health personnel should thoroughly sanitize their hands with an appropriate alcohol based hand rub before and after touching the patient, prior to eating, following visit to a washroom and when the hands are visibly dirty. Sneezing directly into the hands should be discourages, instead a cloth or tissue should be used (Kaye, 2016) in an effort to prevent contact transmission of microorganisms to the susceptible patient. On the other hand, administration of prophylactic antibiotics to the patient should be done to create unfavourable environment for thriving of microorganisms is recommended. The Problem of Ineffective Airway Clearance Related to Productive Sputum/Tracheobronchial Secretions Intervention and Rationale Getting rid of the secretion is a priority measure. This is because any secretion that is retained can consequently affect the efficiency of gaseous exchange besides slowing the recovery process. Intake of water is also necessary for thinning and loosening the secretions. This facilitates easy elimination. Alternatively, a facemask can be used to provide humidification in order to realize the same effect of thinning besides reducing tracheobronchial irritation. A reflexing technique can be employed to initiate coughing if voluntary coughing does not result in complete clearance of sputum .A simple way to of initiating a cough is by the use of an incentive spirometer (Lippincott, 2012). This is necessary for improving the patency of the airway. The patient should be positioned correctly and done unto a deep inspiratory manoeuvre and an explosive expiration. Chest percussion and postural drainage are beneficial in physiotherapy as it mobilises sputum thus easy elimination. During this procedure, the patient should assume a convenient position and put under a mechanical precursor or manual vibrator so as to drain the secretion contents efficiently. If the patient does not have the energy to cough, nasal tracheal suctioning is advised (Perry, Potter Ostendorf, 2016). Oxygen therapy should be administered until a satisfactory value (95percent) is achieved. This can be shown by the use of a pulse oximetry or analysis of the arterial blood gas. The Problem of a Risk for Deficient Fluid Volume Related to Fever and Dyspnoea The nurse should promote fluid intake. This is done by persuading the patient to take a lot of water. When the fluid in the body is deficient, the respiratory rate of the patient increases because of the increased workload brought about by the bodys compensatory mechanism to counter fever and laboured breathing (Williams Hopper, 2012). A high incidence of respiration leads to an increase in fluid loss from the body during the process of exhalation. This potentially leads to dehydration. Two litres of water per day is advised unless the patient has another condition which contraindicates this measure. Administration of antipyretics is beneficial in countering fever (Lippincott, 2012). Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and ketoprofen are recommended. Reduced episodes of fever lessen the amount of water lost from the body through sweating. The patient should be encouraged to assume a comfortable position such as the cardiac position in order to facilitate easy breathing. Heavy exercises should be discouraged until the bodys oxygen saturation is normal. This is due to the excessive need for oxygen by the body due to building up of carbon dioxide on exercising (Montravers, Harpan Guivarch, 2016). In conclusion, hospital pneumonia is a lower respiratory system infection that results due to several factors which include reduced immunity, old age and increased exposure to pathogens. For this case, the patient may have been exposed to the bacterial pathogens due to reduced immunity that is associated with old age. With effective monitoring and management nosocomial pneumonia can be treated with antimicrobial therapy. Recognition of the specific pathogen causing the illness is crucial in order to identify the drugs that are active against the bacteria instead of empirical therapy that exposes one to more drug side effects. Additionally, vital signs should be monitored as well as interventions offered to normalize any deviation from the normal ranges. Noting complications and adhering to the current therapeutic regimen is crucial in facilitating early recovery. Misuse of antibiotics should be discouraged as it may result in resistance. If the patients condition deteriorates a chang e of management or referral is advised. References Damani, N, N Damani, N, N 2012,Manual of infection prevention and control, Oxford University Press, Oxford Fox, S, I 2014,Human physiology, McGraw-Hill, Mexico Hart, M, N, Loeffler, A, G Kent, T, H 2012,Introduction to human disease: Pathophysiology for health professionals, Jones Bartlett Learning, Sudbury Imran, M, Amjad, A. Haidri, F, R 2016, Frequency of hospital acquired pneumonia and its microbiological etiology in medical intensive care unit,Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences,32,4. Kaye, K, S, D, S 2016,Infection Prevention and Control in Healthcare, Elsevier, Philadelphia Lippincott, W, W 2012,Brunner and suddarth's textbook of medical -surgical nursing, 12th ed. + handbook + prepu, Wolters Kluwer Health, New York Marieb, E, N, Hoehn, K Hutchinson, M 2014,Human anatomy physiology, Pearson, Harlow, Essex Montravers, P, Harpan, A. Guivarch, E 2016, Current and Future Considerations for the Treatment of Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia,Advances in Therapy,33,2, 151-166. Moody, J, Septimus, Hickok, J, Huang, S, S, Platt, R., Gombosev, A., Terpstra, L, Perlin, J, B 2013, Infection prevention practices in adult intensive care units in a large community hospital system after implementing strategies to reduce health care-associated, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections,Ajic: American Journal of Infection Control,41,2, 126-130. Perry, A, G, Potter, P, A Ostendorf, W 2016,Nursing interventions clinical skills, Elsevier, St. Louis, Missiouri Williams, L, S Hopper, P, D 2012,Understanding medical surgical nursing, Davis, Philadelphia White, L, Duncan, G Baumle, W 2012, Medical surgical nursing: An integrated approach, Delmar Pub, New York

British Airways Management Analysis Essay Example

British Airways Management Analysis Essay This report will focus on the current economic crisis and the effect it has had upon British Airways. The passenger figures at London Heathrow, Gatwick, Standsted and other major airports have dropped by 7. 4 per cent last year compared to 2008. (Telegraph, 2009) Moreover, many different surveys have shown that people are now more reluctant to travel to foreign destinations for holiday. Moreover, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced that only 216. 8 million travelers were registered in 2009, the lowest figures since 2004, and the experts believe that the figures will continue to drop for the foreseeable future. BBC , 2010) These official figures paint a gloomy future for the aviation industry and most airlines. Indeed, the current economic crisis has taken no hostage, and British Airways (â€Å"BA†) is not an exception; in fact, they have faced more adversities than other airlines. This report will show what strategies BA has conjured up to survive the recession and co mpete against low cost airlines such as Easyjet and Ryan Air, who have actually somewhat benefitted from the recent economic crisis. 2. Methodology (-is that ok to use â€Å"we† instead of â€Å"I†? This paper will first be looking at how British Airways, Easyjet and Ryanair performed before the recession. This will highlight the impact the recession has had on these airlines. We will be looking at their history and financial performance before circa 2008, collecting data from articles published by the airline industry which are available from the internet. To bring to light the impact the recent economic crisis has had, we will look at their financial performance for the last two years. As we compare their performances, we will how much the British Airways suffered, in contrast to low budget airlines such as Easyjet and Ryanair, who have somewhat benefitted from the economic downturn. The strategies adopted by British Airways to survive the economic crisis and compete against low budget airlines will be looked at individually. We will assess why British Airways were prompted to use these methods. This paper will then consider strategies adopted by other airlines to survive the recent economic downturn. This will give us an indication of whether the strategies implemented by British Airways will succeed or help it to regain their position as the â€Å"world’s favourite airline†. In conclusion, this report will discuss the repercussions of the strategies and its financial outcome, and whether British Airways should maintain its existing business approach or adapt to the current crisis on a more permanent basis, perhaps similar to that of Easyjet and Ryanair. 3. Short History 3. 1 British Airways British Airways is the national airline of Britain. It is a premium airline, possessing over 340 aircrafts and travelling to over 160 destinations. We will write a custom essay sample on British Airways Management Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on British Airways Management Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on British Airways Management Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The company’s main centres of operation are London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport. The company was founded in 1972, when the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and British European Airways Corporation (BEA) managements were combined under the newly formed  British Airways Board, effectively making it the national airline for the United Kingdom (BA, 1) BA enjoyed great success during the 1980s and early 1990s, and as a result, became the worlds most profitable airline for the most part of the 1990s, representing itself under the slogan The Worlds Favourite Airline. BA, 1) 3. 2 Easyjet Easyjet is a popular low cost airline, which was established in 1995  . The company started extremely modestly, possessing a meager two aircrafts, and travelled only domestically. However, the company gained popularity in the years that followed, and on April 1996, and started travelling internationally, choosing Amsterdam as its first international destination. (Easyjet, 1) Despite its modest start, Easyjet still managed to grow into one of the most popular airlines in the world. Its current slogan reflects its status (â€Å"the webs favourite airline) and as its popularity grew, so did the number of aircrafts under its name, amounting to 174 operating aircrafts as of March 2010, with 54 more in order. (Gerry, 2009) 3. 3 Ryanair Ryanair, similar to Easyjet, started their business providing only domestic air travels. The company was founded in 1985, its primary objective being breaking the then duopoly of British Airways and Aer Lingus on London to Republic of Ireland flights. Its initial success allowed the company to expand its business by adding a second flight route; Dublin to Luton International Airport. Ryanair, 1) The company, however, did not enjoy any financial success until Michael O’Leary took over as the CEO in 1991. The new CEO strived to implement a quick turn-around times for aircraft, get rid of â€Å"business† class seat and unifying the models of all the aircrafts. This proved to be a success, leading the company to spend over $2bn for new aircrafts in 1998. (Thomas M. , Kent B, 2005) The company acted quickly to the increasing popularity of online booking, and launched its website in 2000, allowing passengers to buy and confirm their flights online. This method proved immensely popular as more than 75% of all bookings were all made online in 2001. (Ryanair, 1) 4. Prior to the recession 4. 1 British Airways British Airways enjoyed great financial success during the early and mid-1990s. Their profit figure was very impressive and they constantly expanded, making them one of the largest airlines in the world in terms of revenue, passenger numbers and number of aircrafts possessed. However, their short lived success was met with despair during the late 1990s and early 2000s, they faced financial difficulties and other obstacles to success. BA, 1) As the company started searching for other ways to expand during the early 1990s, they appointed Robert Ayling as the CEO of the company in 1993. The move seemed wise at the time considering the experience and achievement of the new CEO prior to the appointment. However, BA dropped profits of 84 % in 1999 compared to the previous year. The company had to replace the CEO and drastically alte r its management structure. The problem seemed solved until the company suffered financially once more due to the 9/11 attack in United States. In response to these events, on September 2005, a new CEO was appointed. Under the management of the new CEO, Will Walsh, BA underwent several changes and on January 2008, the company revealed OpenSkies, a new subsidiary. The primary objective of launching a new subsidiary despite its weak financial stability was to  take advantage of the liberalisation of transatlantic traffic rights, and flies non-stop between major European cities and the United States. These efforts, however, did not lift BA from its financial difficulties (BA, 1) Further succession of unfortunate events plagued BA, including the current recession, forcing it to resort to desperate measures, including sell its stake in Qantas on 8 September 2008. 4. 2 Easyjet Since its establishment, Easyjet grew exponentially, enjoying great financial success along the way. As a result, it became floated on the London Stock Exchange in November 2000. (BBC 2006) The main ingredients of its success included expanding its base to locations in continental Europe, and taking advantage of the growing demand for low cost airlines from passengers. Table 1 below shows its financial performance for the past 9 years. TABLE 1. EASYJET FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE |Year |Total revenue(? m) |Profit before |Passengers (millions) |Return on equity (%) |Cash flow from | | | |tax-underlying(? m) | | |operations (? m) | |2008 |2,363 |123 |43. 7 |6. 8 |292 | |2007 |1,787 |191 |37. |14. 3% |261 | |2006 |1,620 |129 |33. 0 |10. 1% |222 | |2005 |1,341 |83 |29. 6 |7. 1% |221 | |2004 |1,091. 0 |62. 2 |24. 3 |5. 3 |160. 5 | |2003 |931. 8 |51. 5 |20. |4. 4 |77. 2 | |2002 |551. 8 |71. 6 |11. 4 |9. 4 |84. 2 | |2001 |356. 9 |40. 1 |7. 1 |22. 1 |83. 4 | (Source: Easyjet. 2 Reports and Accounts) Its continuing financial success led to the purchase of GB Airways on October 2007, helping Easyet yet once again, expand its operations and establish a base at Manchester. Easyjet 3) 4. 3 Ryanair After launching its website, Ryanair enjoyed a great financial success, leading to the following events 1. Making an order of 100 new  Boeing 737-800  series aircraft ( 2003) 2. Acquiring a once rival low cost airline  Buzz  from  KLM. (2003) 3. Increasing the number of its bases to from 2 to 11 in less than 10 years. (2004) 4. Making an order of 70 new  Boeing 737-800  series aircraft to meet the demands of its passengers (2005) During 2004, most low cost airlines suffered financially including Ryanair, and it reported a loss for the second quarter of 2004. However, unlike most other low cost airlines, it managed to recover rather quickly and post an impressive profit in the next financial year. Indeed, Ryanairs passenger numbers constantly grew by up to 25% a year for most of 2000s. To demonstrate what this means in terms of numbers, Ryanair initially only carried just under 700,000 passengers annually, however, the passenger figures in 2003 showed an astonishing figure of 21. 4 million. The company owed its success to its constant addition of new routes and new bases around Europe. By the end of mid 2000, Ryanair was one of the largest airlines in terms of number of carriers specializing in European flights, carrying more passengers than the once â€Å"World’s Favourite Airline† British Airways for European flights. (Ryanair 1) 5. Recession and Airline Industry 5. 1 Impact of recession on the airline industry The current economic crisis has had an impact on virtually all types of businesses, including the airline industry. In fact, it has affected the airline industry more so than most other industries due to it being a very competitive market. (William B n. d) From 2008 to the beginning of the current year, 9 airlines, including Japan Airlines the once sixth largest airline by passenger numbers in the world, have filed for bankruptcy, mostly due to the current recession. Considering that only 12 airlines filed for bankruptcy from 1989 to 2007, the number of bankrupt airlines is alarming and reflects that fact that the recent times is definitely unfavourable for the airline industry. (Chris I, 2008) Table 1. 2 shows the airlines reaction to the current recession. Table 1. 2 IATA’s revised forecasts for global air transport volumes [pic] (IATA forecasts 2008 – 2013) 5. Impact of recession on British Airways 5. 2. 1. Financial Performance The most obvious effect the recession has made on British Airways is the decline in the company’s net profit figure. Table 1. 3 shows how badly the company has been effect during recent times. Table 1. 3 British Airways Financial Performance 1996-2009 |Year Ended 31 March |Total revenue( ? m) |Profit before |Profit and loss after tax (? |Passengers (millions) | | | |tax-underlying(? m) |m) | | |2009 8,992 |(401) |(358) |33,117,000 | |2008 |8,758 |922 |726 |33,161,000 | |2007 |8,492 |611 |438 |33,068,000 | |2006 |8,212 |616 |464 |32,432,000 | |2005 |7,770 |513 |392 |35,717,000 | |2004 |7,560 |230 |130 |36,103,000 | |2003 |7,688 |135 |72 |38,019,000 | |2002 |8,340 |(200) |(142) |40,004,000 | |2001 |9,278 |160 |114 |36,221,000 | |2000 |8,940 |5 |(21) |36,346,000 | (Source : British Airways â€Å"Annual Report and Accounts†) Table 1. 3 shows how British airways was enjoying a constant growth in their profit for 6 years straight from 2003, however, there was a steep decline in its profitability during 2009, roughly when the current economic crisis began to severely impact the industry. 5. 2. 2. Other impacts 5. 2. 2. 1 Work-for-nothing proposal The financial strain caused by the current recession had put on the company led to other disastrous events. In June 2009, BA asked its employees to work without pay for a minimum of 4 weeks amongst other favours. (BBC 2009) Colleagues are being urged to help the airlines cash-saving drive by signing up for unpaid leave or unpaid work. From tomorrow, people will be able to opt for blocks of unpaid leave or unpaid work, with salary deductions spread over three to six months, wherever possible. – extract from BAs in-house magazine under the headline Action Time The work-for-nothing offer was presented by and at the same, accepted by Willie Walsh, the CEO of British Airways and Keith Williams, the chief financial officer, who promised to work for nothing for the month of July 2009. In spite of this, Unite refused to accept the not-so-enticing offer, They believed that the CEO, who received a salary of ? 35,000 a year, which is astronomically more than other employees, could afford to work for nothing for a month, but your average BA cabin crew, who only receives an annual salary of ? 29,900, accor ding to the Civil Aviation Authority, cannot afford to do so (BBC 2009) Willie Walsh can afford to work for nothing, our members cant, – Unite Spokesman However, the events that followed the announcement of the work-for-nothing plea shocked the airline industry even more. Contrary to the expectation of many critics, numerous BA workers volunteered to accept the offer, and started to work for free for a month. (BBC 2009) 5. 2. 2. 2 Impact on tariff growth Table 1. shows the changes in tariff growth for First Class/Business and Economy passengers between January 2007 and January 2009. It presents a sharp decrease in both traffic, from January 2008 to January 2009. A striking point is that the recession affected the activities of premium business travellers and non-premium such as holiday makers. Table 1. 4 Tariff growth by ticket type [pic] (Source: IATA http://www. iata. org). Furthermore, BA initiated an extra ‘rich tax’ for its premium class passengers (First, C lub World, World Traveller Plus and Club Europe class passengers) to combat the soaring fuel price, adding an extra ? 48 to a return long haul flight. However, Analysts warned that the rich tax might backfire to their customers, even though it has absolutely no effect on economy class passengers. (Mail Online, 2008) 5. 2. 2. 3 Troubles with its employees The current recession has not helped British Airways develop a good relationship with its employees; in fact, it has made it worse than ever. Furthermore, the recession has caused tension between the cabin crew and pilots of British Airways. Two trade unions are mainly used by the workers, including pilots, of British Airways. These are BALPA, UK’s largest trade union for pilots, and Unite, the trade union used by cabin crews and other employees who are not pilots. The tension between British Airways continuously escalated due to irreconcilable differences and demands from both sides. The escalation reached its peak on March 2010, when the employees who were members of the trade union, Unite, organised a walkout. British Airways considered this unacceptable and as a result, stripped the workers involved in the walkout with their travel benefits. With both sides taking hits, they came to the conclusion that a deal must be made. However, in response to the stripping of the travel perks, the members of Unite demanded that before a deal is agreed, BA must reinstate the travel perks back to the striking employees. Unsurprisingly, this was refused and Unite officials have declared further strikes after 14 April 2010. There are currently no peaces scheduled, and various prominent figures have tried to intervene to find a solution agreeable by both sides, including the current prime minister, Gordon Brown (Guardian 2010) The members of Unite picketed outside of London Heathrow Airport and again planned other 3 days strike after negotiations did not work but strikers seemed not happy for a second walkout. The Unite insisted to negotiate with BA again, the CEO of BA, Willie Walsh said that the company has made a loss of ? 7m a day. The estimated cost of strike action by cabin crew last month is between ? 40m and ? 45m (Mail Online 2010) However, BA was not unprepared for the walkout. Their contingency plans allowed more than 65 percents passengers to reach to their destinations with 1,157 staff working. Only few flights were cancelled and BA was confident that they could handle the passengers at weekends of March. But the Unite Union made a contrasting announcement, stating that only a few of BA normal flights take off and a half of plans grounded (Chloe B,2010) By the recent strike in 2010, BA has had their brand image damaged and Willie Walsh, chief executive, apologising to their passengers for the situation. Indeed, the financial aspects of British Airways were not the only victim of the current recession. 5. 3. The Impacts of recession on Ryanair and Easyjet As mentioned before, the recession had a somewhat favourable effect on low cost airlines such as Easyjet and Ryanair. It has increased its number of passengers and had a positive or insignificant impact on its financial statements. I shall discuss each section separately below. 5. 3. 1 The Passenger Number Growths Table 1. 5 provides information regarding the growth in number of customers for British Airways, Ryanair and Easy Jet. Unsurprisingly, British Airways has experienced a negative growth whilst Easyjet and Ryanair have enjoyed a positive one, albeit being a smaller figure than before the recession. Table 1. Growth in passenger numbers [pic] (Source: CAPA, 2009, www. centreforaviation. com) The figures in the chart suggest that whilst all three airlines have experienced a negative impact from the recession, the biggest victim is British Airways. Moreover, even the growth rate is declined overall for Ryanair and Easyjet, the fact that they are still experiencing a positive growth suggests that more and more people are still switching to low cost airlines. 5. 3. 3 Financial Impact Table 1. 5 describes the new traffic number of Ryanair and Easyjet in August 2009. Table 1. 6 Traffic number for Ryanair and Easyjet [pic] [pic] (Source: CAPA, 2009, www. entreforaviation. com) Table 1. 5 illustrates that both airlines have increased the number of passengers carried during August 2009. This good news prompted Michael O’Leary, the CEO of Ryanair, to predict that only four European airlines would survive from the recession: British airways, Air France, Lufthansa and Ryan Air. Added to that, he expected that this downturn could help the Ryanair improve its market position and shares by meeting the needs of passengers with its low price strategy. (Telegraph, 2009) However, it must be noted that the current recession has had no negative impact on the financial performance of both Easyjet and Ryanair. The increased fuel price has forced Ryanair, who refuses to increases its price to its customers, resorted to other earnings: they planned to purchases 50 cheap aircrafts from declining airways and start flying to the new routes which will be the cities of the United State from London Stansted airport and Island Dublin airport. Michael O’Leary stated that We’ll just have to keep flying more aircraft, opening up more routes and offering people more cheap flights, (Jack, 2008) 6. The Strategies implemented by British Airways 6. 1 Strategies implemented to compete against Easyjet and Ryanair As mentioned above, British Airways have suffered financially and passenger number wise due to the current recession. On the other hand, it seems obvious that low cost airlines have suffered far less, and gained some positive aspects during the recent economic crisis. As a result, British Airways have implemented several tactics to combat against these airlines, in an attempt to keep its market share and survive the economic crisis they are facing currently. 6. 1. 1 Merger with Iberia Although British Airways is one of the largest airlines in the world, it still maintained that it could expand further. As a result, BA proposed a merger with Iberia, an ailing Spanish Airline, which is needs to be approved by the European Commission. A preliminary agreement was made before the end of 2009 between Iberia and British Airways. It was believed at the time that if the merger between the two carriers, indeed does go ahead, it will create one of the largest airlines in terms of revenue. (BBC, 2009) On 8 April 2010, an agreement to merge between British Airways and Iberia was announced and it was decided that the newly merged company will be known as  International Airlines Group, although both airlines will continue to operate under their current brands. (BBC, 2010) The merger was met with enthusiasm by both parties, with Willie Walsh announcing that the merger will create a strong European airline well able to compete in the 21st Century,† adding that both airlines will retain their brands and heritage while achieving significant synergies as a combined force. (Willie Walsh, 2010) After the merger, the combined operation would possess 419 aircraft operating to more than 200 separate destinations, and would save the two partners 400m Euros ($594m; ? 358m) in costs a year, according to their preliminary calculation and expectation. (BBC, 2010) The main aim of the merger was to increase its dominance and increase its market share. Although only time would tell, reaction from competitors regarding the news reflected how the merger would affect other airlines. For example, Virgin Airlines announced that the merger will increase BAs dominance at Heathrow with 44% of take-off and landing slots this winter. (BBC, 2010) 6. 1. 2 Ending Business Class on Short-Haul flights Due to the declining popularity of BA’s business class, Willie Walsh has practically put a stop on European business-class travel, saying that the service is proving to be too costly, and that it may harm their chance of surviving the recession. With other companies looking to cut their budgets in order to survive the current economic crisis, BA has decided that the added expense of flying rich businessmen in a slightly larger seats for one or two-hour journeys has become unsustainable and not profitable. (David R, 2010) As seen in Table 1. 5, There has seen a sharp drop in business-class passengers, most of them occurring in short-haul flights. These travelers have either traded down to the economy cabin or moved to budget carriers instead, for example Ryanair. BA is understood to be reviewing its European operations, and as a result, premium seats could be removed from planes operating out of Gatwick and regional airports such as Manchester. In a statement to deal with the issue, â€Å"short-haul premium will never recover. That part of the business has changed for ever and we have to address it†. However, BA has plans to continue providing premium class in short-haul flights operating from Heathrow, to take advantage of business-class transfer traffic. (Martin R, 2010) Although on the face of it, this strategic move seems like a way to combat he rising costs, however, its real intent is to combat low cost airlines, who, although provides business class seats, accentuates the benefits of their economy class seats. 6. 1. 3 Barclaycard promotion British Airways understood that most of their customers booked their flig hts with credit cards. As a result, they saw Barclaycard, UK’s largest credit card provider, as a viable business partner. As a result, British Airways implemented a promotion with the Barclaycard; customers booking their flights via Barclaycard would allow them to earn air miles, which could be used to purchase British airways products or receive free flights. (BA, 2) 6. 1. 4 Voluntary redundancy scheme British Airways announced a voluntary redundancy scheme during the early part of the current recession, stating that almost 300 staff would leave the airline by the end of May 2009. The announcement was expectedly met with hostility with its workers. The scheme was designed to meet some demand for redundancy in some parts of the business and where it was possible to release people and not replace them. The departures, largely in administration and support roles, are the latest cost-cutting measure by the airline, which is facing increasingly weaker demand for flights, particularly for its more lucrative business and first-class seats, and is in addition to about 450 managers that left the company in December 2008. A spokeswoman for BA said the airline was pleased with the take-up of the scheme, with staff numbers in line with expectations. Workers will get about three weeks pay for every year they have been with the airline. The redundancies followed BA’s announcement to sell 11 of its 15 Boeing 757 aircraft, to be replaced by Airbus A320s, in order to cut costs and be more environmentally friendly. (Times Online, 2010) 6. 1. 5 Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) During the latter part of 2009, British Airways announced that it will use Progress Software as part of its program to transform passenger and airport systems. BA expressed its intention to use SOA solutions as a key part of its travel program to upgrade its IT systems. This is expected to last until the end of 2014 and change the way BA provides service by integrating over 600 different electronic systems and processes involved in getting the passengers to their destinations. Gordon Penfold, the CTO of Progress Software, the American company who invented the SOA program, explained that â€Å"with 300 locations around the globe, 25,000 users and more than 250 key applications, BAs goal is to transform the travel experience. The flexibility of the Progress SOA portfolio allows BA to extend the features of its e-commerce site right through to its airports, by allowing greater self-service functionality and plug and play capability. † The result, according to Penfold, is to drive an agile business where rollout is easier, and cost and time are reduced. British Airways believed that providing just low cost seats to its passengers will not help them beat low cost airlines, but reducing the travelling time will make them the natural choice for air travelling. (Angelica M, 2009) 6. 1. 6 Seat Selection On September 2009, British Airways have started charging their passengers if they wish to choose their seats when they reserve. The new charges will affect people who want to ensure they sit together on a flight and anyone with a preference for window, aisle or emergency exit seats Currently, British Airways allows passengers to select their preferred seats free of charge within the 24 hours prior to departure. However from October 7 2009, passengers would have to reach into their pockets if they wish to secure their preferred spot in the cabin when they make a booking. A spokesperson announced that this would give customers more control over their seating options. For an economy class trip within Europe, passengers will pay an extra ? 10 per person to choose a seat. On long-haul economy or short flights in business class the charge will be ? 20, and ? 60 in business class on long-haul voyages. The plan followed the airlines decision to cut luggage allowances and abolish free meals on short flights. However, the plan was met with some ridicule. Some argued that the move will undoubtedly tarnish BA’s brand image. However, the airline has defended the move and said it was giving customers peace of mind they could sit where they want while opening up new revenue streams. Also, they saw that low cost airlines, EasyJet, and Ryanair, had hidden charges which were written in small prints. These extra charges showed how much passengers had to pay for extras such as using a debit card and checking-in. According to their calculation, the â€Å"hidden charges† showed maximum extra charges of ? 375 and ? 79. 85 for Ryanair and Easyjet respectively. (James Q, 2009) 7. Recommendations As mentioned before, most airlines are suffering due to the recent economic downturn. Hence, they, too, have rethought about their current business situation and developed alternative methods. After much research, it seems as though British Airways, who has suffered more due to the current economic climate, has adopted more strategies than others. They have implemented cost-cutting, redundancy and cutting luxury on flight. However, one area where they may improve is focusing on auxiliary income. Focusing on Auxiliary Income The aviation industry companies have opportunities to earn auxiliary income: For example, they could charge for checked baggage, seat assignment, catering and even blankets and so on. Whilst for some airlines this additional income may be insignificant, however, other airlines have seen a dramatic increase in their auxiliary income. During the recent years, US airlines have collected more than US$ 670 million in baggage fees in the second quarter of this year, up some 276 percent from the year-earlier period (I-Net Bridge, 2009) In fact, speaking at the at the World Low Cost Airline aviation conference in Barcelona, Spain, Mango CEO Nico Bezuidenhout stated that; There are compelling reasons for airlines to take ancillary revenue opportunities very seriously, said Bezuidenhout, and airlines have an advantage: a base pre-qualified as having disposable income, an audience which has already illustrated a level of trust in the airlines own brand and, thirdly, knowledge of the consumers travel trends. Not only do airlines have substantial insight into who they carry, but air travel typically represents the first purchase activity in the overall travel procurement cycle, followed by destination content, hotels and cars bookings all of this serving to provide airlines with the ideal contextualised sales opportunity. † Recently, most airlines, not just low-cost airways, have started to focus on increasing their auxiliary income more than ever. British Airways is also adopting this method by charging fee for seat selection. However, perhaps they should consider increasing their additional income through other means as well. 8. Conclusion British Airways has undoubtedly suffered due to the current economic crisis. However, what makes the situation more painful is that low-cost airlines, such as Ryanair and Easyjet are surviving the economic downturn with relative ease, and have gained more passengers due to passengers preferring to travel cheaper than before, as seen above. Perhaps it would not be wise for British Airways to change their business way in order to combat the current recession. Many experts believe that the recession is coming to an end and that people will soon become more willing to spend more on luxuries such as air travelling. On the other hand, there are economists who believe that the recession will last longer than anyone is expecting, and that is businesses do not adapt to the new environment, they will inevitably cease to trade. The wisest strategic movement British Airways could implement would be to shift their attitude towards low cost airlines, taking in what is working for them and utilising it to their benefit, whilst at the same time, constantly improving their strengths such as providing excellent service to their customers. Arguably, low cost airlines have increased their attraction level to consumers in recent years, and British Airways must take this into account. A detailed Porter’s Five Forces analysis, complimented with a SWOT analysis could direct British Airways to the correct way forward. With all industries, it is always vital to constantly monitor their business environment and adapt to it. By carefully analysing their environment, they can decide which strategy will benefit them. They should recognise the opportunities and threats present and wisely use their strengths and weaknesses to their advantage. British Airways must do the same. Based on the strategies currently adopted or announced by British Airways, it appears as though they are horizontally expanding. Perhaps this is the correct way to go, especially since the strategy allows economies of scales. However, constant evolution of the company’s management and business style must be approved if British Airways expects to survive not only the current recession, but against large number of competitors.

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Keats And Longfellow Analysis Essays Keats And Longfellow Analysis Paper Keats And Longfellow Analysis Paper When I Have Fears and Mezzo Caiman by John Keats and Henry Headwords Longfellow respectively, have similar themes such as the inevitability of death and the fear of living unfulfilled and inadequate lives. John Keats fears that he will live a life of inadequacy and fail to accomplish all of his dreams, but he understands that his goals are miniscule in the larger scope of life. Conversely, Longfellow maintains a morbid view of death and of the future itself, while Keats is more captivated by the human experience and despite his uncertainty about the future, feels that living is far more important than reaching his personal goals. The poems possess some commonalities, specifically in the beginning, where both complain about the temporary nature of life. Longfellow Half of my life is gone directly coordinates with Keats When I have fears that may cease to be. Both men fear that they will die before theyre able to accomplish their respective goals. Keats specifically fears that he will die Before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain, before he can get all of his thoughts onto paper and leave his mark on the world in a literary manner. Longfellow possesses a similar fear specifically that he has not fulfilled the aspiration of [his] youth and failed to build a tower of song with lofty parapet. Both men hope to leave some sort of lasting legacy on history but both understand that death is an inevitable fact of life and that time is running out for them to accomplish their goals. Neither man has accomplished all of his goals in life, whether it be Keats literary aspirations, or Longfellow wish to build a tower of song. However, both fear that the ultimate end will come too soon and put an end to their dreams. Despite both men fearing that death will come too soon for them, the apparent differences in their situations arise towards the middle of the poem. Specifically their experiences and views of love are expressly different. Longfellow has experienced times of passion and pleasure, but complains that the subsequent sorrow and care that it disabled him in the pursuit of his goals. Longfellow experiences of a love lost caused him great pain that slowed his progress towards his goals and ultimately adversely affected his life. However, Keats takes a different tone towards love. He views love as a beautiful and mysterious endeavor that he wishes to experience before his life ends. He feels that true love occurs With the magic hand of chance and finds it regrettable that he in unable to find true love. He thinks that his keen awareness of death will prevent him from being able to trace the huge cloudy symbols of high romance or prevent him from ever experiencing true love at all. Longfellow fear of death as well as his experiences in love keep him from completely accomplishing his goals, while Keats has lived an interesting and fulfilling life that he does not want to end, hence his fear of death. The end of the poems both show the conflicting attitudes towards life and death by using situations where the men can reflect on their lives and life in general. Both men walk to the edge of a geographical feature, Keats a shore, and Longfellow a hill overlooking a city. Keats looks forward to the future during his time resting on the shore and realizes that life is a grand endeavor, and a wide world exists outside the confines of his life. He realizes that his oils are unimportant on this grand scale and seems to find peace in this fact. Longfellow on the other hand, sees nothing but a vast city that symbolizes his past, and a cataract of Death thundering from the heights. Longfellow cannot move on from his past and henceforth cannot see any future for him at all, and will never achieve his aspirations. Keats on the other hand, realizes that he still has opportunity in his life and finds peace in the fact that he is still alive to achieve his goals, despite the realization that theyre not as significant as he once thought.

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Analysis of C Seasons Footwear Company Introduction For the business world today, the aim of every company is to invest in an environment that is economically safe with the aim of working towards making profit, make maximum returns on investment and to kept the interest of the companys shareholders in mind and also to have the interest of customers in mind in order to gain competitive advantage by working on core competency of the organisation. The company is in the athletic footwear industry called C SEASONS. The company used a differentiated strategy for the sale of its sports footwear. This is going into the footwear market in a different way from other footwear making companies in order to have a competitive advantage over other athletic footwear industry. C Seasons Footwear Company has been in the footwear industry for the last five years supplying the best footwear to four different regions namely, North America, Europe Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. The BSG Online simulation was based on twelve industries that were into athletic footwear located in four regions (North America, Europe Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. It started with twelve companies and to compete with other company and make necessary decisions and design and implement a strategy that will provide a longterm return for shareholders over the next five years. The report will focus on company 25 (C SEASONS). According to Johnson, et al (2009) a differentiation strategy seeks to provide products or services that offer benefits that are different from those of competitors and that are widely valued by buyers. p.153. The aims and objectives of the BSG online simulation are: Becoming the market leader in the footwear making industry. To have a good shareholder returns. To have a high net profit at the end of the game simulation. Various report, tables and graphs would be used to help decision making processes. The table below shows the strengths and weaknesses for C Seasons on both the internet segment and wholesale segment of the business for the five years. Simulation Result. Year 1. In order to be the market leader, we decided that in year 1 we would be making a 1% charitable contribution, by doing this it would help reduce the tax payable by the company at the end of each financial year. The company would also be involved in workforce diversity programs. The company also decided that at the end of the year we would have certain percentage of our unsold stock on clearance sales. For the North American market clearance would be 25%, Europe Africa would be 25%, Asia Pacific would be 50% and 50% for Latin America. The company also had strengths in all regions in the models offered, rebate offers and advertisement. Some weakness were also identified such as the style and quality, delivery time and the wholesale price. At he end of the first year the company had an image rating of 66 and a credit rating of A. The net profit margin in the first year was 14.1% while return on equity was 22.8%. The current ratio in the first year was 2.74 while the asset turnover was 0. 93. Year 2 In year two the strengths of the company in the regions were the models offered and the rebate offers. The inventory clearance was left as the first year which the company believed would attract more customers. The weaknesses in year two were style and quality, wholesale price offered to retailers, the delivery time, celebrity appeal and free shipping. Return on equity in year two was 23.4% while the net profit margin was 16.4%. This was a 3.1% rise from the first year which points out that the company was selling well. Asset turnover in the second year was 0.93 while the current ratio was 4.11%. Year 3 In year three the strengths of the company in the three regions were the free shipping offered, rebate offers, celebrity appeal and the models offered. The return on equity in year three was 19.7%. Net profit margin 16.9%. Asset turnover was 0.57 while the current ratio was 5.37%. The company had some weaknesses in the third year of business delivery time, retail outlet, and advertising were the setback for the company. Year 4 In year four the company decided to pay shareholders, a sum of $0.50/share is to be paid to each shareholder per the number of share(s) they hold in the company. Shareholders were paid dividend as a sign of goodwill and also to show value for the money they have and would invest in the company. The company showed some strengths during the trading year such as the models offered, the free shipping offered, rebate offers and good advertising. The company also had some weaknesses in some of the regions such as the style and quality, retail outlet and the delivery time. The return on equity for year four as 10.3%. Net profit margin for the year was 10.5%, the reason for this was the dividend paid to shareholders during the year. The asset turnover for the year was 0.76 while the current ratio for the company was 7.32%. Year 5 In year five the current ratio for the company was 8.21% while the operating profit margin was 25.7% and net profit margin was 17%. In the fifth the company had some weaknesses such as wholesale price, style and quality and the retail outlet. The strengths during year five were free shipping offered, the good advertisement made, the delivery time, the rebate time offered and the celebrity appeal the business had. The asset turnover for year five was 0.72. Strategic Thinking a.) Strategic Analysis The basis strategy used in the simulation was a differentiation strategy â€Å"this seeks to provide products or services benefits that are different from those of competitors and that are widely valued by buyers† (Johnson et al, 2006) pg 153. C Seasons offered a good quality product and started with a slightly lower price for a quality product that it was producing. C Seasons used the PESTEL framework to analyse its external environment. â€Å"The PESTEL framework categorises environmental influences into six main types; political, economical, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors† Johnson et al (2006) pg 25. The aims was to achieve competitive advantage by offering better product or services at a reasonable price or enhancing margins slightly higher. Although, Seasons product may be identical, but possible to differentiate on the basis of the following Quality product Reasonable price Global brand Broad market Unique value Niche market Product differentiation is another strategy for gaining a market foothold, and to be successful, product differentiation must be valued by target customers. It must be protected by products, make duplication by rivals difficult or impossible Today, most successful and powerful companies grew out of business model that were elegant, compelling in their logic and powerful in economic potential as some variation of the value chain that support business. b.) Mission And Vision â€Å"A mission is a general expression of the overall purpose of the organisation, which, ideally, is in line with the values and expectations of major stakeholders and concerned with the scope and boundaries of the organisation† Johnson, et al (2006) pg 9. â€Å"A vision can also be described as desired future of the organisation. It is an aspiration around which a strategist might seek to focus the attention and energies of members of the organisation† Johnson, et al (2006) pg 9. Therefore, the mission of C Seasons will be to become ‘the major player in the market and the vision is ‘to produce the best footwear that are worn and cherished the world over by both children and adult. External Environment External environment examines opportunities and threats that exit in the environment. Both opportunities and threats exist independently of the firm (Adkins, March 2008). See appendices. Internal Environment The internal environments are those that the company can set up strategies for and make sure that the decisions are the right one for the company. See appendices. Value Chain Value chain analysis also highlights the mechanisms through which developing countries and their procedures have upgraded their activities and linked to producers and consumers in the global economy, or may do so in the future in a manner that can lead to a sustainable income growth. The results of this type of analysis should indicate the way to policy challenges confronting the private and public agents operating in or promoting the chain (Kaplinsky,2000). The VRIO framework was the foundation for internal analysis in order to lead to sustainable competitive advantage a resource or capability should be valuable, rare, imitable and organised. Decision Making And Personal Learning C Seasons decided not to take a bank loan in the first year of business, the reason for this was to see if the company could sustain itself without a loan or overdraft. At the end of year one the company had a total sales of $267,140m with a net profit of $37,666m. In year four the business decided to issue dividends to shareholders, a $0.50 was to be aid to each shareholders per the number of shares they hold. The reason for the dividend been paid to shareholders was as a result of increase in the businesses market share and profit. The reason why the net profit in year four was low was as a result of the exchange rate at the time which went up to $21,764m compared to $6,756m in year three. The company had problems with its style and quality during the first two years of business and were able to sort it out by year three. In order to generate net income on our investment, we signed a celebrity to endorse our product and also wear the footwear during shows and also placed some adversitment on TV and billboards. We tried to create a new concept with good features in order to meet customers aspiration at this period our firm started making sales. In all, this exercise have exposed me to know how business can be done in real life and make necessary strategic decision that will make the business more viable to operate. These also allowed me to have an in depth understanding of business practice and ability to have a longterm vision and generate positive customer and shareholder expectation. I was also able to know how to use the accounting ratios in calculating for businesses. Conclusion To gain return on investment, strategic decisions must be made in accordance with the set objectives, the report focused on developing strategic decisions which helped in comparing the simulation to a real life business. An important skill derived will monitor numerical information and analysing these statistics in order to forecast the future and successfully survive in the business. The various experienced gained during the cause of the simulation game and comparison of other group result to improve the firms decision making were utilised this included taking risks to ensure that the firm performance in the market is high. Charts and financial ratios were analysed during the course of the simulation exercise to complete the tasks, this helped the decision making process. Making use of resources and information that is available. Recommendations C Seasons is clearly the top of its industry, but no company is invulnerable. Seasons has several avenues of improvement. If they want to continue to build upon their lead and maintain their status in the industry, they need to take a hard look at their mission and define it in SMART terms. The ability to reach some of their target customers in such a fashion could be a huge marketing advantage. Seasons reputation will be more positive and if they can gain back customers lost due to negative publicity. People already associate Seasons with quality retail products. It would be even better to feel good about buying their product and not feel as if people are being exploited every time they purchase a Seasons product. Appendices The Summary of Internal and External Analysis Swot The SWOT summarizes the key issues from business environment and the strategies capability useful as a basis against which to generate strategic options and assess future courses of option(Harvard Business Essentials,2005). Its helps to generate strategic alternatives from a situation analysis, and can be applicable to either corporate level or business unit level and do appears in marketing plans The internal and external situation analysis can produce a large amount of information, much of which may not be highly relevant. The SWOT analysis classifies the internal aspects of the company as strengths or weaknesses and the external situational factors as opportunities or threats. The following diagram shows how a SWOT analysis fits into a strategic situation analysis. SWOT Profile The internal and external situation analysis can produce a large amount of information, much of which may not be highly relevant. The SWOT analysis classifies the internal aspects of the company as strengths or weaknesses and the external situational factors as opportunities or threats. In summary, the interaction of the internal and external analysis will result to SWOT important. e.g, the strengths can be leveraged to pursue opportunities and to avoid threats, and managers can be alerted to weaknesses that might need to be overcome in order to successfully pursue opportunities. Strengths In a SWOT analysis, the capabilities that enable Seasons company to perform wellcapabilities that needs to be leveraged. The company has introduced many innovative products giving it a competitive edge. Its global reach provides it an opportunity to tap growing global footwear market. The companys consistent innovations have enabled it to remain competitive and maintain market share Weaknesses In a SWOT analysis, the characteristics that prohibit Seasons company or unit from performing well and need to be addressed. The seasons company falls behind in brand awareness compared to its competitors because of lacking celebrity endorsements. The company faces intense competition from global players such as other competitors. Opportunities In SWOT analysis, the trends, forces, events, and ideas that Seasons company or unit can capitalize on. The global footwear market has shown positive growth in recent years. The North Americas and EU markets are expected to grow at CAGR of 4.3% and 3.2%, respectively, to reach values of $93.2 billion and $60 billion in 2010. The Asia Pacific region is set to grow more strongly in the 20052010 period, recording a CAGR of 4.7%. a positive outlook for the global footwear market would boost the revenue growth of the company. Threats In a SWOT analysis, the possible events or forces that Seasons company or unit must plan for or mitigate. The principal materials used in manufacturing footwear products are natural and synthetic rubber, plastic compounds, foam cushioning materials, nylon, leather, canvas, and polyurethane films used. As a result of rising oil prices, the prices of synthetic rubber and plastic based products has increased. Rising oil prices will further increase the prices for petroleum based products. Increasing raw material costs would increase the companys production costs and may affect its profitability. SWOT Analysis Limitations The classification of some factors as strengths or weaknesses, or as opportunities or threats was somewhat arbitrary. For example, a particular company culture can be either strength or a weakness. A technological change can be a either a threat or opportunity. But, the most important was that firms awareness of them and its development of a strategic plan to use them to its advantage. Competitive Environment The prospects for longterm industry wide growth in footwear sales are excellent. Athletic shoes have become the footwear of choice for children and teenagers, except for dressy occasions. Increased adult concerns regarding physical fitness are boosting adult purchases for use in exercise and recreational activities. Distribution Channels The ultimate customers for athletic footwear, of course, are the people who wear the shoes. But athletic footwear manufacturers have all refrained from integrating forward into retailing and making direct sales to the final user. Customer demand for athletic footwear is diverse in terms of price, quality, and types of models. There are customers who are satisfied with no frills budgetpriced shoes and there are customers who are quite willing to pay premium prices for topoftheline quality, multiple features, and fashionable styling. Wholesale Selling Price The higher your companys wholesale price to retailers, the higher the prices that retailer will charge customers. Consumers are quite knowledgeable about the prices of different brands, and many do comparison shopping on price before setting upon a brand to purchase. The Number Of Retail Outlets Retail outlets are essential in accessing the consumer market. The more retail outlets a company has carrying its brand of shoes, the more market exposure a manufacturer has and the easier it is for consumers to purchase the brand. Celebrity Endorsements Footwear companies can contract with celebrity sports figure to endorse their footwear brand and appear in company ads. Celebrity endorsements, along with the impressions and perceptions people gain from watching a companys media ads over time, combine to define how strong a brand image a company enjoys in the minds of athletic footwear buyers. Customer Rebates Manufacturers who give rebates provide retailers with rebate coupons to give buyers at the time of purchase. To obtain the rebate a customer must fill out the coupon and mail it to the manufacturers distribution warehouse, along with the receipt of purchase. The VRIO framework was used to evaluate how capable Seasons Value A resource is valuable if it helps the company to meet an external threat or exploit an opportunity. If a resource helps to bring about any one of these four things then its valuable Quality Service Seasons offer a quality service, and the good does whats designed for exceptionally well. Innovation Process innovation can influence efficiency rather than having a direct effect, because the company can have at least temporary monopoly on new product. Rare Seasons brand name is valuable but most of its competitors ,also have widely recognised brand names as well, making it not that rare. The Seasonls brand may be most recognised, but makes it more valuable not more rare. Uniqueness Its a prime locations, design, and intellectual property. Inimitability The inimitable resource are often result of historical, ambiguous or social complex causes. Intangible resources or capabilities like corporate culture or reputation are very hard to imitate and so inimitable e.g Seasons marketing strategy leads to distribution, partnership programme leads to customer relation management. Organised A resource is organised if the firm was able to actualise it. If analysis does turn up a valuable, rare and imitable resource that Seasons was not taking advantage of, then recommendations. Porters Five Forces The essence of formulating competitive strategy, writes scholar porter was relating a company to its environment. Every companys environment includes with customers, competitors, suppliers and regulators etc, and has impact on its profit potential (Harvard Business Essentials,2005). Both current and potential customer, each requirements for product quality, features and utility. Changes in the external environment may be related to competitors, suppliers, partners, customers, sociochanges, economic environment etc. The external analysis was use to examine opportunities and threats which do exists in the environment, and both opportunities and threat exists independently of the firm. The opportunities were favourable conditions in the environment, which produce the results for an organisation if agreed. But, the threats were conditions or barriers that may prevent the firms from reaching its objectives. Power Of Buyers The bargaining power of buyers was very high, as Seasons continue to market their products and differentiate their brands against competitors, so as to increase sales and market share. With the use of internet marketing, helps the company to improve accessibility and intimacy among users. It helps the brand entity plays its role in purchasing behaviour, strong identity will gives customers trusts and loyalty. Some of the online customers are sensitive to price and switching cost for the buyer was low. Power Of Suppliers The threats of bargaining power of Suppliers was very low, many suppliers in this industry, little differentiation among suppliers and makes it nonexistence. The suppliers dependent on the firm in order to survive can switch between suppliers quickly and cheaply due to geographical locations, cheap labours on various regions. In this industry, raw materials were abundantly present (Leather, rubber, cotton) etc, will help the seasons to standardise their input procedure especially to material used, labours, suppliers, services and logistics in some of the regions. Threats Of Substitutes The buyers propensity to substitute was very low. Consumers are not likely to substitute due to the performance specification of the product. e.g, a basketball player would not wear boots to play basketball. Therefore, there are no real substitutes for athletic footwear. Consumer substitutes for athletic footwear products are low because there are little alternatives to switch, some substitutes for athlete footwear could be boots, sandals, dress shoes or bear feet. Barriers To Entry Threats of entry was very low in the sense that, seasons is able to control their costs to retain performance advantage over emerging competitors in the industry. The capital injection into web site development is high and must be updated frequently with new promotions and added features to attract online shoppers. There are many proprietary product differences in the industry therefore brand identity has an immediate competitive advantage. The online footwear industry is highly abundant with hundreds on online merchants. Switching cost is low for the consumer, and may occur frequently depending on consumer preference and other factors affecting consumer, and may occur decision, (i.e. price sensitive consumers). Selling footwear online is highly competitive; however, barriers to enter into this ecommerce industry are quite low. Rivalry Among Existing Competitors The rivalry among existing competitors in the footwear industry was very high. Most individuals in North America have access to high speed internet and online purchasing has become the new trend for the twenty first century. Almost every large firm has a web site, and most of these web sites contain virtual stores which provide convenience to consumers. Competition is fierce in the footwear industry and those who dominate or lead the market do so with high capital expenditures, aggressive sales and marketing strategies, and strong brand identity. Pestle Analysis Political Analysis Political environment vary widely between countries and can alter rapidly. Government can of course create significant opportunities for organisations. It is important, however, to determine the level of political risk before entering a country (Johnson et al, 2009) pg 218. Examples are the political stability of the country, tax policies, etc. Economic Analysis key comparators in deciding entry are levels of gross domestic product and disposable income which help in estimating the potential size of the market. However, companies must also be aware of the stability of a countrys currency which mat affect its income stream (Johnson et al, 2009) pg 218. Examples inflation rate, interest rates, labour costs, etc. Social Analysis Social factor will clearly be important, for example the availability of well trained workforce or the size of demographic market segments old or young relevant to the strategy (Johnson et al, 2009) pg 218. Examples are income distribution, consumer behaviour, living standard. Legal Analysis Countries vary widely in their legal regime, determining the extent to which businesses can enforce contracts, protect intellectual property or avoid corruption. (Johnson et al, 2009) pg 219. Another external factor that C Seasons faced was other competitor, this was difficult because we new that other industries would have access to our details and would see what we were doing and try to target our business. The edge our industry had was that we spent more on advertising and reducing our delivery time to two weeks. Internal Environment Technology Capabilities All the industry under the simulation game has got one thing in common and that it we are all making athletic footwear. We all want to make the best footwear and so we would make sure that we use the best and very latest technology to produce the best footwear for the athlete or for the public that would wear them. Distribution This is how the footwear is distributed to the wholesalers and private customers. C Seasons was able to reduce delivery time from four weeks to two weeks which helped sales. Purchase Decision Purchase decision is what will determine the product a customer will purchase or buy, this would in turn reflect in the decision to be made by the company. In all cases, before customer makes a decision to purchase a particular product they would compare prices of the product with the value they hope to enjoy from such product. C Seasons was able to enhance the purchase decisions of its customers by making their footwear a high quality with good styling.