Victim impact statement Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Victim impact statement - Term Paper Example It can be oral, presented by the victim, or a secondary party to the crime, during the hearing process, or can be written. If presented in a written form, the victim impact statement is handed in to the Attorney’s office. The office then submits the statement to the Probation Office and it is considered as part of retrieved evidence that the office offers to a presiding judge during a hearing. The definition of a victim impact statement also includes informal letters to a judge and this is an exception from the formal approach. It applies when the victim is not in a position to complete the formal process of presenting a written victim impact statement. The victim’s personal discomfort may lead to the need for a personal letter instead of the formal statement (Justice n.p.). Literature research The definition of victim impact statement identifies the objective communicating effects of a criminal act on the victim and other people who could have been round the crime scen e. Diversified purposes that the statement serves are identifiable from the purpose. One of the statement’s purposes is to offer the victim a chance to explain effects of the crime on their lives. Physical, emotional, and financial effects are the major types and explain the extent to which the victim’s rights were infringed by the crime and the need for justice. Crimes on a victim identify vulnerability that may persist after the crimes. The accused may also want to tamper with evidence in order to avoid punishment and this increases vulnerability to intimidation from the accused or associates. Victim impact statement helps in resolving the vulnerability by allowing the victim to point vulnerability concerns that the court can address towards justice. The concerns may relate to granting the accused bail or protecting the victim from possible harassment. Another role that the victim impact statement serves is offering an avenue through which the victim can obtain infor mation about his or her case. The victim needs to state in the statement such required information as the progress that the case has made. Victim impact statement also offers victims opportunities for informing relevant authorities of needs for claims or help. The suffered losses may warrant compensation or help towards recuperation and victims can state any related needs in the statement. Victim impact statement also avails statistics for understanding trends in crimes and effects of the crimes on victims. Such information can then influence decisions and policies for crime prevention and management of effects of crimes on victims (The Crown Prosecution Service 1). Implementation of the roles of victim impact statement follows stipulated principles for consistency with rule of law and natural justice. One of the principles governing the statement is admissibility of the effects. Losses that the victim suffers and the extent must be in such forms that the judicial system acknowledge s and can incorporate in making judgment. Admissibility is subject to existing laws. Another principle that governs application of the statement is incorporation of the effects in the basis for making decisions on a case. Judgment must however rely on other factors such as nature of the crime and the accused. Victims’ personal perspectives or those of the victims’ close associates do not however influence judicial decisions on cases (The Crown Prose

Aquatics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Aquatics - Research Paper Example The same would be done with the help of briefly highlighting the literature available on the same and shedding some light on related researches and cases. Discussion Without any doubts, aquatics is one of those profession where professionals have to deal with a lot of risk and in the absence of effective risk management plans and techniques, the liability may become unbearable for the organizations. If organizations and pool managers fail to manage and deal with the risk in an effective manner then they might not only end up with losing customers due to injuries and other incidents but also with huge liability claims. Furthermore, stakeholders are also putting a lot of pressure on the staff and professionals to engage in preventive practices and fire prevention rather than fire fighting1. Risk management is present in other professions as well but the nature of aquatic risk management is much different from the generalized form of risk management. Important here to note is that aquat ic environments have a tendency to change very quickly, within hours and at times, within a few minutes. Furthermore, at many occasions, these changes are not even predictable for the experts. Therefore, aquatic risk management is not a one-time process but an on going process, which requires extensive training, enthusiasm, and commitment from the staff and the professionals2. Another very important reason why aquatic risk management is imperative is because of the general attitude of public about the hazards and risks of aquatic environments. It appears that when people enter into an aquatic environment they lose their sense of sight as well as sense of hearing. Despite the fact that the staff puts a lot of energy and money into putting as much sign boards to increase the awareness of public regarding the risks, but people are more likely to read the micro font message on billboards rather than bothering to notice the sign boards which are around them in aquatic environments3. Sudd enly in aquatic environments, sign pollution becomes an important issue. Furthermore, if there is any staff or deployment in those facilities to guide and instruct people about the risks and hazards then not only people avoid these instructions but strongly feel it as interference during their â€Å"fun time†. In short, aquatic risk management is important because it has to deal with blind and deaf people4. Many experts and professionals related to the field of aquatic risk management believe that in order to create an effective risk management, following are the seven steps, which should be kept in mind. First, the process stars with the identification of aims and objectives of risk management problem. Without any doubts, the ultimate goal of many risk management programs is to reduce the chances to injury, incidents of employees, guests and others and reduce any other risks associated with property loss. Furthermore, most professionals are more likely to stress on eliminati on and prevention of injuries, however, in more risky environments, safety of lives and prevention of any causality may become the ultimate goal. Aims and objectives also refer to the practice of quantifying them, delegating them and establishing and identifying resources to achieve those objectives. Second, once the goals and objectives have been formulated, it is important to create an assessment team. This team will

Tannenbaum and Schmidt continuum

Tannenbaum and Schmidt continuum Executive Summary The following essay will demonstrate the authors ability to understand key theoretical and strategic issues relating to human resource management. The author will take the needs of the organisation and the individual, in order to maximise motivation, workplace practices and culture. These are some examples that are required for effective project management. Therefore, the author will critically compare three contingency situational theories and apply these to the authors own experiences within the workplace or outside commitments. The aim is to exemplify high-quality project management skills and identify what is required to become a successful leader. To begin, when individuals first learn about Fiedlers contingency theory, they generally think of the more readily used form of the word contingency (Envision, 2005). In essence, they assume that contingency is an element that relays upon or caused by another event i.e. leaderships, groups of people or infrequent relationships come into contention. However, at its base, contingency means individuals interacting with each other. This involves the connection or dependence amongst followers and their leaders. Between 1950 and 1960s, psychologists including Fielder, began to study leadership and behaviour styles of managers. However, before Fiedlers study, psychologists focused on the characteristics of successful leaders and believed in an ideal science of organisation. Psychologists believed that there were preeminent methods to run a group or organisation, which had the best decision making and effective business practices. Therefore, Fielders contingency theory was a benchmark to all modern management theories, in contradicting, singular ideal organizational approaches (Envision, 2005). The rationale of Fiedlers contingency is based upon the relationship between a leaders personality and the current environment in which a leader operates. A leader can be defined as, an individual who is given the task of directing or coordinating task-relevant activities, or an individual who carries the responsibility for performing these functions when there is no appointed leader (Envision, 2005). Therefore, the theory is based on determining the orientation of the leader (i.e. relationship or task) and the elements of the situation (i.e. leader-member relations, task structure, and leader position power) (SAC Business, 2007). Although, its worthwhile noting that task-oriented styles are more effective when a leader either has or doesnt has influence upon a particular situation. Relationship-orientated styles are more effective, only when a leader is reasonably favourable to their influence. In Fiedlers view, the appropriateness of the leadership style for maximizing group performance is contingent upon the favourableness of group-task situations (Fielder, 1967). While the theory foresees leader effectiveness upon an individuals characteristics and favourableness of the situation, the significant of effectiveness is anticipated by most variants of contingency theory as choosing the correct style of leader. The style of the leader is anticipated by both external and internal factors within an organisation i.e. a leaders awareness and agreement with other individuals upon a given task. In other words, the organization should match up a particular manager and his style to the demands of the situation or alter the variables within the situation, i.e., the power that goes with the leadership position, so that the situation becomes more conducive to the managers style of influence. Fielder proposes that it would be easier and more effective if an organisation engineers a job to suit a leader and not a leader adapting his own leadership style to fit the job. In essence, an organisation should match a manager and his style to the demands of the situation or alter the variables within the situation (Dean, 1976) i.e. the power associated with a leadership position, which will make the situation more conductive to a managers style of influence. There have been other contingency theories (situational contingency theory), which agree upon the non-existence of a single correct solution within an organisation. Additional similarities allowed the main principles to be amalgamated into one typical contingency theory i.e. group effectiveness requires cohesion between a leaders style and situational demands. Likewise, the theory which Fielder defines as, situational control, would demonstrate how a leader can have an influence on a groups behaviour and actions. Nevertheless, the Fielder theory hypothesises that most situations will have three aspects which will constitute a leaders posture: The Environment i.e. the groups assurance of the leader. Vagueness or clearness of the groups task. A leaders influence will effect on how the group performs on a given task. Therefore, in reference to the authors experiences, there was time when the author was rugby captain for a local Rugby team. Taking Fielders three theory hypothesis into context, the author had the acclaimed respect and confidence from other members of the team. The team were satisfied that they had a leader capable of delivering success and with this in mind; the team were fully focused on the task ahead. Before a league match commenced, the team were fully aware that they needed to work as a unit. All players knew that both the manager and the captain (author) demanded 100% commitment in a match or training. For whatever reason if a player lacked confidence or commitment, they would be dropped until they proved there worthiness. As a leader, the author regards himself as a benevolent dictator (Paul, 2004). The author can be ruthless in many respects, due to the hunger for success. The team understands the way in which the author reacts to particular scenarios i.e. the author has a fun side, as well as a serious side. As discussed, the author respects fellow team members and the team respects the author. Therefore, this is regarded as a recipe for success and could be reflected in the teams outstanding results. In contrast to Fiedlers contingency theory, which anticipates that a leadership style is difficult to change (Wiley, 2010), Hersey-Blanchard situational leadership model proposes that successful leaders adjust their leadership styles. Therefore, instead of utilising one style of leadership, leaders should change their leadership styles based on the maturity of the people theyre leading and the details of the task (Mind Tools, 2010). In essence, this theory allows the leader to judge both tasks and relationships with individuals more effectively, depending on the requirements that are needed to do the job successfully. Hersey-Blanchard devised a model map, which relates a particular leadership style to a maturity level. The table below (figure 1 Mind Tools, 2010), identifies which leadership style Hersey and Blanchard consider the most effective for people with that level of maturity. Hersey-Blanchards Model Map In essence, there are essentially four main leadership styles and these are explained in the examples below: S1 Telling. A leader will tell individuals instructions on what needs doing and how to complete the task successfully. S2 Selling. A leader tends to provide more communication with the individuals, even though a leader will still provide task instructions. Leaders tend to sell their message to get the entire team on board. S3 Participating. A leader tends to focus more on team relations and less on task direction. A leader will become more involved in a teams task and will have an equal say in decision making. S4 Delegating. A leader will become less involved in the decision making process. Although a leader will still monitor team progress, they will pass a proportion of the responsibility onto a follower or the entire group. In essence, leadership styles are split into two main areas. For example, S1 and S2 leadership styles concentrate upon completing a particular task. However, S3 and S4 leadership styles are more focused upon developing an individuals ability to work independently within a team. Likewise, an individuals maturity level will determine the style of leadership to adopt. A breakdown of maturity levels can be found in the examples below: M1 M1 maturity level is at the lowest point of the model map. Individuals who demonstrate at this maturity level tend to lack the necessary skills and knowledge to complete a given task upon their own ability. Its common to push these individuals to achieve something. M2 At this level, followers might be willing to work on the task, but they still dont have the skills to do it successfully. M3 Individuals at this level are well prepared and have the wiliness to complete a given task. However, these individuals still tend to lack confidence in their abilities to achieve something. M4 M4 maturity level is at the highest point of the model map. Compared to other levels on the maturity scale, individuals at this level posses the necessary skills and knowledge to complete a given task i.e. high confidence levels and strong commitment to complete a given task successfully. Essentially, every team which is created from a group of individuals are not equal. A theory behind Hersey and Blanchards situational leadership model argues that a leader will be more effective when they adopt a leadership style that is based upon either individuals or groups they are leading. In reference to the authors experiences, there was a period when the author worked within the Information systems department at Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Limited. The author was given the responsibility of being in charge of a new individual within our resolve group. The author assumed the new individual had some of the required skills to reach the department goals, but not all of them. However, to the authors relief, they had the correct approach and attitude to complete the work. Therefore, the author believed that the individual was at a M3 maturity level (Medium maturity, higher skills but lacking confidence), which is linked to the S3 leadership style (Participating/supporting). Over the weeks that followed, the author ensured the individual was trained to the best of the authors ability, pushing and teaching the individual where necessary i.e. training of new systems. The authors main objective would be to ensure the individual would eventually make their own decisions and as a result, the author identified that both our relationships strengthen over the weeks and their own individual efforts are successful. Compared to the two previous contingency-situational theories, Robert Tannenbaum and Warren Schmidt developed a simple model which, developed a continuum of leadership behaviour to describe a range of behavioural patterns available to a manager (Dean, M, 1976). In other words, the model demonstrates the relationship between the level of freedom that a manager chooses to give to a team, and the level of authority used by the manager (Chapman, A, 1995-2009). The model below (figure 2) is based with Fred Luthans Organisation Behaviour (1995). A leaders action identified on the left of the model, typify a manager who maintains a high degree of control. Whereas, a leaders action identified on the right of the model, typify a manager who delegates authority. Tannenbaum and Schmidt felt that a leader should not choose one style and adhere to it strictly but should be flexible and adapt his style to the situation (Dean, M, 1976). Tannenbaum and Schmidt acknowledged that there should be an interaction between a leader and his /her team. There is usually a trade-off between the control exercised by the leader and the control exercised by the team. However, its identified that no one usually has 100% control of a situation. Even though a leader may give a direct order, other individuals may retain control over i.e. how eager an individual obeys an order. Tannenbaum and Schmidt highlight four diverse leadership styles: Telling A tyrannical style, which a leader gives specific instructions and will monitor individuals intimately. Telling style, is useful when individuals cannot deal with a task unaided, are reluctant, are introduced to a new leader or a previous leader who allowed standards to depreciate. This style will only work well, when you monitor key performance indicators closely or be precise about standards and performance targets for example. Selling A manager will make a decision and then sells the decision (Sherwin, 2009). Selling is acknowledged as being influential, in which a leader gives a clear direction upon a given task and supervises a situation very closely. Selling is also regarded in explaining decisions, encouraging suggestion and supports progress. However, this style works well, when team motivation is lacking and more appropriate when a particular task is non-negotiable. Its also appropriate when a teams motivation is critical to achieve task success. Although, for this style to be successful, you need to reward positive attitudes, listen to staff more closely and develop team skills for example. Consulting A manager will present ideas and invites questions. A manager will have hesitant decisions that are subject to change. A manager will present a problem, get suggestions and make a decision (Sherwin, 2009). Consulting, is collaborative in a style which a leader will discuss a task and will listen to a teams collective ideas. A leader will take each idea into consideration and will have to make a key decision. Consulting is appropriate when a team has both the competence and sufficient skills to contribute to a particular cause. However, the leader has the desire to retain control of a situation, particularly when a leader feels there is an imbalance between a teams competency and any associated risks. Although, for this style to be successful, you need to focus on morale, team spirit and encourage team participation for example. Participation A manager will define a team limits and ask a group to make decisions. A manger permits subordinate to function within limits defined by superior(Sherwin, 2009). Participation is a facilitating style, which a leader gives a team maximum responsibility. Participation is appropriate when a team can demonstrate competency and has a positive attitude towards a task. A leader can have the confidence in letting a team get on with a task and utilise this as a crucial part of the development process. Although, for this style to be successful, you need to act as a resource tool, allow individuals to independently develop their learning and identify potential individuals that can show an example to others. Before the author decided to enrol in higher education, there was a period of time when the author was an apprentice electrician with the local council. The role involved attending a variety of jobs in office buildings, factories, schools, hospitals etc. Emergency call outs were frequent and there was one particular job which required urgent attention. The nature of the job involved an elderly couple, which experienced severe flooding from their bathroom and it was leaking through light fittings in the kitchen. When the author and a colleague arrived at the scene, the damage was worse than anticipated. Therefore, the author had been given the authority to contact the depot to ask for additional members of staff including a plumber and a plasterer. When they arrived on scene, the author coordinated the entire job to ensure the power circuits were repaired, damaged pipe work repaired and the ceiling patched where the water was leaking. Although the author maintained partial authority, the author allowed the team to coordinate some activities amongst themselves. Therefore as the situation changed, the author demonstrated a degree of flexibility, which can be highlighted in Tannenbaum and Schmidts Model of Delegation and Team Development If you refer to the model above, the author tends to typify a leader who demonstrates authority. The author tends to gain a range of theories and ideas which are discussed with the group. Once achieve, the author would make an appropriate decision. In essence, all three contingency theories have unique characteristics that are suited around a particular style. The contingency theory which the author believes will benefit a workforce is the Fielder-Contingency theory and this assumption is based upon the authors own experiences. In comparison to the Hersey-Blanchard and Tannenbaum and Schmidt leadership theories, the author particularly likes the way which Fielder justifies that leaders are not just successful or unsuccessful. Depending upon the situation at the time, leaders can be either effective or ineffective. Therefore, any individual can have the potential to become a successful leader if they choose the most appropriate situation to apply their leadership styles. By adjusting certain elements i.e. task structure, relationships; a leader can have a more effective leadership style. Fielders scale can be relevant in determining leadership styles. References Chapman, A (1995 2009) Tannenbaum and Schmidt continuum. Available at http://www.businessballs.com/tannenbaum.htm. (Accessed: 6th April 2010) Dean, E. M (1976) Managerial Styles. Available at www.airpower.au.af.mil//mar-apr/dean.html. (Accessed: 6th April 2010) Envision Software (2005) Fielders Contingency Theory. Available at http://www.envisionsoftware.com/articles/Fiedlers_Contingency_Theory.html. (Accessed: 31st March 2010) Fielder, F. E (1967) A Theory of Leadership Effectiveness, McGraw Hill, New York, p. 147. Luthans, F (1995) Organisation Behaviour, 7th edition, McGraw Hill, New York Mind Tools (1995 2010) The Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory. Available at http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_44.htm (Accessed: 2nd April 2010) Paul, L. G (2004) Ruthless Strategies for Succeeding in Times of Trouble. Available at http://www.cio.com/article/32171/Ruthless_Strategies_for_Succeeding_in_Times_of_Troube. (Accessed: 6th April 2010) SAC Business (2007) Fielders Contingency Theory. Available at http://docs.google.com/viewer. (Accessed: 31st March 2010) Sherwin, L (2009) Styles of Leadership Available at http://www.lindsay-sherwin.co.uk/guide_team_leadership/html_leadership_styles/4_tannenbaum_schmidt.htm. (Accessed: 12th April 2010) Wiley (2010) What are some additional directions in leadership development and research? Available at http://docs.google.com/viewer. (Accessed: 1st April 2010) Bibliography Chapman, A (1995 2009) Tannenbaum and Schmidt continuum. Available at http://www.businessballs.com/tannenbaum.htm. (Accessed: 6th April 2010) Contingency Models (1997) Contingency Models Website Available at http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~gerard/MENG/ME96/Documents/Styles/conti.html (Accessed: 31st March 2010) Dean, E. M (1976) Managerial Styles. Available at www.airpower.au.af.mil//mar-apr/dean.html. (Accessed: 6th April 2010) Envision Software (2005) Fielders Contingency Theory. Available at http://www.envisionsoftware.com/articles/Fiedlers_Contingency_Theory.html. (Accessed: 31st March 2010) Fielder, F. E (1967) A Theory of Leadership Effectiveness, McGraw Hill, New York, p. 147. Luthans, F (1995) Organisation Behaviour, 7th edition, McGraw Hill, New York Mind Tools (1995 2010) The Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory. Available at http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_44.htm (Accessed: 2nd April 2010) Paul, L. G (2004) Ruthless Strategies for Succeeding in Times of Trouble. Available at http://www.cio.com/article/32171/Ruthless_Strategies_for_Succeeding_in_Times_of_Troube. (Accessed: 6th April 2010) Peters, L. H., Hartke, D. D., Pohlmann J. T. (1985) Fiedlers Contingency Theory of Leadership: An application of the meta-analysis procedures of Schmidt and Hunter, Vol 97 (2), pp. 274-285. DOI [Online]. Available at http://Psycnet.apa.org/doi (Accessed 1st April 2010) Pugh, D.S (1988) Organization Theory, Penguin Books, pp417 424 SAC Business (2007) Fielders Contingency Theory. Available at http://docs.google.com/viewer. (Accessed: 31st March 2010) Sherwin, L (2009) Styles of Leadership Available at http://www.lindsay-sherwin.co.uk/guide_team_leadership/html_leadership_styles/4_tannenbaum_schmidt.htm. (Accessed: 12th April 2010) Wiley (2010) What are some additional directions in leadership development and research? Available at http://docs.google.com/viewer. (Accessed: 1st April 2010) Vecchio, P. R (1988) Organizational Behaviour, Dryden Press, pp286-304

Unpacking the ‘Education’ in Civic Education :: Education Learning essays

Unpacking the ‘Education’ in Civic Education Abstract Unpacking the ‘Education’ in Civic Education In this paper, we explore civic education through an examination of two approaches to the introductory course in American government. Our goal is to identify how differences in pedagogical method affect student learning and attitude formation. We do this through a comparison of two equivalent groups of students; one group experiencing a standard text-lecture-test approach and the other having the additional experience of a three-week character-playing simulation of the congressional policy process. While we find that both groups of students make short-term gains on factual knowledge and both experience attitude shifts in our hoped for directions, the effects are greater in the standard lecture course. Our overall findings help clarify directions for further revision in both formats of the course. The importance of civic education has been well-established. From the earliest political theorists, we see discussion of the importance of a well-informed citizenry for the health of a polity. While skeptical of the power of the people to self-govern, the framers of American democracy still argued that the ultimate power rested in the people, who would even have the right to overthrow government should it violate the â€Å"social contract† with those over whom it governed (as in the Declaration of Independence, where we see Jefferson’s thoughts so clearly influenced by Locke). Closer to modern times, much public opinion literature has engaged in discussions about Americans’ levels of political knowledge, and the consequences that flow from this (see, for just a very few prominent examples, Campbell, Converse, Miller and Stokes 1960; Converse 1964; Delli Carpini and Keeter 1991, 1996; Graber 1994; Jennings 1996; Nie, Verba and Petrocik 1979). To our minds, civic education is about preparing our students to be citizens in the American democracy. This involves teaching them the rudiments of knowledge required for reading a newspaper (or political web site), watching the news on television, and understanding what is going on in the world. Civic education also concerns itself with attitudes; for example, teaching students to have a healthy skepticism for what goes on in government, but grounding this skepticism in a reality that does not hold unrealistic expectations for government or its officials (see Hibbing and Theiss-Morse 1995, 2002 for a useful discussion of unrealistic expectations). Finally, civic education also concerns behaviors, as we encourage students to make intelligent, informed decisions about the extent to which they will participate in the political system. Unpacking the ‘Education’ in Civic Education :: Education Learning essays Unpacking the ‘Education’ in Civic Education Abstract Unpacking the ‘Education’ in Civic Education In this paper, we explore civic education through an examination of two approaches to the introductory course in American government. Our goal is to identify how differences in pedagogical method affect student learning and attitude formation. We do this through a comparison of two equivalent groups of students; one group experiencing a standard text-lecture-test approach and the other having the additional experience of a three-week character-playing simulation of the congressional policy process. While we find that both groups of students make short-term gains on factual knowledge and both experience attitude shifts in our hoped for directions, the effects are greater in the standard lecture course. Our overall findings help clarify directions for further revision in both formats of the course. The importance of civic education has been well-established. From the earliest political theorists, we see discussion of the importance of a well-informed citizenry for the health of a polity. While skeptical of the power of the people to self-govern, the framers of American democracy still argued that the ultimate power rested in the people, who would even have the right to overthrow government should it violate the â€Å"social contract† with those over whom it governed (as in the Declaration of Independence, where we see Jefferson’s thoughts so clearly influenced by Locke). Closer to modern times, much public opinion literature has engaged in discussions about Americans’ levels of political knowledge, and the consequences that flow from this (see, for just a very few prominent examples, Campbell, Converse, Miller and Stokes 1960; Converse 1964; Delli Carpini and Keeter 1991, 1996; Graber 1994; Jennings 1996; Nie, Verba and Petrocik 1979). To our minds, civic education is about preparing our students to be citizens in the American democracy. This involves teaching them the rudiments of knowledge required for reading a newspaper (or political web site), watching the news on television, and understanding what is going on in the world. Civic education also concerns itself with attitudes; for example, teaching students to have a healthy skepticism for what goes on in government, but grounding this skepticism in a reality that does not hold unrealistic expectations for government or its officials (see Hibbing and Theiss-Morse 1995, 2002 for a useful discussion of unrealistic expectations). Finally, civic education also concerns behaviors, as we encourage students to make intelligent, informed decisions about the extent to which they will participate in the political system.

PriceLine Essay

The number of Internet users has multiplied manifolds in the past few years that have influenced business strategies across the globe. The travel industry too has undergone significant changes with companies utilizing online platform to reach out to millions of customers at a given point of time. E-commerce has emerged as the new marketplace where travel package sellers provide prompt service to customers looking for holiday packages, flight ticket bookings, hotel reservations and sight seeing trips. The online travel industry has equipped the customers with access to vast information related to travel plans, cost of tickets, options and alternatives available to minimize costs and make more effective travel plans. This proves not only convenient to the customers allowing them to make better decisions but also saves a lot of time in commuting to the local travel agent or making reservations on phone. The flexibility offered by this mode of transaction has induced most people to venture online to book flights and make travel plans. The industry has witnessed widespread growth due to increasing consumer demand for online services. Many firms have entered the industry owing to the low cost of setting up virtual operations and increased market accessibility. PriceLine. com was one of the pioneers in this field owing to its unique business model â€Å"Name Your Own Price† that set the cash registers ringing for the company. Eventually many companies followed to adopt the demand collection business model to achieve increased sales and growth. Company overview Priceline. com was founded in the year 1997 and is an online travel service provider with its headquarters in Connecticut, United States. Priceline. om currently provides online travel services to over 60 countries in Europe, America, Asia, Middle East and Africa. It operates under the banners booking. com – an online hotel reservation service serving European markets, priceline. com – an online travel booking service operating in United States, and agoda. com – an online hotel reservation service in Asia. Additionally the company operates other travel websites that include travelweb. com, lowestfare. com, rentalcars. com and breezenet. com. The company also provides personal finance services that offer home mortgages, refinancing and home equity loans. Priceline. com offers its customers various alternatives to plan their vacations in a cost effective manner. The various services provided by the company allow the customers to save on their airline tickets, hotel reservation charges, renting cars, vacation packages and cruises. In addition to discounted prices and cost effective travel packages the company provides its customers with Name Your Own Price service that enables the customers to bid for tickets and reservations, car rentals and cruises at their own specified price that is accepted or refused by the company based on booking availability. The company generates revenue on the margin between the customer paid price and the price paid by the company to the airlines, car rental agencies or hotels for bookings. Priceline. com soon expanded to other areas of servicing including car rentals, hotel reservations, car sales, vacations packages, and cruises. The sales of the company increased from only US$ 35 million in 1998 to US$ 480 million in 1999. In the year 2007 the company reported a gross sale of US$ 4. 8 billion that was almost 45. 5 percent increase over the previous year sales (Priceline. om). Priceline – The Business Model Advancing technology and rapidly changing business application scenario has made a deep impact on the way organizations are adopting innovative ways to reach the customers and increase profit margins. E-commerce is the latest business strategy that has provided greater competitive edge to industries across the globe. The online travel business is one of the most rewarding aspects of rising e-commerce applications. Consumers now do not need to visit the ticketing or booking office to make their travel plans. All they need to do is log on to the Internet and access websites that offer online flight ticket bookings, hotel reservations, car rentals and host of other travel related services such as arranging local sightseeing trips and avail special tour packages. Priceline. com is one of the pioneers in providing its customers with cost effective travel services introducing a novel approach to online travel sales. The business model â€Å"Name Your Own Price† became a huge hit with the customers and Priceline made headlines in the forthcoming years. Priceline. om was the brainchild of Jay Walker, an entrepreneur, who developed a new business model where the customers could bid their price for a specific product. The seller would then decide if he is ready to sell at that price or not. This model enabled the sellers to offload their old and excess stock at a discounted price. In 1996 this model was applied by Jay Walker to an airline industry where unsold extra seats were sold off to customers at a discounted price. This formed the origin of an Internet-based software â€Å"name your own price† ticketing service for airlines. Customers placed bid on tickets for specific destinations of their choice. Priceline would match the available airlines bookings for the specified destinations and decide on accepting price bids placed by customers. The company discarded requests for unreasonably low prices quoted by customers. Moreover, the customers had the limitation of choosing airlines, exact time of travel and if needed, take a connecting flight. This business model was not readily accepted by major airlines since they had plans of launching their own website services. Walker had entered into agreement with only two partners – TWA and America West. Priceline. com was launched in April 1998. Initially the company faced losses and but in August 1998 the company signed agreement with one of the major airlines – Delta, and this turned the fortunes of the company. Other airlines followed suit and the company’s business model gained rapid acceptance among the consumers. There are three steps to PriceLine sales strategy online using the â€Å"Name Your Own Price† model. The website collects consumer demand for a specific product or service at a desired price level. The company then communicates this demand to the available sellers’ database and decides on a specific dealer who is willing to sell at that particular consumer-mentioned price. Once the seller agrees to sell at that price, the company communicates this offer to the consumer who finalizes the sales process. In case the consumer does not respond to the offer within a specified time period the offer is declared null and void. Company Growth Strategy The company’s management has ambitious growth plans for the future and is focused on growing and expanding to new emerging markets in Asia and other corners of the globe. The company is experiencing extraordinary growth rate and this is evident in its positioning in the Top 50 hot growth company list on the Business Week magazine. Jeffrey H. Boyd, president and Chief Executive Officer of Priceline claims â€Å"Internationally, we believe that our wide geographic reach, new market initiatives and extensive inventory are providing sustained impetus for growth. We believe that in the United States, our value positioning and brand promotion through offline and online channels is driving above-category growth rates in an uncertain economic environment. † The â€Å"Name Your Own Price† business model launched by PriceLine became the stepping stone to success. The company adopted this model effectively in the travel bookings industry and then re-applied this theory to other segment of customer service that included financial mortgages and car sales. PriceLine has evolved as a reputable brand in the past few years in the area of online travel bookings. The company utilized this brand name to promote franchisees across various geographic regions. The market expansion strategy through appointing licensed operators to offer similar kinds of services to customers using their business model was very effective. Richard S. Braddock, the CEO and chairman of PriceLine had stated â€Å"We believe that priceline. com has the two most important ingredients in place to make our travel growth strategy a success. One is our industry leading travel brand and the other is our customer franchise, which provides a steady average stream of 4 million visitors who come to priceline. com each month looking to make travel purchases. † Prompt query processing and customer service is another area of marketing and sales strategy that is emphasized by the company management. The effectiveness of travel booking companies is measured by their capacity to provide host of cost effective travel packages and prompt customer servicing. Ron Rose, the Chief Information Officer at PriceLine observes in priceline. om â€Å"Our goal is to lead the industry as a world class customer-centric company, with an infrastructure that delivers the best, personalized customer service experience is absolutely fundamental to our company’s long term success on the Internet. † PriceLine started its initial operations with airlines ticket booking services and the wide popularity and acceptance that their business model experienced during the first few years prompted them to move to new areas of operations related to travel market. The online booking of airlines services was extended to hotel reservations, car rentals, vacation packages and cruises. The number of sellers associating with PriceLine. com also increased owing to their rapid market expansion and growth strategy. Major airlines, hotels, car renting agencies and cruise companies entered into agreement with PriceLine to meet the growing consumer demands. PriceLine has adopted aggressive outdoor advertising and online advertising campaigns to generate interest among potential consumers on a global scale. It has set up physical locations at strategic market locations to increase accessibility and provide a more effective customer service. This step was taken to attract customers who are not Internet savvy and prefer to transact offline. Technology The launch of the Internet applications and e-commerce in the 1990s made a deep impact on the business world. E-commerce business models revolutionized the way businesses are conducted today leading to increased opportunities that challenged traditional business outfits to accept new challenges. Low cost operations business models made an entry equipped with technology that had extensive global reach and the potential to generate higher profits. The appropriate use of this technology in the online travel sales business provided Priceline with an edge over its competitors. It became a leading service provider in the industry owing to the ways it enabled its customers to save on their airline tickets, hotel reservations, rental car bookings, vacation packages and cruises. The company applied an advanced search technology, TripFilter that allowed the travelers to narrow their searches and create their own travel packages that were most cost effective using the lowest price booking services offer. Application of e-commerce technologies and applications have made significant impact on the sales of the company. The company website has been ranked as one of the most available e-commerce site in the past four years according to Keynote systems (www. keynotesystems. com). Technology has been a great enabler of changes in modes of business practice and models adopted by the entrepreneurs to maximize gains. The company realizes that it needs to maintain a strong database and advanced technology features in terms of data storage capacity to accommodate its growing customer base online. The management implemented a system that took care of its growing backend processing needs without compromising on the speed of customer request processing. PriceLine utilized the technology platform to provide a base for new means of marketing, revenue earning model, and communicating with existing and potential clients. The online market penetration strategy adopted by PriceLine offered huge economic benefits in terms of extensive market penetration, easy access to consumers and wide scale accessibility of products and services. Market Expansion Strategies The globalization of the market owing to the extensive reach of the Internet, information, and product details accessible to consumers across physical borders translates to increased sales and revenue figures for the sellers online. They can now reach any corner of the globe to display and sell their products ensuring wider scale of operations and greater market share. This owes to the millions of people globally who now have access to the Internet and with telecommunication service providers facilitating the broadband services; the quality of access has improved considerably. The online travel market demand is increasing in emerging Asian economies and most reputed travel brands are establishing their presence in these countries to tap the enormous market potential. The United States market has the maximum number of users online to meet their travel demands. Online ticket bookings and travel related purchases are one of the primary contributors to e-commerce revenue. The markets of United States and Europe are more matured compared to the emerging Asian markets that hold a lot of promise for the industry in the future years.

Christic figure Essay

The character of Jefferson in Ernest Gaines’ A Lesson before Dying represents a figure upon whom the ridicule and disgraceful lot of his is cast. As a slow witted man, his handicap is treated as typical of his entire race, and this disability as compared to other men is used as a symbol of the inferiority of his whole race. Throughout his experience as an accused and a convict, he comes to realize that his impending death will be of great significance to his race. He realizes that however he chooses to handle this death, whether with dignity or dishonor, will serve to confer this quality upon his entire race. This places Jefferson in a situation that is akin to that in which Christ finds himself during his lifetime, and Jefferson might therefore be considered a Christic figure in the novel. Despite his humanity, Jefferson lays claim to having another nature. When described by his lawyer as being no more able to plot the crime than a hog might have been, Jefferson latches on to this idea and considers himself as not fully human but having the nature of a hog. This connects him to Christ as he too denied the human nature, claiming a more divine one as he walked on earth. Furthermore, just as Jefferson’s â€Å"hog-like† nature precluded his ability to plot and execute the heinous crime of which he is accused and convicted, so was Christ’s divine nature one that prevented him from having the ability to commit the sins of humanity for which he was convicted. Therefore, the connection between Jefferson and Christ might already be seen to be a strong one as they both lay claim to natures that are non-human and that do not admit of the wrongs for which they are falsely accused. Throughout the novel, Jefferson can be seen to reclaim his humanity, after being considered a hog—being called one in the courtroom—and then taking on the nature of the hog in his actions and through his own confessions. He begins to change from his usual dim-wittedness into a more conscious and cognitive being as he is encouraged to think and write the thoughts down in a journal. The reader begins to see his humanity shine through his debased aspect, very much like the humanity of Christ is evident despite his divine nature. Yet, though Jefferson’s humanity represents an elevation (and Christ’s is usually considered a demotion from his deity), Christ’s humanity, like Jefferson’s, might also be seen in a manner of elevation, the way he was elevated on the Cross. Throughout Jefferson’s time in prison, many more people came to visit him—and the visits increased as he neared his execution. This demonstrates his elevation to a place of note and celebrity, akin to that place Christ now has in the world because of his death. Another aspect of his character that connects him to Christ is Jefferson’s admission that he would like to be given a vat of ice-cream. This occurrence, fist of all, points toward the extent to which Jefferson has been denied the pleasures of humanity, as he admits that he has never been granted more than a thimble full of this substance. This might be compared to the way in which Christ denies himself many worldly pleasures in order to maintain his disconnection from the sinful human nature. Secondly, this request might also be compared to one of Christ’s last requests, where on the Cross he asks for some water to quench his thirst. Jefferson’s thirst might here be considered his lifelong deprival of this treat, and in this way both Christ and Jefferson seek to satisfy their thirst before dying. The writer of the novel places Jefferson in the situation of being a representative of his race. As a black man living in the south, Jefferson’s wrongful imprisonment demonstrates the lot of his fellow black persons, who lived in a perpetual state of imprisonment within their black skins and within a system that grants them few freedoms because of the color of this skin. The human race connects him to Christ in that Christ too was human but lay claim to a widely different nature. The Christic comparison continues with Grant’s attitude in Jefferson’s presence, in which at one time Grant repents of his former attitude of reluctance to aid the condition of his race. He also mentions a feeling of being lost, and this too is confessed in the presence of Jefferson. This can be seen as a comparison of Jefferson to Christ, as Christ’s divinity endows him with the power to cause humans to feel their need for a savior—in the same way that Grant feels that Jefferson has the ability to lead him toward salvation. Christ is also the main historical figure that has claimed the ability to elicit repentance, just as Grant has felt the need to repent in the presence of Jefferson. Furthermore, the death which Jefferson is to face is one that is to represent the punishment of his entire black race, and this represents a close comparison to the destiny of Christ, whose death was a representation of the punishment of the sins committed by the entire human race.

Oxford Referencing †Citing a Journal Article

Oxford Referencing – Citing a Journal Article Oxford Referencing – Citing a Journal Article At some point, you may need to reference a journal article when writing a dissertation or essay. And when using Oxford referencing, you’ll need two things for this: footnote citations and an entry in the bibliography. The format of Oxford citations can differ depending on the version of the system used, so make sure to check your style guide if you have one. However, the general rules for referencing a journal article are as follows. Citing a Print Journal Article in Footnotes Footnote citations are indicated with superscript numbers in the text: This is how it should appear in your document.1 Source details are then given in a footnote at the bottom of the page. The first time you reference a journal article, use the following format: n. Initial(s). Surname, â€Å"Article Title,† Journal Title, volume, number, year, page number(s). The â€Å"page number(s)† bit here should point to the specific part of the article cited. Using this format, you should end up with something like this: 1. T. Walker, â€Å"Beating the System,† Economics 101, vol. 10, no. 4, 2007, p. 167. If the article you’re citing has two or three authors, meanwhile, you can use and to separate the last two names: 2. O. Duffy, S. Taylor and J. Tokunago, â€Å"Using Mulch to Improve Your Crops,† Ecology Reports, vol. 6, no. 8, 2009, pp. 34-35. And if it has more than three authors, use â€Å"et al.† after the first name: 3. M. Larkin et al., â€Å"Determining Time,† Space and Beyond, vol. 12, no.4, 2015, p. 16. This will provide all the information your reader needs to find the article in question. But you will also need a bibliography entry (see below). Citing an Online Journal Article in Footnotes The format for citing an electronic journal article is similar, but most versions of Oxford referencing also require a URL and date of access in these cases: n. Initial(s). Surname, â€Å"Article Title,† Journal Title, volume, number, year, page number(s), URL, accessed day month year. For instance, we would cite an online journal article as follows: 1. T. Walker, â€Å"Beating the System,† Economics 101, vol. 10, no. 4, 2007, p. 167, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.14486 , accessed April 6, 2019. Alternatively, you could give the name of a database instead of a URL. The key in both cases is to clearly show how you accessed the article. Subsequent Footnotes After the first citation, you can use a shortened format if you end up citing the same journal article again. Depending on the style guide you’re using, there are two ways to do this: Latin abbreviations or a shortened footnote format. Repeat Citations: Latin Abbreviations Many versions of Oxford referencing use three Latin abbreviations: Ibid. (meaning â€Å"in the same place†) – Used to cite the same source twice in a row. These are known as consecutive citations. Make sure to include a new page number if you’re citing a different part of the same text. Op. cit. (meaning â€Å"in the work cited†) – Used when citing a different part of the text in a non-consecutive citation (i.e., when you have cited at least one other source since the initial footnote). Use this after the authors surname. If you have cited more than one source by the author in question, include a shortened source title for clarity, too. Loc. cit. (meaning â€Å"in the place cited†) – As above, but used when citing the same page as in the initial footnote citation. In practice, then, repeat citations would look something like this: 4. L. Stephenson, â€Å"Replacing BMW Tires,† Practical Help for Aspiring Mechanics, vol. 76, no. 7, 2010, p. 22. 5. Ibid. p. 27. 6. R. Rose, â€Å"Carburetors and Me,† Automotive Anonymous, vol. 34, no. 6, 2011, p. 16. 7. Stephenson, op. cit., pp. 29-31. 8. Rose, loc. cit. Here, footnotes 4, 5 and 7 all cite different parts of the Stephenson source. Footnotes 6 and 8, meanwhile, both cite page 16 of the Rose source. Repeat Citations: Shortened Format Alternatively, some versions of Oxford referencing abbreviate repeat citations by giving the author’s surname and a page number. If you have cited more than one source by a single author, moreover, make sure to include a shortened title to indicate which source you are citing: 4. L. Stephenson, â€Å"Replacing BMW Tires,† Practical Help for Aspiring Mechanics, vol. 76, no. 7, 2010, p. 22. 5. R. Rose, â€Å"Carburetors and Me,† Automotive Anonymous, vol. 34, no. 6, 2011, p. 16. 6. L. Stephenson, â€Å"Driving through Spain,† The European Road Trip, vol. 12, no. 6, 2003, p. 87. 7. Stephenson, â€Å"Replacing BMW Tires,† pp. 29-31. 8. Rose, p. 16. Here, for instance, footnotes 4 and 7 are both for one of the Stephenson articles, while footnotes 5 and 8 are for the Rose article called â€Å"Carburetors and Me.† We include a title in the repeat Stephenson citation to distinguish it from the source in footnote 6, which is also by Stephenson. Journal Articles in an Oxford Bibliography At the end of your document, you will need to list all sources in a bibliography. The format to use here for a journal article is: Surname, Initial(s), â€Å"Article Title,† Journal Title, volume, number, year, page number(s). Note that, in the bibliography, you should include the full page range for a journal article, not just a pinpoint citation for the page(s) cited. In addition, as with footnote citations, you will need to include a URL/database name and a date of access for online journal articles. In practice, then, a journal article in the bibliography would look like this: Stephenson, L., â€Å"Driving through Spain,† The European Road Trip, vol. 12, no. 6, 2003, pp. 74-87. Walker, T., â€Å"Beating the System,† Economics 101, vol. 10, no. 4, 2007, pp. 160-167, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3998/mpub.14486 , accessed April 6, 2019. And if you’d like someone to check your document, including footnotes and the bibliography, get in touch with our academic proofreaders today.

Daddy, Vampires, Black Hearts Essays - Daddy, Sylvia Plath, Plath

Daddy, Vampires, Black Hearts Essays - Daddy, Sylvia Plath, Plath Daddy, Vampires, Black Hearts In the poem Daddy, Sylvia Plath says that there are women who, due to early conditioning, find themselves without the tools to deal with oppressive and controlling men. They are left feeling helpless and hopeless. For some women, the struggle is never resolved, others take most of a lifetime. For a lucky few, they are granted a reprieve. The speaker in this poem is Sylvia Plath. The poem describes her feelings of oppression and her battle to come to grips with the issues of this power imbalance. The poem also conjures the struggle many women face in a male dominated society. The conflict of this poem is male authority and control versus the right of a female to be herself, to make choices, and be free of male domination. Plaths conflicts begin in her relationship with her father and continues with her husband. The intensity of this conflict is extremely apparent as she uses examples that cannot be ignored. The atrocities of NAZI Germany are used as symbols of the horror of male domination. The constant and crippling manipulation of the male, as he introduces oppression and hopelessness into the lives of his women, is equated with the twentieth centurys worst period. Words such as Luftwaffe, panzerman, and Meinkampf look are used to descibe her father and husband as well as all male domination. The frequent use of the word black throughout the poem conveys a feeling of gloom and suffocation. Like many women in society, we know that Plath felt oppressed and stifled throughout her life by her use of the simile I have lived like a shoe for thirty years poor and white, barely able to breath or Achoo. The use of similes and metaphors such as Chuffing me off like a Jew. A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belson. and I think I may well be a Jew clearly shows the feelings of anguished hopelessness and the ripping agony she must have felt. The agelessness of this poem is guaranteed as there will always be women who feel the same torture that is described. . Strong images are conveyed throughout the poem. The words marble- heavy, a.bag full of God conveys the omniscience of her fathers authority and the heaviness it weighed on her throughout her life. The vampire who said he was you, and drank my blood for a year, seven years if you want to know describe her husband and the ability of male power to strip a person of their own sense of themselves. The poem is written in stanzas of five short lines. These lines remind me of a Mike Tyson jab, short but extremely powerful. An example of this If Ive killed one man Ive killed two The vampire who said he was you. The powerful imagery of these lines overpowers any of the rhyme scheme. The tone of this poem is an adult engulfed in outrage. This outrage,at times, slips into the sobs of a child. This is evident by Plaths continued use of the word daddy and the childlike repitition You do not do, you do not do and Daddy, daddy, you bastard. Fear from her childhood moves her in directions that will take her far from herself. In one line in the poem she brings us starkly into the world of a childs fear. She uses words that sound like the words of a child staring out at us from behind a bardwire snare I have always been scared of you. This poem portrays a bleak picture of life for some women. However, we know that Plath was able to resolve her conflicts. She states Daddy Ive had to kill you and Daddy, you can lie back now. Theres a stake in your big fat black heart Athough it appears that Plath has reached resolution this is not the case for many women who find themselves under the thumb of a male. These women should look to this poem for help. It is a beautiful argument that clearly shows that she climbed from total domination by a male to freedom

A Business overview of Aluminium Bahrain

A Business overview of Aluminium Bahrain Culture is a term that is hard to express clearly, but people tend to sense it when they feel it. â€Å"Basically, organizational culture is the personality of the organization. Culture is comprised of the assumptions, values, norms and tangible signs (artifacts) of organization members and their behaviors. Members of an organization soon come to sense the particular culture of an organization.†Ã‚   [ 1 ]   Organizational cultures are classified into seven distinct cultural dimensions that portray the company’s mission, objectives, strategies and vision. Aluminum Bahrain (Alba), one of the largest aluminum producers in the world is known for its strong organizational culture. Alba’s culture is characterized by several dimensions like people orientation, team orientation, aggressiveness, and stability. This essay will demonstrate the variety of dimensions through Alba’s momentous historical performance and inspiring vision. Company History â€Å"The sto ry of Alba marks the inception of industrial diversification in the Gulf. The company’s ongoing success as a primary producer of high-grade aluminium has brought significant economic benefits to the region and has taken the country technologically into the 21st Century. In the mid 1960s, the Bahrain Government was seeking to diversify its economic base from a heavy dependence on oil. The aim was to establish a suitable industry which would provide valuable export earnings, develop the country’s resources and create training and employment opportunities. Bahrain was well situated geographically between the source of raw materials, particularly alumina from Australia, and the markets for primary aluminium in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Bahrain’s prime advantage was its plentiful supply of gas from the Khuff field to meet the high energy requirements of aluminium production.†Ã‚   [ 2 ]    People Orientation Alba is known for its people oriented organizat ional culture. Most of the decisions and actions take into account the company’s significant stakeholders like employees, customers, suppliers and the Bahraini society. Fostering a stable workforce through Bahrainization Bahrainization is an important economic policy of the Government of Bahrain, and the Company has exceeded the government’s stated target levels of Bahrainization. Consequently, the Company’s permanent staff includes a high proportion of Bahraini citizens. Currently, over 87% of its permanent employees are citizens of Bahrain. Employees As at June 30, 2010, the Company employed 2,706 full-time equivalent employees. The following table sets forth the aggregate number of people employed by each of its departments. Breakdown of Employees by Department Department Bahraini Nationals Expatriates Total Chief Executive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 13 60 Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192 26 218 Calciner & Carbon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455 105 560 Cast House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 38 415 Finance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 4 25 Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 2 39 Metal Production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 930 64 994 Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 74 254 Sourcing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 23 141 Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,357 349 2,706 Employee Benefits Alba provides many services to employees including â€Å"comprehensive Medical Centre, subsidized canteens, an attractive savings benefit scheme, a well-equipped sports and leisure club, a unique housing scheme, transportation to work for all non-supervisory employees and a number of reward schemes including the Good Suggestion Scheme, Attendance Award and Gold Card scheme†Ã‚   [ 3 ]    Alba savings benefit scheme The Company also operates a contributory savings scheme for its Bahraini employees, the Alba Savings and Benefit Scheme (â€Å"ASBS†). The employees’ contributions are deducted from their salaries and the Company makes an additional contribution to each employee’s savings. The scheme is established as a trust and is administered by trustees representing the employees and the Company. The trustees manage the risks relating to the scheme’s assets by appr oving the entities in which the scheme can invest and by setting limits for investment in individual entities. The Company’s board of directors may consider allowing Bahraini national employees to borrow from the ASBS to fund the purchase of Ordinary Shares in the Limited Offering to Bahraini citizens. â€Å"The Company’s board of directors is also considering a proposal to purchase Ordinary Shares in the Ordinary Share Offering, up to an aggregate of 3,000,000 Ordinary Shares, using its own funds, and to hold such Ordinary Shares in treasury until distribution at a future date to eligible employees.†Ã‚   [ 4 ]   Under the proposed plan, each of its current employees would be granted a fixed sum of Ordinary Shares â€Å"contingent upon such employee’s continuous employment and good standing with the Company during a specified future period, and subject to certain other conditions.†Ã‚   [ 5 ]

Technical Term Paper (Part B) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 2

Technical Term Paper (Part B) - Assignment Example Wide-IP intends to develop a number of router configuration changes that would enable data center routers to be easily transferred ,one at a time and dismantling the old lines after the installed new data center are proven. This is essential in providing an uninterrupted user support during the transfer and reducing the ongoing operational risk. Fiction Corporation, a retail chain needs to move a new headquarter several miles away. Considering the distance and the chain operations, the main challenge is moving all the personell to the new headquarters and ensuring that the data center supports all the retail sales and warehouse operations. Whereas the warehouse functions from Monday to Saturday,allowing one day to transfer an AS/400 and develop new SNA links,most of the stores will be open for 24 hours, which will be significant in ensuring non interruption transfer of the network system. Basing on the viewpoint of data processing,the migration of network system will include as AS/400,a large UPS, NT PC and Novell servers, and multiple RS/6000 AIX application servers.The network will be made up of about 75 stores that are connected through frame relay that has ISDN backup to three routers located in data center.The three routers will run a common LAN that will be shared by the headquesrter staff,the warehouse and the data center. An important point to consider is there will be a possibility of everything being shut down on the Friday evening during the week of data network system transfer.During this time,fiction corporation will run backups on every server,dismantle all headquarter employee systems and data center, and reconfiguration of immovable warehouse systems. The major business goals are to reduce operational inefficiency, minimize operational cost, and improve employees productivity. Minimizing operation cost, which is measured in terms of cost per computer per year, will be achieved by

Philosophy Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Philosophy Paper - Essay Example One of the arguments by St. Thomas is the argument that beings (things) are caused, moved or changed by something else. Here we are talking of a beginning or an end. That the Universe began from somewhere. There cannot be at any time we can imagine of vacuum. The ever expanding Universe cannot be imagined to have a beginning, why? Because it could imply again that the Universe has an end. Indeed, can one imagine of a time when there was nothing at all? This implies that an explanation has to be; in order to explain the reason for their existence (being) hence invoking the Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR). The basic idea here is that God needs to be posited as the ultimate source or explanation of the existence of all other beings, (Class Notes, 11/27/12). Now consider this argument from Rowel’s book on cosmological argument (24): The argument above maintains that there are only two types of beings that is the self existent being (God-cause) and the depended beings (effects). That any causal series invites us to think of the first cause the uncaused. Premise one depends on PSR which is purely to say that the things in which we experience coming and going out of existence is a mere fact that there must be a superior being that controls or rather brings them into existence and out of existence. This again is to say that every depended being cannot exist on its own without the other or simply put it that one depended being has to be brought forth by the other depended being. Â   Response: There is no way we can talk of a series of dependent beings as if it is a dependent being. I.e. remember that every individual has got his or her own identity and individuality. That the moment I confuse your identity with the other, am automatically saying that the individuality and identity of the first cause (God) is interfered. This again

The Geography of North America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Geography of North America - Essay Example There is also a Mediterranean climate in the South West, and a dry continental interior in the Great Plains (North America). As to the vegetation type in North America, it is also varied and the types that exist in it include grasslands, drought-resistant vegetation, coniferous forests, deciduous broadleaf forest, and tundra. Among the land forms in North America, there are mountain ranges, plains, and volcanoes. Lastly, among the natural calamities, there are tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and ice storms (North America). When it comes to language, the two most common spoken languages in North America include English and Spanish. English is predominantly spoken in the United States, Bermuda, Canada and the Cayman Islands. On the other hand, Spanish is being spoken in the rest of the countries, while a part of Canada would speak French (â€Å"Facts about North America†). North American culture is all about individualism, which is common among Americans. This is the practice of keeping personal distance with another person. This must have developed because of the fact that families are spread out across the country and the continent. Moreover, Thanksgiving Day is a time that families gather and restore their bond with each other. North American culture is also all about equality and exchanging of gifts (â€Å"North American Culture†). The wealthiest countries in North America are Canada and the United States (â€Å"Facts about North America†). Moreover, there are a total of 393 high-tech regions in this continent and there are 19 specific high-tech industries that exist here. The largest and most influential high tech center in the world, Silicon Valley, is the leader of the metropolitan regions of the continent (DeVol et al.). Currently, the United Stateshas a population of 316.1 million and Canada with 35.2 million. North America has 11 megaregions in the United States alone and these regions are where the growth of population is

Do you agree that the concept of core values in International Essay - 3

Do you agree that the concept of core values in International Relations is not being applied in its spirit in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Either way, justify your answer with the help of examples - Essay Example In essence, the essay seeks to expound on how diverse factors in Saudi do impede and curtail the promotion of international relations Conflicts that threaten to graduate into war do exist in Saudi Arabia. The existences of various anti-governmental groups are the perpetrators of this insecurity. The reasons for low levels of security range from frequent active Protests demanding to air their grievances to the government (Al-Ahmadi 2011). This mainly involves the Shia; that is a minority group in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, cases of violence and use of weapons during effort to quell protests have been reported. The security forces had to deal with armed Protestants in the early protests. Another recent big blow to help fight the war against insecurity in Saudi Arabia surfaced when the government turned down the chance to take up membership in the United Nations Security council. This was after the country being elected to join the ten nonpermanent members of the Security Council. The reason for turning down the seat was unclear and therefore this to some way suggests that the government is unwilling to streamline security issues. Consequently, this scares away the foreign investors as well as the citizens lose confidence in the government. Security is a fundamental requirement for development and it cannot be overlooked by any country willing to match ahead economically. Contrary with Saudi Arabia, we feel that the security is not given priority. This undermines the international core value relations. While the world is advancing with measures to counter insecurity Saudi Arabia in not willing to be part of this prosperous change. Therefore, the future of the country in terms of security is unpredictable although it is likely to fall into more insecurity upsurge. Individuals, groups, societies and nations enjoy the free will to express themselves and do what they feel is right as long as they are not interfering with other peoples’ rights.

Technology gets better over time Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Technology gets better over time - Essay Example According to Langdon Winner (2001) in his essay â€Å"Whatever happened to the electronic cottage?,† he has described the illusionary concept drawn by Alvin Toffler in his book, â€Å"The Third Wave† (1980) that technology would help the people to become more closer; they would develop more social bonding among them which would give rise to greater community stability along with an increase in the establishment of voluntary organizations supporting different groups in a society. His vision of an ideal society established on the basis of advancement of technology suggests that there would be less stress and more leisure in the lives of people with an increased focus on the expansion of values and morality within the social structure. The vision drawn by Alvin Toffler came to reality but with bitter results. ... It is important to understand that how these technological interactions have influenced individuals and the groups in a society, at large. The emergence of social networking sites have become a major medium for communication for a large number of people all around the globe. The use of such social networking sites can have positive as well as the negative consequences on the lives of people which depend on how they are using it. In a society where people are geographically separated and one tries to keep in touch with his family and friends, technology has facilitated them in maintaining their relations even in the farthest corners of the world. For a person, it has become just a matter of time to re-connect with his long-lost companion through a social networking site. However, with the benefits and positive aspects related with the use of social networking sites we cannot ignore the negative consequences and risk associated with the use of social networking sites and increased virt ual communications. Different people have different influences of such websites. This issue can be explained with an example of a man who displays all the events of his day on a play card and stands holding them on a public place. Due to this particular act of his display, he draws the attention and reaction of known and unknown people towards the internal affairs of his life; giving an opportunity to comment on his personal life and affairs. The vast extend of all kinds of comments and remarks on social media plays a negative role in the user’s life regardless whether the comments or remarks are true or not; their results are devastating in many peoples’ lives. According to

Museum and media studies at wildwalk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Museum and media studies at wildwalk - Essay Example The strings that hold us all together are many - and more than that, they are common threads that date back to centuries and generations long gone. I would like to assert that there is a great deal of importance attached to the study and preserving of our history and roots.While the subjects are vast, the elements of such studies form a large platform for determining the socio cultural and geographical implications of recorded history and work in the same context. In this regard, museums are more than just buildings that house pieces for children to enjoy on a field trip. This thought was accentuated during a recent visit I paid to the Wildwalk based in the centre of Bristol. As far as the conception of museums and their aims go, they work to reproduce ideologies in order to lend credibility and authenticity to the existing order of things. Also, museums have been seen as instruments of social reform, which shows a variety of pattern. The first is that the objects in museums can exceed their designated roles as documents or specimens by revolving around the strategic placement to make them give out a certain message in terms of sounds and images. This conforms to the notion of the Wildwalk adopting a certain standard of media culture. The primary role here is to correlate people and material things, so that the museum becomes an important site for the development of new forms of experience, memory and knowledge. In this case, it has adopted an approach that is an amalgamation of the naturalism and simulation theories. In case of naturalism, it has been found that the heritage industry gained a boost when Thatcher's time saw the commemoration of Britain's past when its industrial sector faced a decline in the 1970s. In order to keep the tourist inflow steady, there was a new interpretation of the past heritage and glory in terms of commoditization of a museum and its objects which have helped remove conflict within communities that have lost out on this heritage. (Bird et al, 1993) So far media culture was represented only in fields like film, music and television. But during the latter half of the twentieth century, this concept began to make its foray into various aspects that adhered to the public sphere. Museums now place special emphasis on the conept of media culture owing to the fact that it provides a strong conetxt for the study and presentation of facts pertaining to various material and socil behaviour. In this way, media in museum studies provides an impetus to link cultures and origins. This a point of interest for scholars and visitors alike owing to the fact that the use of media for learning and experiencing something new has been proven as an effective tool. (Piror, 2006) This demonstrates the fact that museums can be theorized as a form of media. To take the case of both historical and contemporary examples, one would have to admit that these examples are clear in international instances as well. Take for example, the play of curiosity and the related use of media to satisfy the same through the avant-garde exhibition design of Lissitzy and Bayer. Also, the use of media has seen the age of experimental museums that have been ushered in by the likes of Paul Otlet and Otto Neurath. Further, science centres hold their own in terms of immersive and virtual museums with major developments such as Guggenheim Bilbao, Tate Modern in London and the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. (Piror, 2006) Based in nuances of iconography, the media aspect of Wildwalk is replete in the fact that it is a rainforest crammed with all kinds of live animals, plants and multimedia exhibits, which are waiting to be experienced. We use the word experience because here, one is in close contact with the nuances of the the awe inspiring diversity of the natural world in its spelndor. With an impetus to place facts and information in one's knowledge base through the use of creativity in media

Technology gets better over time Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Technology gets better over time - Essay Example According to Langdon Winner (2001) in his essay â€Å"Whatever happened to the electronic cottage?,† he has described the illusionary concept drawn by Alvin Toffler in his book, â€Å"The Third Wave† (1980) that technology would help the people to become more closer; they would develop more social bonding among them which would give rise to greater community stability along with an increase in the establishment of voluntary organizations supporting different groups in a society. His vision of an ideal society established on the basis of advancement of technology suggests that there would be less stress and more leisure in the lives of people with an increased focus on the expansion of values and morality within the social structure. The vision drawn by Alvin Toffler came to reality but with bitter results. ... It is important to understand that how these technological interactions have influenced individuals and the groups in a society, at large. The emergence of social networking sites have become a major medium for communication for a large number of people all around the globe. The use of such social networking sites can have positive as well as the negative consequences on the lives of people which depend on how they are using it. In a society where people are geographically separated and one tries to keep in touch with his family and friends, technology has facilitated them in maintaining their relations even in the farthest corners of the world. For a person, it has become just a matter of time to re-connect with his long-lost companion through a social networking site. However, with the benefits and positive aspects related with the use of social networking sites we cannot ignore the negative consequences and risk associated with the use of social networking sites and increased virt ual communications. Different people have different influences of such websites. This issue can be explained with an example of a man who displays all the events of his day on a play card and stands holding them on a public place. Due to this particular act of his display, he draws the attention and reaction of known and unknown people towards the internal affairs of his life; giving an opportunity to comment on his personal life and affairs. The vast extend of all kinds of comments and remarks on social media plays a negative role in the user’s life regardless whether the comments or remarks are true or not; their results are devastating in many peoples’ lives. According to

Netsuite customer relationship management for the Banking Sector Essay Example for Free

Netsuite customer relationship management for the Banking Sector Essay NetSuite is the worlds leading provider of on-demand business application software combining accounting and enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM) and  ecommerce capabilities in a completely integrated solution. With over 12,000 customers globally, NetSuite companies are enabled to manage all key business operations uniting departments, automating processes and gaining unparalleled insight into their business. Netsuite is built around a single customer record, so all areas of the business; sales, support, accounting, distribution, shipping and billing, use the same information for every interaction. Because NetSuite gives vital business intelligence in real time, businesses can make informed decisions faster. Deliver better business management powerful real-time, customisable dashboards, NetSuite business management software gives managers and employees the functionality, information and tools they need to manage their entire business better and streamline operations. Eliminate data re-entry because NetSuite software is built on a single record for every aspect of business, theres no need to waste time re-inputting data into separate systems. Eliminate IT maintenance and upgrade costs NetSuite is cloud-based, business management software with a 99.5% uptime guarantee. This gives greater reliability and security while eliminating the need for on-site hardware and software. Make better decisions faster NetSuite business management software gives real-time business intelligence dashboards for any and every aspect of the organisation from leads, commissions, sales revenue and forecasts to bank balances, receivable and payable anywhere and anytime. Increase collaboration NetSuite SaaS offers portals that allow customers, partners and vendors to collaborate allowing organisations to get closer to customers and partners, move quickly and seize opportunities.

Ryanair British Airways | Fare comparison

Ryanair British Airways | Fare comparison Introduction This document reports the findings of a review of the economics and business literature on empirically-estimated own-price elasticity of demand for air travel for Ryan air and British Airways. It refers to the data on page two of the assignment handout to both above airlines to illustrate and explain the concepts of price elasticity of demand and income elasticity of demand. The purpose of this study is to report on all or most of the economics and business literature dealing with empirically approximate demand functions for air travel and to collect a range of fare elasticity measures for air travel provide in the data on the second page of the assignment topic and provide some judgment as to which elasticity values would be more representative of the true values to be found in different airline such as Ryan air and British airways, furthermore will evaluate the achievement of cost savings of Ryan air through fixed costs and variable costs as well as writing a critical analysis the article on BAA Airports: ‘Notice of release of interim undertaking 1. Price Elasticity of Demand and Income elasticity of demand in the context of air travel demand: (Ryan air British Airways) This paragraph identifies two distinct prices for air travel which are price elasticity of demand and income elasticity of demand. Specifically, it is observed that studies of the demand for air travel demand should distinguish among prices for: Low cost carrier (LCC) example of Ryanair and Full Service Carrier (FSCs) example of British Airways in this case study; business and leisure travel; long-haul and short-haul travel; and international and European long-haul travel. Accordingly, to examine the sensitivity of the demand for air travel to its price, separate estimates of the price elasticity of demand are gathered for each of these two distinct markets. Price Elasticity of Demand ‘Price Elasticity of Demand is a numerical value which describes the degree of responsiveness of demand to changes in prices. (Andrew, D. 1988: 260) The demand for a particular good or service depends on a variety of factors. Key influences include, the levels of consumer income, the price and quality of the services in question and especially services that are close substitutes (Sloman, 2005). In order to obtain useful estimates of the price sensitivity of demand for a product, we must carefully control for all the factors affecting the demand. As a general rule, once other influences on demand stay unchanged, a higher price for a product leads in a lower quantity demanded. However, the price responsiveness of demand varies from one good to another and from one market to another (FitzRoy et al, 1998). Since the availability of alternative modes of transportation that are reasonably close substitutes for air transport diminishes with distance travelled, it is expected that the demand for air transport will be less elastic for longer flights typical example of British airways with is a FSCs than for shorter flights typical example of Ryan air. Determine the demand and for the premium value the demand is low. means that for the different strategies the demand is price strategy, in al produEach price will lead to a different level of demand and therefore have a different impact on a companys marketing objectives. The higher the prices are the lower the demand of the goods (Kotler 2002). British Airways has two types of customers:  · Price sensitive customers (students, independent travelers, frequently travelers) who are looking for the cheapest prices and the best offers, and  · Low sensitive customers (business and executive customers) who are concerned more in the quality than the price. Considering the three different pricing strategies of British Airways the demand curve will be as shown in the figure below. The price demand considers being elastic which means that for the different pricing strategies the demand is noticeable changing. For the low cost price the demand is high and for the premium value the demand is low. 2.3.3 Cost estimation British Airways estimating the cost of the products in relation with the quality its one provide. The cost of the ticket includes:  · The price of the service  · The added value (extras)  · The airport fees, and  · The travel agents extra fees However if someone book a ticket from the internet has at www.britishairways.com has a discount of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤10. 2.3.4 Pricing method Considering the three different types of customer, the three segments, British Airways has set a pricing method of perceived value. Perceived value is the value promised by companys value proposition and the customer must perceive this value. British Airways perceived value is made up by the companys brand mane and image, the customers image, the performance of the company and the quality of the product created by the company. 2.4 Promotional pricing British Airways has set some promotional prices on flights to some special occasion:  · Christmas gift voucher. The promotional offer for the Christmas known as British Airways escape ticket offers a perfect present. Flying to 14 travel zones from à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤59 return on UK and Europe destinations and from à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤269 return on the rest of the world.  · Domestic and European fares from à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤49 return: Low fares to 135 destinations across Europe.  · Club World business class offer: When flying to club world business class you can upgrade to first class on a free one way ticket. 2.5 Relation within the sector The competition has increased since the introduction of the low cost airlines as easy jet and Raynair. Those airlines have achieved to sell chip tickets by eliminating all the unnecessary costs. They eliminated the intermediaries, the on board value and basically they eliminated completely the augmented product. They have concentrated just on the basic product which is the flight ticket from the on destination to the other. They using a low cost low quality pricing strategy and set a market penetration objective in order to gain more market share. The have a method of value pricing of selling their tickets, the basic, in a greater value than their competitors. Other companies with same objectives as British Airways like Lufthansa and Virgin have followed the same pricing strategies and policy. They set different price rates in relation with value added and looking after how to gain a bigger piece of the market pie. 3. Conclusion Considering the increased competition in the flying industry which is rising people expect that companies will reduce cost by providing less quality products. That is partly true considering what easy jet and Raynair has succeeded. However this is only one part of the true. Companies like British Airways fight the competition with different methods like introduction of low cost ticket where customer can still enjoy a good quality product in a low affordable price. Just considering an example where Ryanair (a low cost airline) flights to Milan from  £49.99 return and British Airways from  £628 return. The problem though with Ryanair is that you can find this cheap ticket if you book it about it well in advance. But if you try to book it on the same day before your journey the price has gone up at  £179.99 return when British Airways price will be still remaining the same until a week before your journey. So does it really worth flying with the low cost airlines which offer just a ticket with no allocated seat, no food or drinks and from unfrequented airports when you have a company like British Airways with so much extra for almost the same price? Thats a question that each of as has to answer on his own. Further, international travel tends to be widen over more time than domestic travel, so that the airfare is a smaller proportion of overall trip costs, which makes international travel less sensitive to changes in ticket prices. In addition, leisure travellers are more likely to postpone trips to specific locations in response to higher fares, or to shop around for those locations offering more affordable fares. Consequently, it is expected that the demand for air transport for leisure reasons will be more elastic than business travel who usually travel with FSCs. Acco rding to Anthony et al (2000) Ryan air prices management is systematically offering different prices to different customer segments in response to demand whereas (Kimes, 1989) suggests that the team in charge of yield management need to identify how changes in price will affect their customers. Within the airline industries customer demand may be higher on week ends, during Summer months, or at particular times of a day, (Belobaba, 1987). Managers must be able to forecast time-related demand so that they can make effective pricing and allocation decision to manage the shoulder periods around high demand period. However the corporate business traveller during the week becomes a leisure traveller when on holiday or at week-ends. Different occasion find the same consumer having different expectation and needs, (Buttle, 1986). Such a concept is termed elasticity of demand. According to the Data downloaded from Ryan air website giving on page two of the assignment topic the price of the flight on the day it been downloaded is far more higher than the price of the flight on other following days of the week day. However, when approaching the end of the week-end or school holiday, there is a huge demand and the increased demand drives the price up again as customer are returning from their vacation or family are going on holiday. Closer to the date and time of the scheduled service, the price rises, on the simple justification that consumers demand for a flight becomes more inelastic the nearer to the time of the service. The low cost airlines such as Ryan air follow the pricing strategy outlined above. Customers booking early with carriers such as Ryan air will normally come across lower prices if they are ready to commit themselves to a flight by booking early. This gives the airline the plus of important how full their flights are likely to be and a sou rce of cash-flow in the weeks and months prior to the service being provided. People who book late often regard travel to their planned destination as a need and they are therefore likely to be prepared and able to pay a much higher price very close to departure. Airlines call this price discrimination yield management but despite the consider name, at the heart of this pricing strategy is the straightforward but important concept price elasticity of demand. Ryanair has a seat pricing policy that causes fares to rise as a flight fills up (Ryanair.com, 2010). Following theory of supply and demand, if customer wants a seat so badly, they will pay more for it than otherwise. Income Elasticity of Demand It is defined as numerical values which describe the responsiveness of demand to a change in consumer incomes. (Sloman, 2005) Because of the recession, demand for low cost flights grew rapidly as family with higher income who were travelling with FSCs before would prefer low cost than traditional airlines and some current low cost customer with low income may prefer domestic flight or would just prefer not to travel by air. However, since elasticity is measuring proportionate change, elasticity values will change along almost all demand functions, including linear demand curves. Estimation of elasticity values is therefore most useful for predicting demand responses in the vicinity of the observed price changes. As a related issue, we recognize that in markets where price discrimination is possible comprehensive data will not allow for accurate predictions of demand responses in the relevant market segments. In air travel, FSCs are essentially joint products consisting of differentiated service bundles that are identified by fare classes. However the yield management systems employed by FSCs also create a complex form of inter-temporal price discrimination, in which some fares (typically economy class) decline and some increase (typically full-fare business class) as the departure date draws closer. This implies that ideally, empirical studies of air travel demand should separate business and leisure t ravellers or at least be able to include some information on booking times in order to account for this price discrimination, and that price data should be calibrated for inter-temporal price discrimination: for example, the use of full-fare economy class ticket prices as data will overestimate the absolute value of the price elasticity coefficient. Within the set of differentiated service bundles that comprise each (joint product) flight, the relative prices are important in explaining the relative ease of substitution between service classes. Given the nature of inter-temporal price discrimination for flights, the relative price could also change significantly in the time period prior to a departure time. In particular changes in real income and the prices of substitutes or complements will affect demand. Alternative transportation modes (road and rail) are important variables for short-haul flights, while income effects should be measured for both short and long-haul. Oum et al. (1992) provide valuable tools that occur when evaluating the demand models. Air travel demand can be affected by changes in the prices and service quality of other modes. For short-haul routes (markets) the relative price and service attributes of auto and train would need to be included in any model; particularly for short-haul markets such as low cost airline. Failure to include the price and service attributes of substitutes will bias the elasticity. For example, if airfares increase and auto costs are also increasing, the airfare elasticity would be overestimated if auto costs were excluded. The entry of low cost carriers leads to lower fares for a subset of traffic and competitors will offer a supply of seats to match these fares. Lower average fares should lead to lower demand elasticity estimates, while increases in the number of competitors in the market will lead to higher demand elasticity estimates. 2. How ‘low cost carriers such as Ryan air able to achieve cost savings? Fixed Costs and Variable Costs. Ryan airs business model is focus around its general low cost philosophy. That is Ryan air attempts to cut all non value adding activities as it strives to drive costs down to the total minimum. Below are typical examples how it drives its downwards which include selling directly to its customer over the internet or over the phone rather than via agents and middlemen, thus saving commission cost and administrative cost. Ryan air is a ticketless as most of it customer buy over the internet, in return for a booking reference that is exchanged at the checking counter at the airport for a boarding pass. The airline has no in flight meals which is a cost saving measure that cannot be much inconvenience to its customer since all Ryan air flights are short haul. Nevertheless has subcontracted catering services on its flights where customer can buy an in flight meal and drink should they wish which is another way of driving price. Cabin crew double up as cleaner and this helps Ryan air to promise a turnaround time at any airport of 30 min rather than 45-60 min that has FSCs been the norm. Another cost cutting device, is the typical example of the UK smaller airports such as London Luton, cheaper to fly to from than bigger airports such as Heathrow which it is use at least as its base as they are less congestion and facilitate turnaround times for aircraft to be a lot shorter. Fixed Costs Fixed Costs are defined as the Total costs that do not vary with the amount of output produced (John, S. 2005:82) Ryan air as a LCC operate in the environment of high fixed cost, fixed capacity in the short term, a perishable product and seasonal demand. Virtually all of airlines costs can be considered fixed. The cost of the capital tied up in the plane, the fuel it take to fly the route, the crew it will take to staff the ground and flight operations insurance, rent, etc†¦ All these cost are fixed once the company decides to fly a particular route and the variable costs associated with serving another passenger on the flight are figure lively peanuts. Ryan air generates sufficient revenue through ancillary services such as car rentals, accommodation, currency, travel insurance, transactions, refreshments, to cover variable costs and offset at least some fixed cost. Management believes that providing these services through the internet allows Ryan air to increase sales, while at the same time reducing costs on a per unit basis. Variable Costs Variable Costs are defined as the total costs that do vary with the amount of output produced (Sloman, 2005: 82) The relatively low variable costs associated with many capacity- constrained Ryan air allow for some pricing flexibility and give operators the options of reducing pricing during low demand times. Ryan air always seeks for low variable costs. Below are factors that help Ryanair to maintain a low variable cost: * One type of aircraft, management believes that its strategy of limiting its fleet primarily to three variants of a single type of aircraft from a single manufacturer enables it to limit the costs associated with personnel training, maintenance and the purchase and storage of spare parts, as well as affording greater flexibility in the scheduling of crews and equipment. * Pricing is based strictly upon revenue maximization process that matches the aims and objectives of prices elasticity of demand * Internet booking which cut paper and administrative costs * No airport sales offices/ no cancellations * Charging a surplus for excessive baggage * Maximization of seat capacity per plane Use of less expensive airport as ‘Ryan air been offered incentives is a controversial one Ryan air director of communications. Ryan air further endeavours to reduce its airport charges by opting, when practicable, for less expensive gate locations as well as outdoor boarding stairs rather than more expensive jet ways. Ryan air has entered into in agreements on competitive terms with third party contractors at certain airports for traveller and aircraft handling, ticketing and other services that management believes can be more cost resourcefully provided by third parties. Management attempts to obtain competitive rates for such services by negotiating multi-year contracts at prices that are fixed or subject only to periodic increases related to inflation. One of the typical example is the price of aviation fuel which is directly related to the cost of oil but Ryan air control this through hedging. All these factors listed above contributed to a low variable cost of Ryan air, a key component in any successful yield management system and provide an opportunity for leverage against its major competitors. 3. Critical analysis of the issues involved in the following article: ‘BAA Airports: Notice of release of interim undertaking Bibliography