Swot & Pest Analysis

SWOT & PEST analysis Strengths †¢UK’s largest full service scheduled airline – this makes it a popular company with customers which brings in more business which will then bring in more money for the company. Caribbean routes are new and selling well – as they are selling well, the sales will be up on the flights which will bring in more money and more popularity with the customers which will then mean more and more people will use the company rather than their rivals which will then bring in more money and make rival companies miss out on money †¢Head office is situated near Gatwick which is convenient – it is convenient because customers and/or staff will easily be able to get there if they need to as it is situated near the company’s main working airport and not in the middle of nowhere or in a different country. This means that any problems can be sorted out quicker as people don’t need to travel to the head office if it was situated anywhere else †¢Pilots are well paid and tend to stay – the company are then able to keep flights on schedule which will keep the customers happy and wanting to fly with them †¢Half of the Airbus and Embraer fleet has been bought new in 2002 which is good for passenger confidence – passengers will have confidence in the technology of the planes and trust them not to fail which will keep them happy and wanting to fly with them †¢Passenger growth was up 16% from 2003 to 2004 with over 8 million passengers per year carried – more passengers means that the company is making more money and also means more passengers are using this company rather than rival companies †¢Awards won: oBusiness Airline 2002: What Airline? oBest European Carrier: Passenger News Top Airline Cuisine 2003: The Flying Chef (Sunday Times column) à ¢â‚¬â€œ with these awards won, the company will have popularity as the best for these features and will keep customers wanting to travel with the company and make new customers from rival companies †¢Kestrel Air uses travel agents to sell its products – this makes it easier as travel agents are good at selling products †¢Has its own reservations department at head office and a website where customers can book online – customers will find it easier to book flights so the company can sell more flights easier and quicker. Also less staff will be needed so money can be saved in their wages †¢New features: oParticipates in the Pet Travel scheme oTelemedicine service on all flights oLaptop plug in and telephone service in business class oSelf check in at Heathrow and Gatwick – all these features give passengers more reason to use this company rather than others if the others don’t already have the features Weaknesses Operation slots are very expe nsive and difficult to acquire – as they are difficult to acquire, it will be hard for the company to get enough of them as they need, but even if some do become available, they will be expensive to purchase so the profits will be used to buy them †¢Failed to gain permission to operate on the lucrative Heathrow/US routes – because these routes are unavailable to the company, they are losing out on money from the tickets that would be purchased by customers therefore customers would use rival companies to get to these destinations †¢No eastern European routes are operated as yet – because these routes are not operated yet, the company is losing out on money from the tickets that would be purchased by customers, therefore customers would use rival companies to get to the destinations †¢Being situated near Gatwick is expensive in rents and rates – the rent and rates will bring down the profit that the company will make †¢Cabin Crew have c reated some bad press locally – if this carries on, the customers will stop using the company and use one of its rival companies †¢Pilots are only qualified to fly particular aircraft – other pilots will need to be brought in that are trained to fly other aircraft, so more wages and training will need to be paid out that will reduce the profits †¢There are no pilots who can fly all the different aircraft in the company fleet – other pilots will need to be brought in that are trained to fly other aircraft, so more wages and training will need to be paid out that will reduce the profits †¢The airline employs its own ground crew and baggage handlers and finds it difficult to recruit enough people – this means that jobs will take longer to do so there will be a longer wait for departures and arrivals at the airports which will upset customers and may tempt them to use rival companies †¢The capacity of each aircraft is different so it is ot possible to switch aircraft from route to route – if a problem occurs with one particular aircraft and makes it dangerous to fly, it will have to stop and passengers will have a big delay as they all won’t fit on any of the other aircraft available at that particular time. Customers will become unhappy with the company and may use rivals from then on †¢Because half of the Airbus and Embraer fleet has been bought new in 2002, it has been a major expense – as it has been a big expense, there is a massive drop in the profits that the company are making so there is less money to spend on other things, although the money has been spent well Opportunities †¢The airline would like to expand operations from Heathrow – with more operations the company would bring in more money which will add to the profits. †¢Considering becoming a member of Star Alliance Considering new measures including sponsorship and developing a relationship with educational establishments – these opportunities will increase the company’s reputation with the establishments and also bring in more money towards the profit that they are making †¢Kestrel Air may decide to contract out ground crew and baggage handlers – this means the company will bring in more people that are capable of doing the job quicker to make sure arrival and departure times are kept †¢Kestrel Air hope to consolidate the type of aircraft in the future to cut back operating costs and cut pilot training costs – this will save the company money which will add to the profits Threats †¢Germanic Air has substantial debts and likely to sell its shares (22%) – as 22% is owned by the Germanic’s there will be a massive whole in the shareholders which will cause disruption to the way the company is run. This may result in loss of money and disruptions in the way staff are paid. Staff could go on strike leaving the customers to use rival c ompanies †¢The turnover of Cabin Crew is high †¢Training for the Cabin Crew is constant – if the training is constant, then oney is always being paid out to fund it which will keep profits down and will waste money as they keep bringing in new staff that need training †¢Many airlines consolidate the type of aircraft in order to save on operating and engineering costs – as other companies are doing this, they will save money unlike Kestrel Airways, and they may become under threat with their finances and rival companies will take control of the percentage of people using airlines †¢Profits are going down so costs are getting higher as they are making about the same amount each year – if this carries on then the company will start to lose money each year and the company will start to become unsuccessful Political Failed to gain permission to operate on the lucrative Heathrow/US routes because of a restriction arising from the Bermuda 2 treaty à ¢â‚¬â€œ the US are wanting the routes so therefore Britain are having to agree and not make the money from them †¢Taxes on fuel etc – as taxes are going up, more money is being spent than what is coming in so therefore the company will end up losing money Economical †¢The World is currently in a recession – more people are not travelling abroad because they can’t afford it so instead they are taking holidays in Britain or not at all †¢Germanic Air is an ailing airline with substantial debts and is likely to sell its shares (22%) – as the German company own a large percentage, there will be a massive hole in the shares, which will disrupt the way the company is run and may become bankrupt †¢Taxes on fuel etc – as taxes are going up, more money is being spent than what is coming in so therefore the company will end up losing money Social The Euro is too high – as of this, people are avoiding flying to European destinations as it would be cheaper to go to long haul destinations such as the Caribbean because of the currency over there is cheaper †¢People are choosing different destinations each year – as of this, Kestrel Air need to keep up on what are the most popular holiday destinations, whether they are long haul or short haul and get flights to the destinations so that customers don’t use other companies †¢Cabin crew have recently created some bad press and exacerbated the problem of recruitment – as many people are not recruiting, the company aren’t getting in enough people as they need to do jobs so jobs will be running slower than normal which can cause disruption with the way the company is run which will affect departure times, therefore customers will become unhappy and start using rival airlines Technological Half of the Airbus and Embraer fleet has been bought new in 2002 – all the new planes will have new, trusted technology in them that was bet ter than the previous planes which will gain customer confidence and make them want to travel with the company †¢Kestrel Air has its own website where customers are able to book online – this will be easier for customers that are wanting tickets as they don’t need to leave their homes in order to book a flight, it can be done quickly, easily and securely over the internet †¢Full body scanners – these are all located at the airports to check people for weapons, bombs etc to stop terrorism. The scanners add safety and comfort to the passengers because they know that anybody will be caught that has suspicious items †¢Self check in at airports – this means that as soon as customers arrive at the airports, they can check themselves in which will be quicker and easier for them, which will reduce queue’s and late departures

Buddhism is the reality

Emptiness in ‘Buddhism† is the reality of the existence of ourselves, and all the phenomena around us. According to the Buddhist point of view, seeking reality and seeking liberation amount to the same thing. The person who doesn't want to seek reality doesn't really want to seek liberation. If you have to look for it outside yourself, in another place, then you are mistaken. You cannot seek reality outside yourself because you are reality. Perhaps you think that your life, your reality was made by society, by your friends?If you think that way you are far from reality. if you think that your existence, your life was made by somebody else it means that you are not taking the responsibility to understand reality. You have to see that your attitudes, your view of the world, of your experiences, of your girlfriend or boyfriend, of your own self, are all the interpretation of your own mind, your own imagination. They are your own projection, your mind literally made them up. If you don't understand this then you have very little chance of understanding emptiness.You cannot seek reality outside yourself because you are reality. Perhaps you think that your life, your reality was made by society, by your friends? If you think that way you are far from reality. if you think that your existence, your life was made by somebody else it means that you are not taking the responsibility to understand reality. A basic doctrinal assertion in the Buddhist tradition states that Buddhism or â€Å"no self† means that no permanent identity comtinues from one period of time to the next.This according to them is not a pessimistic point of view but rather a simple realistic acceptance of the constantly changing human personality and all of reality as well. They understand that if everything changes, then it is possible for everything on earth to become new. If they grasp fully the essence of â€Å"emptiness†, then it would be possible to face even the toughes t situations in life with a feeling of lightness and peace of mind. With this in mind, one can begin to understand what it means for a Buddhist to cross out the word â€Å"I†.Buddhists can begin to erase this word by reallizing that there is no permanent self to hold onto or protect. Furthermore, emptiness is a mode of perception, a way of looking at experience. It does not add or subtract anything from the actual data of physical and mental events. It is looking at the incidents or happenings in the mind and the senses without any thought of whether there’s anything lying behind them. In this mode one does not act or react to any events that transpire which would mean a deeper involvement thus complicating the matter.To master the emptiness mode of perception requires firm training in virtue, concentration and discernment. Without this training, the mind stays in the mode that keeps creating stories and world views. And from the perspective of that mode, the teaching of emptiness sounds simply like another story or world view with new ground rules. It seems to be saying that the world doesn’t really exist,or else that emptiness is the great undifferentiated ground of being from which we all came and to which someday we will all return. QUESTION # 2Snyder’s poetry has the grandeur and detail of nature, and the mental disciplines of Zen Buddhism. He writes I the first person, as individual in the wilderness, but the beauty and glory of the wilderness allows that individual the status of a common man. For Snyder, symbol and metaphor cause a distancing from the thing itself,the thing itself is at least enough. Love and respect for the primitive tribe, honour accorded the Earth, the escape from city and industry into both the past and the possible, contemplation, the communal, peace, and the ascetic.There is not much wilderness left to destroy, and the nature in the mind is being logged and burned off. Industrial-urban society is not â €Å"evil† ut there is no progress either. (quoted in David Kherdian, Six San Francisco Poets, Fresno, Calif. , 1969). â€Å"Wild Mind† according to Gary means elegantly self-disciplined, self-regulating. In wilderness nobody has a management plan for it. Care for the environment is like noblesse oblige. You don’t do it because it has to be done. You do it because its beautiful. You are not being anxious to do good, or feels obligation or anything like that.In â€Å"The Practice of the Wild† Gary introduced a pair of distinctive ideas to our vocabulary of ecological inquiry. Grounded in a lifetime of nature and wilderness observation, Snyder offered the â€Å"etiquette of freedom† and â€Å"practice of the wild† as root prescriptions for the global crisis. Informed by East-West poetics, land and wilderness issues, anthropology, benevolent Buddhism, and Snyder’s long years of familiarity with the bush and high mountain places, these pri nciples point to the essential and life-sustaining relationship between place and psyche.To Snyder, value also translates as responsibility. Within his approach to digging in and committing to a place is the acceptance of responsible stewardship. Snyder maintains that it is through this engaged sense of effort and practice-participating in what he salutes as â€Å"the tiresome but tangible work of school boards, county supervisors, local foresters, local politics†-that we find our real community, our real culture.Many of Snyder's original arguments addressing pollution and our addiction to consumption have by now become mainstream: reduced fossil fuel dependence, recycling, responsible resource harvesting. Others remain works-in-progress: effective soil conservation, economics as a â€Å"small subbranch of ecology,† learning to â€Å"break the habit of acquiring unnecessary possessions,† division by natural and cultural boundaries rather than arbitrary political boundaries.As an ecological philosopher, Snyder's role has been to point out first the problems, and then the hard medicine that must be swallowed. Snyder has become synonymous with integrity-a good beginning place if your wilderness poetics honor â€Å"clean-running rivers; the presence of pelican and osprey and gray whale in our lives; salmon and trout in our streams; unmuddied language and good dreams. † From The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-century Poetry in English. Ed. Ian Hamilton. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994. Copyright  © 1994 by Oxford University Press

Organizational Behavior Comparative Analysis Essay

Organizational Behavior Comparative Analysis - Essay Example And its immense success can be attributed to its unusual model and people management style, which will be discussed in detail in this document (Doganis, 2002). US Airways Airlines on the other hand is the fifth largest airline in the United States it merged with America West Airlines in 2005 but still retained its original name and culture. Even though it is a huge airline, its successes are nowhere near that of Southwest Airlines and in the following sections we will analyze the matter further (Doganis, 2002). While its business strategy and ability to make quick and very flexible decisions are seen to be the strong points of Southwest Airlines, it is very important to note that the people management aspect of the organization has proven to be an equally big strength. To this end it is the ability of the organization to appropriately manage its extremely diverse workforce that has helped the organization to scale the heights of profitability and success that has eluded many other airlines and in this particular case US Airways Airlines as well. At Southwest Airlines the organizations lays a huge emphasis on the employment of individuals from a variety of backgrounds such as ethnic minorities, individuals of color, individuals of different age groups and most importantly individuals with special needs. While it can be stated and that other airlines do the same, in the case of Southwest Airlines, such practices are not carried out of compulsion by the federal government or the need to take affirmative action but rather by its all inclusive management style that puts employees first as much as it puts customers first. This as we know is the first and most important step in the enhancing employee engagement. When employees feel that they are valued for their contributions as well as for the distinctly differently experiences and backgrounds that they can bring to the table they feel more valued and as result they automatically go the extra mile to ensure the success of the organisation by satisfying and delighting the clientele of the organisation as much as possible (Parvis, 2003). In the case of US Airways Airlines even though diversity is apparent to some extent, it has not been resorted to out of an increased value for the employees but rather due to the compulsions and the impositions of federal and state governments and affirmative action etc. Thus making its real intentions less clear, more ambiguous and leaving the employees less engaged and motivated to give their best to the organization. Management and Leadership Management and leadership are terms that are distinctly different from one another even though they are usually used interchangeably. However they are both very important to any organization that wishes to success and as in the case of Southwest Airlines the management and leadership of the organization has played a crucial role in the last three and half decades of its existence. In effect the management and leadership styles that have been adopted by the organization in past have been flexible, people oriented and most of visionary in nature. This

An Orthodox Poem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

An Orthodox Poem - Essay Example These terms may be used interchangeably to pertain to money. Noticeably, Stevens uses simple, even slang terms to make his subject easy, thus implying address of the general public, or the common people. Stevens could have used other terms like banknote or currency but such terms would deviate from the purpose of giving the simplest terms for money in the introduction and then move on to the more complex meaning of the subject. . In the second stanza, Stevens mentions the ways to use money. The lines, â€Å"Chock it up,/fork it over, shell it out./Watch it burn holes through pockets.† (4-6) reveals what a person can do with money. There is a slight change in tone with the first two lines of this stanza still sounding slang, whereas the third line sounds figurative. Stevens gets deeper into his subject matter by using imagery and metaphor in the third line. He indirectly compares money with fire, making it capable of burning â€Å"holes through pockets† (6). The first tw o lines express how people can manipulate money, whereas the third shows a magnificent power that money has as it can â€Å"burn holes† or leave a person empty-handed. Stevens provides deeper meanings of the term money as the poem progresses. As such, the third stanza provides an even deeper meaning of money by giving implications of having money. The lines, â€Å"To be made of it! To have it to burn!† (7-8) could mean two things. Literally, it can mean that money can support a person when used for sustenance. Figuratively, it can also mean that depending on money can make one burn or go to hell. Considering this, Stevens does not only illustrate an orthodox style but even demonstrates Orthodox beliefs about hell and temptation. The terms in next line, namely, â€Å"Greenbacks, double eagles, megabucks and Ginnie Maes† (9) pertain to enormous amount of money, which could lead a person to make sins and later burn in hell due to temptation. Such infusion of belief about burning is allegorical in tone. The fourth stanza balances the meanings provided in the earlier stanza by giving the positive functions of money. â€Å"It greases the palm, feathers a nest,† (10) and so on. The words in this stanza pertain to the use of money in supporting or feeding a family or making a person survive. Stevens uses more images to illustrate his point, such greasing the palm with food to eat, feathering a nest to provide shelter to a family, and letting a person survive the depth of the water in a sea. On one hand, these descriptions strongly imply the role of money in human life. On the other hand, these words also show the dependency of people on money. Such connotations further imply the negative side of money, thus serving as anti-thesis to lines 10-11. The fifth stanza further illustrates the power of money and its presence in the world as the poem states, it is â€Å"always in circulation† (15). Stevens uses denotation and connotation agai n in this stanza. As for the denotation, money can gather people’s as it can afford a lot of things. For the connotation, money gathers the interest of many when a person with a lot of money is lavishly clothed. Furthermore, it implies that people with money become popular and are always in circulation. The last stanza bears the most negative implications of money. Once again, the author uses denotation and connotation. The persona warns the addressee about putting money in the mouth, despite not knowing where it comes

RP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

RP - Essay Example The positivists view of realist exhausts in empirical structure in order to understand the ontology of economic regulaties (Lopez, J. 2001) 11 Marxism differentiates between an intransitive reality, which may exists independently of human knowledge, and the socially produced world of science and empirical knowledge. Bhaskar’s influence is also acknowledged in the ontology in the philosophy of social science (Sayer,A., 1992) 11 Critical realist philosophy has increasingly encouraged the influence of international realtions. The ontology is also credited to Bhaskar (1998). The private sector in Omani is affected by both politics and international realtions. 11 Most organisations know what good strategy and leadership development are and that good management makes a real difference to organisational performance. There is strong evidence to support this contention: historically, the greatest business leaders have driven economic prosperity and growth (BIS, 2012). The BIS findings are further confirmation of the opinion held by Mabey and Ramirez (2004), wherein they analysed that leadership and management development (LMD) leads to superior performance across companies of all sizes, sectors and national location. Managers as well as leaders at all levels, and not just those at the top, need a common set of skills associated with their management and leadership role, and these need to be developed. Just assuming that well qualified or professional people will be able to assume the management role on promotion does not necessarily help them become effective (Wolff, 2008). Some approaches to LMD are concerned predominantly with organisational strategies while other models strongly emphasize individual aims. There is a range of opinion between these two views, from those who argue that ‘organisational’ strategy may be imposed by leaders on the less powerful

Natural gas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Natural gas - Essay Example In natural gas reservoirs beneath the surface of the earth even the heavier hydrocarbons occur for the most part in gaseous form because of the higher pressures. These heavier hydrocarbons usually liquefy at the surface at normal atmospheric conditions and are produced separately as natural gas liquids (NGLs), either in field separators or in gas processing plants (Speight, 3). How it was discovered and when did they discover it? The discovery of natural gas dates back from ancient times in the Middle East. During that times, there was not any clear understanding about the existence of natural gas and its presence was somewhat of a mystery to man. Such mysteries were attributed to occasional incidents of sudden lightning strikes that would ignite natural gas escaping from under the earth’s crust resulting fire coming from the earth. The value of natural gas as an energy was first recognized in China about 900 BC. In 211 BC, Chinese drilled the first known natural gas well. Fur ther a step ahead they transported the crude gas through bamboo shoots to near sea shore, where it was used to distilled sea water to make it suitable for drinking. In early 1626, a French explorer first times discovered and identified natives igniting gases in America that were seeping into and around Lake Erie. In 1821 in Fredonia, United States, a massive escape of gas was observed in form of bubbles rising to the surface from a creek and an American industrialist and financier William Hart, considered as America’s â€Å"father of natural gas,† dug there the first natural gas well in North America. In Europe, natural gas was first come to known around 1659 when it was discovered in Great Britain. The last century technological development probed that major natural gas reservoirs are laying often in conjunction with crude oil, hence in recent times, major natural gas reservoirs were discovered as a result of searching for crude oil (Speight, 9). The usage of natural gas Since the discovery of natural gas as a heat source by the Chinese about two thousand years ago, the use of natural gas as an energy source has increased tremendously and presently, natural gas is about one quarter of the energy resources of the world (Speight, 21) as shown in fig. 1. Fig. 1 The main use of natural gas is combustion. The heat generated due to burning of gas is either directly or indirectly used for various energy purposes. In direct heating, natural gas is utilized both in residential  and  commercial  heating and cooking purposes. Indirectly the heat generated due to natural gas combustion is used to generate electricity by using gas fired generators, steam turbines, gas turbines and combined cycle power generation units. Another important indirect use of heat generated due to combustion of natural gas is its use as transportation fuel by compressing  natural  gas  (CNG) to less than 1% of its volume at standard atmospheric  pressure (Natural gas report, 3). Except these natural gas is used in many industrial applications including ore smelting, minerals processing, drying  and  dehumidification, glass smelting, food processing, waste treatment and incineration, and fueling industrial boilers. Also natural gas is an essential feedstock for number of for industrial products such as methanol, fertilizers,

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Assignment Example There are certain numbers of characteristics that are involved with the effectiveness of entrepreneurs, such as self confidence, sense of ownership, continuous learning skills, communication abilities, goal and system oriented cognitive skills, and dedication towards the objectives with an optimistic point of view among others. According to the concept of Peter Drucker, entrepreneur can be regarded as the person who essentially looks for changes and attempts taking appropriate actions on it developing those changes as a prospect of growth and success (Marks and Hunter, 2011). Among the various notable entrepreneurs of this era, Lord Alan Sugar has been one. Born in the not so famed East London, he rose up to the occasion to be a member at House of Commons and to hold 89th place in Sunday Times Rich List of 2011. Amstrad has been his most successful venture. The paper on entrepreneurship should also mention about the Virgin group Chairman Richard Brasnon, the 4th richest person of UK. Virgin Megastores, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Mobile and the expanded Virgin Records are few of his successful ventures. 1.2. Critically Evaluate Entrepreneurialism as an Agent of Change in Both Public and Private Health and Social Care Sector. In the modern day context of healthcare and social organizations, the entrepreneurs are highly inclined towards gaining increased revenue or profit for the organization. However, social enterprises, now-a-days, entail with certain significant attributes related to the governmental public policies. The enterprises of the globalised world focusing on a developed entrepreneurship are different from traditional and socio-economic approaches which motivated the European countries to adopt developed legal frameworks. The contemporary scenario of the healthcare organizations is highly required to be conscious with regards to the environmental changes and implement suitable plans and strategies for the organization concentrated on its social be nefits. Significant plans along with the appropriate strategies are more effective for the organization to put up internal strengths along with external opportunities taking into account the surmounting peripheral threats as well as interior weaknesses possessed by the concern. For instance, in the context of health and social care divisions of UK, it has been observed that the current circumstances have perpetually increased the requirements for more efficient and cost control strategies. The reasons behind such inclination relate with the reduction in government’s financial support to the sector, involvement of private firms as well as expansion of National Health Service (NHS) (Department of Health, 2009). Therefore, in the modern phenomenon, the UK based healthcare organisations within the private sector as well as public sector continue to strive for achieving the competitive advantages through cost-limitation and growth sustainability. The strategic decisions are the cr ucial factors which can encompass a long term effect on the prospects of an organization with regards to its utilization of the resources,