Aperfan Disaster 1966 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Aperfan Disaster 1966 - Essay Example In 1947 the British Government entity, National Coal Board (NCB) acquired the ownership of Merthyr Vale. This was after the Prime Minister Clement Atlee’s nationalized the coal industry with the aim of further industrializing Britain. Aberfan has a population of about 60,000 people. The population is made up of the English, Welsh and Irish mixture of people who came to work in the mines. The villagers have strong kinship ties which bond them together as a unit of one family depicting strong attachment they have for the village (Rapoport, 2005). The mining operation yielded a great deal of excavated mining spoil comprising of debris, loose rock, slag and residues referred to as tip. This led to the establishment of about 7 tips for depositing the spoil. The seventh tip was located on the Merthyr mountainside overlooking the Aberfan village. The tips were created by emptying colliery rubbish loaded trams as one creates children sandcastles. The tips contained a mixture of coarse material and tailings (the finer materials) produced as waste at the mines. The first tip was opened during the First World War (1914-1918) (Madgewick, 1996). However, there were no regulations, restriction or legislations guiding the creation of tips and monitoring the tipping practice. This led to creation of tips without consultancy from a surveyor who was supposed to examine the proposed tip site by studying its geology, metrology, hydro-geology, the soil type and mechanism (Madgewick, 1996). The surveyors usually give advice and recommendation about the proposed site advising if it is viable for carrying out the proposed project. Therefore, the NCB dumped the spoil on the mountainside indiscriminately. The tips were built over highly porous sandstones and directly above numerous underground springs. NCB found it economical i.e. time and cost saving to damp the spoil near the mining area instead of

The E-Health Consumer

The E-Health Consumer Wilkins (1999, p. 30) summarizes the E-health consumer when he states that: In this new era of consumerism in health care, consumers are going to take ownership of in-formation about themselves and demand value in exchange for it, such as better clinical out-comes and better service. The concept of the information-empowered consumer is growing rapidly, and the days in which only certain â€Å"qualified† medical professionals create and dis-seminate medical information are receding. Consumers seeking information about health-related information have more options today than they had in the past .Available technology provides consumers with more outlets to seek information with a sense of empowerment. . The internet is a source of easy and quick access to information including health information. The internet has reinvented the way consumers search for information and has influenced decision making process especially in the health care industry. In general, health care-related information seekers can be motivated in several ways. (Williams et al. (2003) highlights that people might be searching for information as a healthcare professional, as a consumer trying to diagnosis his illness or as a patient to complement information from a doctor or for general interest browsing. Several studies indicate that the search for health information online is increasing (Ahmann, 2000; Wilkins, 1999; Natesan, 2005). Consumers are accessing health-related web sites in growing numbers and finding information that were once protected. Larson et al. (2004) however claims that co online information search is perceived as being more risky than other channels of information by consumers (Larson et al., 2004). Moreover Tan-Torres ( 2000) points out that the inconsistency in the quality of e-health information is a matter of concern as there is an increasing number of websites which offer a large variety of information. Therefore the consumer should be sceptical about all web sites, they should look for code of conduct labels or other quality labels that may communicate whether a site is reputable and should remember to communicate with doctors or medical professionals openly about web site usage as a means of obtaining health care information. 2.08 â€Å"Will you adopt online procurement of Medication?† – Role of cognitive factors Consumers’ self-awareness underlies their rational planning of future purchase behaviours relative to perceived consequences. The application of socio-cognitive factors to consumers’ proclivity toward (or aversion to) Internet exchange processes is evidenced across a host of effects applications in the social sciences literature. In addition to cognitive and personality variables that have been explored as predictors of online behaviour such as neuroticism, locus of control, shyness, extroversion, and risk-aversion(Amichai-Hamburger Ben-Artzi, 2000;AmichaiHamburger,Wainapel, Fox, 2002; Chak Leung, 2004; Gupta, Su, Walter, 2004) , there are other important cognitive factors, such as self-efficacy and objectivism, that influence consumers’ pharmaceutical procurement decisions via the Internet. 2.8.1 Impact of Self –Regulation on the procurement of medication online. Self-regulation is considered as an internal control mechanism that regulates individuals’ behaviours (Bandura, 1986). Social cognitive theory posits that these internal control mechanisms influence both attitudes and behaviours. Higgins (1998) suggested that individuals with a promotion focus are more motivated by the benefits that will accrue to them by taking actions, whereas people who are prevention focused will place more importance on safety. Promotion focused individuals use â€Å"eager strategies,† whereas those with prevention focus prefer â€Å"vigilant strategies† (Crowe Higgins, 1997). Online shopping has been associated with the prevention focus in individuals because of the security concerns and inherent risks (Miyazaki Fernandez, 2001; Fennis, Kerkhof, van Noort, 2006; van Noort, Kerkhof, Fennis, 2007). Moreover, Higgins (1998) stated that while self-regulation is not an inherent individual difference factor, it may still manifest differences across individuals. Online shopping has been associated with the prevention focus in individuals because of the security concerns and inherent risks (Miyazaki Fernandez, 2001; Fennis, Kerkhof, van Noort, 2006; van Noort, Kerkhof, Fennis, 2007). However in the case of shopping pharmaceuticals online it might not be similar. In the case of purchasing medications online from illegitimate Web pharmacies, consumers are voluntarily engaging in several potentially risk-laden decisions such as fear associated with online acquisition, uncertainty related to suppliers’ integrity and product quality and the qualms linked to self–initiated rather than physician mediated health care decisions. Online shopping is often associated with convenience, but this may not be the principal consideration in the case of self-initiated purchase of medication from online pharmacies. The predominant motivating factors in online pharmaceutical procurement are cost reduction for medications and obtaining medications that are not easily accessible through brick-and-mortar retail pharmacy channels. Thus, it may be speculated that consumers are acting with a promotion focus rather than a prevention focus. According to regulatory focus theory (Higgins, 1998; Crowe Higgins, 1997; Zhou Pham, 2004), promotion focus is associated with the willingness to engage in risk-laden behaviours for specific goal attainment. 2.8.2 Health Value its impact on online Procurement of medication. Health value has often been investigated as a moderator as well as an antecedent of health-related behavior (Jayanti Burns, 1998; Ugland, 1989; Tapler, 1996; Lau, Hartman, Ware, 1986). It is an individual’s assessment of the value of engaging in health-related behavior (Jayanti Burns, 1998). According to Rotter (1954), people who believe concurrently that they have control over their health and that they value their health are more likely to engage in health related behaviour than their contemporaries who do not. Higgins (2002) points out that promotion-focused decision maker will consider promotion relevant value dimensions as more important, and vice versa in the case of prevention-focused decision makers. This means that the promotion-relevant aspects such as staying healthy will be considered in the decision to purchase from online pharmacies by promotion-focused consumers. On the other hand, prevention-focused consumers are more likely to focus on the negative aspects of the action (e.g., counterfeit drugs, reactions with other medications, lack of support of a doctor). 2.8.3 Self Efficacy its impact on online procurement of medication Self-efficacy has been found to be a consistent predictor of health behaviour by many researchers (Tapler, 1996; Janz Becker, 1984; Strecher et al., 1986; Block Keller, 1997; Jayanti Burns, 1998). However, its application has been limited to specific health conditions or diseases, and it has rarely been applied to a field such as online procurement of medications. An individual’s promotion focus has been related to the higher self-efficacy associated with health behaviours by previous researchers (e.g., Keller, 2006).This means that consumers high in self-efficacy are willing to engage even in risky and new alternatives to achieve their objectives (Keller, 2006; Crowe Higgins, 1997).Thus, with reference to regulatory focus theory, one can argue that self-efficacious individuals will have a higher propensity to procure medications from online pharmacies as compared to the prevention-focused, low-self-efficacy group. Further, it has been argued that self-efficacy beliefs influence consumers’ choice behaviours (Bandura, 1986; Litt, 1988; Bagozzi, 1993), especially in challenging situations. These situations that call for self-driven coping may compel consumers to find ways and means to cope with the challenge, encouraging them to take actions that may even be perceived to be more risky. Rising costs and difficulties involved in procuring many medications through traditional channels of distribution present today’s health care consumers with such challenging situations. Online procurement of medication is seen by consumers as a self-driven coping strategy aimed at cost containment and waiting-time reduction (for doctors’ prescriptions) (Erdem Chandra, 2003). However, safety, ethical, and legal concerns associated with the online procurement of medications suggests that a consumer with low self-efficacy may be less willing to purchase medications online compared to those posses sing high levels of self-efficacy 2.8.4 Health Locus of Control its impact on the procurement of online medication. Health locus of control refers to the perception of controllability in health-related situations. Since perceived control has been found to influence behaviour (Skinner, 1996; Sprott, Brumbaugh, Miyazaki, 2001), it is important to understand how health locus of control would influence consumer behaviour related to procuring medications online (i.e., channel choice). Wallston, Wallston, and DeVellis (1978) conceptualized it as a three dimensional construct consisting of internal, powerful others, and chance dimensions. These three dimensions are distinguished from each other based on who the person ascribes the responsibility for his/her health to. If he/she believes that his/her own actions dictate his/her health, the person is considered to have a high internal health locus of control. Similarly, the person who believes his/her health to be dependent on a powerful other, such as a physician, will be high in powerful others health locus of control. The belief that health results by chance is categorized as chance health locus of control. Rotter (1975) stated that the three dimensions of health locus of control can be categorized based on their internal or external orientations. According to Rotter (1975), the three dimensions of health locus of control can be categorized based on their internal or external orientations. The categorizations of individuals into internals and externals is based on whether they perceive that the results (of their behaviours) are dependent on themselves (internal locus of control) or outside their control (external locus of control) (Rotter,1966; Strickland, 1978; Norman Bennett, 1996; Armitage, 2003; Wallston, Wallston, DeVellis, 1978). According to Rajasree and Lou E.( 2009) online procurement of medications, due to its inherent risk content, may be a health behaviour that is likely to be avoided by consumers with external locus of control (i.e., powerful others health locus of control and chance health locus of control). If a person believes in the ability of a powerful other (e.g., his physician) to deal with the problem (illness), she/he is likely to rely on the physician’s advice rather than procure medications online by her/himself. Similarly, consumers with high chance health locus of control are less likely to try their luck by buying from unknown sources. Health locus of control is just a domain specific form of control. Therefore, it can be speculated that consumers high in internal health locus of control will seek to buy online, as it gives them more control over their purchases. These control factors include cost savings, expansive product choice, and even additional medication accessibility. In accord with regulatory focus theory, consumers with internal locus of control (i.e., promotion-focused individuals) are willing to take risks and try new options to achieve their goals of obtaining medication that will alleviate their problems. 2.8.5 Objectivism its impact on the procurement of online medication According to Leary et al. (1986), objectivism is the â€Å"tendency to base one’s judgments and beliefs on empirical information and rational considerations† (p. 36). Individuals who are objective in nature will place more emphasis on information obtained from empirical supports during decision making. Regulatory focus theory suggests that prevention-focused individuals are more concerned with security, safety, and protection in general (Higgins, 1998; Higgins Spiegel, 2004). Pham and Avnet (2004) assert that promotion-focused individuals rely more on affective information rather than objective information. Thus, it can also be argued that since objectivism is more associated with prevention focus rather than promotion focus, objective consumers may stay away from online procurement of drugs. 2.8.6 Gender, Income, Educational Status and Insurance Status impact on online medication procurement Many studies have identified the gender differences that exist in health care consumption behaviors (e.g., Conner Norman, 1996; Stelmach et al., 2004; Green Pope, 1999). These studies find women to be more proactive in seeking health care services and to be more involved in health-related behaviors. On the other hand, online shopping literature finds men to have a greater propensity to shop online than women (Otnes McGrath, 2001; Shim, Eastlick, Lotz, 2000; Briones, 1998; Rajamma Neeley, 2005). Garbarino and Strahilevitz (2004) stated that one reason for this difference could be the higher perception of risk associated with buying online among women Very few studies have examined the influence of income, educational status, or insurance status on the consumer’s propensity to procure medications online. One of the motivating factors for any consumer in procuring medications online is the lower cost. The conclusion from this argument is that lower-income consumers may prefer procuring medications online than their higher-income counterparts. However, it is to be noted here that the lower income consumers may not always have Internet access (Jump for Web Prescription Sales, 2004) and may not have the knowledge or familiarity with the different technologies involved to be successful Internet shoppers. Rajasree and Lou E. (2009) stated that in spite of the hypothesized differences across consumers with respect to their propensity to procure medications online based on income and level of education, no differences are expected based on consumers’ insurance coverage. Low-income consumers are less likely to have insurance coverage than higher income consumers. Consumers without insurance coverage are likely to abstain from buying medications from brick-and-mortar or Internet-based pharmacies as far as they can help it, since they have to pay for it anyway. On the other hand, consumers with insurance coverage are likely to be indifferent to where they buy the medications, as their insurance covers the cost.

McDonalds Corporation Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing BTEC Coursewor

McDonalds Corporation McDonald’s is the undisputed king of burgers. This has been the trend in the fast-food industry from their creation in the 1960’s to their massive growth in the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and now the new millennium. Over the past forty years, McDonald’s has fully taken advantage of their strengths but because of maturity in the fast food industry, more focus will have to be put on opportunities, weaknesses, and threats. Strengths. The first strength of McDonald’s has been their product strategy. Throughout the past three decades they have simply been a hamburger and fries Restaurant. Growing customer wants and needs along with increased competition has forced them to alter and improve their menu to better fit the environment. Factors such as growing competition and consumers becoming more health conscious have forced them to make these changes. Today McDonald’s offers a wide variety of products that consist of 26 items. Breakfast items include biscuit sandwiches, Egg McMuffin, hotcakes and sausage, sausage McMuffin with egg, and scrambled eggs. Sandwiches include the Big Mac, cheeseburger, Crispy Chicken Deluxe, Filet-O-Fish, Grilled Chicken Deluxe, Grilled Chicken Salad Deluxe, hamburger, Quarter Pounder, and the Quarter Pounder with cheese. Dessert items include baked apple pies, chocolate chip cookie, hot fudge sundae, ice cream cone, McFlurry, and milkshakes. Other items on the menu include the apple-bran muffin, Chicken McNuggets, French fries, Garden Salad, Happy Meals, soft drinks, and other beverages. Promotion has also been a strength for McDonald’s. They have always focused promotion around good food, friendly folks, and fun. They have also spent a considerable amount of money on promotional programs such as Monopoly, Happy Meals, and the Big Mac. In addition to these promotions, McDonald’s signed a ten-year contract with Disney combining promotions for food items with Disney movies. They also continue the successful Beanie Baby promotion that is credited as the company’s most successful promotion ever. On October 25 they introduced the American Trio Collection of Beanie Babies that celebrate the American Political Process. In addition to promotion, McDonald’s has also been successful at placing restaurants in every available position. The increase of outlets per year has re... ...ket. These restaurants have the ability to be expanded throughout the United States and provide a large amount of sales domestically. This will be growingly important as sales in current McDonald’s restaurants flatten. These restaurant chains may also have the ability to be expanded internationally depending on their success in the U.S. An opportunity that McDonald’s has not been taking advantage of is their environmental concerns. Recently McDonald’s was honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their conservation and recycling efforts. The EPA cited McDonald’s as the industry leader because of its continual review and evaluation of packaging materials. This is something that could be used in a promotional effort to better their image in consumers’ minds. It could be positioned directly against competitors to show that McDonald’s does care about the environment. McDonald’s has done well with establishing a plan for future growth and expansion. As long as they continue to build awareness for their other brands, expand internationally, and better manage product introduction in existing McDonald’s restaurants, they will continue to be number one.

Marketing Solution Essay

This paper will use a problem solving model to solve Classic Airline’s marketing problem. The company is suffering within the airline industry due to several factors, a couple being the massive increase of costs for fuel and labor. The resolution in conquering the airlines dilemma will be addressed in a comprehensive nine-step problem solving model. This model will include Defining the Problem, Gathering Facts, Feelings, and Opinion, Identifying the Real Problem, Generate Possible Solutions, Generate Possible Solutions, Evaluate Alternatives, Select Best Alternatives, Gain Approval and Support, Implement Decision and Evaluate Results. The factors of this difficulty in the marketing of this company will be identified, analyzed, followed by a robust decision on the strategy to resolve Classic Airlines’ crisis. Step One: The Problem There has been a reduction in employee morale (which is at an all time low), the increase in fuel and labor has contributed to the increase in expenses these factors have the airline in a tailspin within the industry. This is not all due to marketing the company can not be held accountable for the price of fuel nor can it take responsibility for the scrutiny on the airlines from the sectors of the economy outside of the airline industry. According to the American Marketing Association Board of Directors (2012), Marketing research is the function that links the consumer, customer, and public to the marketer through information used to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems; generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance; and improve understanding of marketing as a process (Definition of Marketing Research, sec. 2). The research in marketing is vital to Classic Airline’s ability to correct most of its problems it will not only bring loyal customers back but provide other opportunities for the airline to further stabilize itself within the airline industry. The key to the research required for the airline is to be as in depth as possible with the opinion of the public, it will also require the company to find the most cost effective resources for fuel and labor. The research shows that economic conditions have contributed to a reduction of ticket purchases however it is not the price of the ticket that has caused the decline. Step Two: Gathering the Facts, Feelings and Opinions The position in the airline industry of Classic Airlines is that it is the 5th largest airline in the world. The leader with the airlines comprises more than 375 jets that travel to 240 cities and run in excess of 2,300 flights a day (University of Phoenix, 2012). The company employs about 32,000 professionals to maintain its massive operation. This industry colossal earned over $10 million in profit on $8. 7 billion in ticket sales. In spite of the leader position in the business Classic Airlines is experiencing some negative changes recently. In the last year, the Classic Reward Program saw a 19% decline in the number of members and the current members purchased 21% less flights (University of Phoenix, 2012). The feelings of the employees are based on the public’s opinion of the airline industry which has caused them to have doubts about their line of work and the stability of the business. The Labor Union is the focal point in gathering the feelings of the employees, which are the airline greatest assets. Classic Airlines can increase moral by addressing the employees’ labor contracts to show their staff that they are appreciated. During the Shareholders meeting the company officials can hear the opinions of the group of people that do not control the everyday operation of the company but provide vital capital to the airline. In many ways the opinion of the Shareholders are a direct reflection of the publics’ view of the industry and the company. Shareholders are the owners of a business and are the ultimate decision-makers on the direction of a company. While the management of a company has the day-to-day decision-making power, shareholders guide the strategy, financing and selection of management of the firm. In many cases, shareholders are the management of the firm (Azcentral. com 2013). The opinion of the upper management via the CEO, Amanda Miller, and CFO, Catherine Simpson, are strictly addressing the problem through looking at the numbers and trying to make adjustments accordingly. This is of the opposite opinion on the CMO, Kevin Boyle, who feels that marketing will regain the trust of the general public, the employees and the shareholders to increase confidence in the airline. The conflict for Classic Airlines lies in whether or not the vastly different opinions on how to provide a olution to the company can be merged or selectively decided upon. Step Three: Identify the Real Problem The facts have been gathered and it has previously been stated that the confidence in the industry has not been the same across the board. This is due to events that have nothing to do directly with the 5th largest airline in the world, Classic Airlines, or any other company in the business. The othe r side effect of the catastrophe of September 11th caused the economy to shift in a downward motion which triggered prices to rise. The effects of the economy and the disaster have caused a serious predicament in the increase in expenses for materials, fuel, labor, costs of goods and services, and labor which also reduced customer confidence. The Classic Rewards Program is suffering losses every year and the frequent flier association has suffered a loss of around 20% of its members (University of Phoenix, 2012). The feelings of the employees are likewise a reflection of the lack of confidence the general public feels towards the industry and Classic Airlines is not developing confidence by refusing to address its labor issues to stabilize their employees. The Shareholders are also not confident in the company not because it was not preserving its market share or position in the industry however the external factors caused them to be a bit more cautious in investing their money. The final real problem is the polarization in upper management which has to be resolved immediately to not only reflect a positive direction for shareholders but that will result in a solution that sets Classic Airlines apart from its competition. Another real problem for example, is the data system the company uses which is the Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) that has not been utilized properly and in doing so has allowed the company to not actualize what is causing their customer’s dissatisfaction. In correlation to the opinion of the CMO, Kevin Boyle, in addressing the needs of the customer could provide profitability and the ability to give their customers what they are lacking. The upper management should not look at this time as a number crunching session nor should it drift away in contentment. Conversely Classic Airline should take this opportunity to explore new ideas and options that will solidify the fact that they are one of the industry leaders for a reason. If all these real problems are address correctly the company will maintain or even increase its place in the airline industry. Step Four: Generate Possible Solutions There are several possibilities that will affect the profitability of the airline. They can merge with another airline or downsize the company by separating the domestic and international businesses with the possibility of selling off the lower producing divisions. Sell the less used planes and equipment to generate immediate income for the company to use in other areas. The shareholders can deem the Upper Management as underachieving and begin to replace them with what they would consider more qualified candidates, in hopes of getting into the correct position within the airline industry. Classic Airlines can concentrate its focus on the employees and customers to increase their confidence. The company could look at the financial picture of the company and make adjustments to make the streamline the firm. Selling off the plane and equipment may be risky because of the lack of customer confidence. Classic could also look to expand globally to gain a larger market share in the foreign market. The shareholder removing the Upper Management would be too time consuming and too much of a chance if in fact the replacement can not improve the missteps of the original managers. Concentrating on the employees and costumers may be the cornerstone of success for the company because the employees are already familiar with their duties and the customers were loyal in the past. This simply means that the pieces are already in place to stabilize the company but the strategies must be implemented. Step Five: Evaluate Alternatives Downsizing is almost like throwing in the towel for the 5th largest airline in the world and it probably would not be cost effective with the climate in the airline industry. Merging with another company within reason may help to increase the overall scope of the company if the opportunity to maintain market share was present. The company could streamline its resources and utilize every tool that is accessible to them in order to run a more efficient organization. Global expansion could bring in more revenue with a slight transference in the amount of flights from low producing locations. Step Six: Best Alternatives The solution to this vast problem within Classic Airlines starts with Upper Management. The management team needs to get on the same page, committed to gearing the company in a positive direction and being open minded then good things will follow for the company. The first problem to be addressed begins with the most valuable asset of any company, the employees. The CEO and CFO need to hold a meeting with the CMO to get an idea of why the employee moral is so low and what issues they have with the Labor Union. In doing so, they can form a strategy to allow the opinions of the employees to be heard but having themselves prepared to meet their employees’ demands and needs within reason. The next step in providing a possible solution is to gather as much data on the customers as possible to get them back to flying with Classic. The Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) needs to have a direct Administrator that is specifically in charge of gathering data about the customers. This information plays a major role in exploring the customer’s needs and wants. The administrator will provide the information to Upper Management so they will be informed of why they are loosing business yearly. Once the information is collected and documented management can strategize on meeting the customer’s needs. The airline may have to give away a few trips, coupons, provide better seating or more beer on longer flights, nonetheless if the company provides what the customer demands it will surely gain the business that it has lost and probably more than anticipated. Classic Airlines would not exist without its customers or its employees, therefore these problems should be address immediately. According to new research from the University of Missouri (MU), CEOs who pay attention to employees’ job satisfaction are able to boost both customer satisfaction and increase the number of customers who intend to do repeat business with the company (www. usinessnewsdaily. com 2013). The next problem can be solved by executing the previous solutions which will gain confidence in the marketplace and peak the interest of potential investors to start looking into Classic Airlines once again. Upper Management needs to hold a Shareholders meeting to address the changes that were identified in the two previous solutions and what that has provided for the company’s revenue potential. Hold the meeting will show the investors that they are up for the task as Upper Management and provide the investors with the confidence that hey desperately needed in the airline. The CMO, Keith Boyle has a former colleague, Osef Wymann, Marketing Executive of Skyway Airlines in Switzerland that can expand the business globally (University of Phoenix 2012). This opportunity can increase the European scope of the company and allow for growth in that arena. Implementing these solutions could increase the total profitability of Classic Airlines and curtail the financial difficulties that the company is currently confronting. Step Seven: Gain Approval and Support The solutions provided in the previous section would be presented to Upper Management, Employees and Shareholders alike. The company as a whole would be an open book and all opinions are addressed and heard throughout the process. It is the job of Upper Management to research and know the concerns of all contributors to the operation of the company. In any given situation everyone will not agree, however if the collect issues are addressed and met then the ideals, goals and expectations are set and should be fairly easy to implement. Step Eight: Implement Decision After Upper Management has gained the support of all of its contributors it is now time to implement the solutions. Weekly meetings will be held by all departments of the airline with all employees to reiterate what the goals of the company are moving forward. There will be monthly meetings with mid and upper management to discuss the results of the meetings and gather data on the success and the short comings. The CRM administrator should provide a daily report to the executives of Classic Airlines to insure customer satisfaction. The international venture with Skyway Airlines will be supervised by the CMO selecting a staff and monitoring the successes or failures. Eventually this will be removed as a responsibility of the CMO but because of the relationship he has with the executive of Skyway it would make sense for him to begin the business model. It is imperative that Upper Management address the labor Union and the shareholders to make sure their needs are being met on a quarterly basis. Step Nine: Evaluate Results In every facet of Classic Airlines there will be surveys, customer service inquiries, polling, advertisement offering a toll free customer service number, internet contact information for opinions on the customer’s experience. In every meeting room from the local employees’ weekly meeting to the quarterly shareholder gala there will be comment cards and surveys. This data will be collected and put into document form so that Upper Management will remain aware of there level of success. With all of these provisions in place Classic Airline is sure to overcome its current problems and fly above the competition.

Benchmarking and Value Chain Analysis

According to Oakland (113) and Patterson article found online, bench marking involves the activities that are carried out in an organization that involves procedures used to compare the results that the organization is producing with the means and processes used. A bench mark is like the targets that an organization would want to achieve in its operations to enable it make progress as far as its growth and development is concerned which either could be within or outside the organization (Dale 77).A benchmark for an organization should be something that adds value to the organization’s performance and as an end result benefit all the employees’ of the organization and its customers. Meaning that if the identified changes are carried out it will help the organization achieve some if not all of its activities (Howell 135). An example of a business that has achieved the maximum benefits from benchmarking is General Electric. General Electric has achieved bench mark on talen t management strategy.The strategy of General Electric on how they manage talents is by the way they prioritize the jobs they give and how they focus on ‘game changers’. They are the top recruitment firm when it comes to recruiting personnel from the military (Sullivan). On the other hand, businesses and firms should make comparative advantages and should be able to have shareholder values. In order to do these, businesses and firms separate systems in different value-generating activities. And within every activity, a goal is set that the level of value should always exceed the cost of doing these activities.This whole process is known to be value chain analysis. In order to have more advantage that other businesses, a firm should be able to utilize a cost advantage and differentiation. Cost advantage happens when the cost of a value chain is reduced better than other competitors. Differentiation, on the other hand, is the uniqueness of a particular value chain of firm from the other firms (â€Å"The Value Chain. †). An example of a firm that has achieved the maximum benefits from value chain analysis is the computer producing company Apple.Although, the computers they sell are high priced, they still mange to achieve the cost advantage among other computer brands by being number four in the sales of computers in the year 2008. Another thing is that Apple computers also achieved the differentiation among other computer brands. Apple computers are really unique in many ways, because they produce their own components for this computer that no other companies can produce. Thus, Apple has achieved value chain in their computers.

Comfort zone Essays

Comfort zone Essays Comfort zone Paper Comfort zone Paper Essay Topic: Zone One Familiarity breeds comfort, and sometimes we just have to step back and gain an insight into things outside our comfort zone. Ive always considered myself to be a KL girl, and so I ignorantly assumed that everyone led a comfortable lifestyle the way most of us in KL do. Attending a college in the middle of a palm oil estate outside of KL and meeting people from different states in Malaysia made me realise that we were worlds apart. Never did I imagine that even top students from rural areas in Malaysia were still struggling to converse in English. I also never imagined that topics of discussion that I used to consider normal were considered taboo amongst those same students. The sad part of it is that these were the fortunate students who despite their English illiteracy were the cream of the crop where they came from. But what happens to those who werent so lucky? Do they get casted aside to the sidelines? I recently went to a primary school where most of the students were the orang asli children and again I was shocked at the difference between it and my old primary school. Each standard only had one class, and the school only consisted of one academic block. When I attended the soccer meeting, that’s when it hit me that there’s a huge difference between watching soccer on TV and actually playing. The other players on the team had played soccer since the age of four, and there I was, without soccer experience. After signing up for the team, I felt foolish, scared, and distraught because I didn’t want the other players to judge me. I didn’t want them to make fun of me because I couldn’t dribble or kick a soccer ball, but my inner voice was still telling me, â€Å" Don’t quit! Let the judging motivate you! Who cares if I can’t kick a ball, I will learn! My comfort zone was watching soccer whereas, trying to play soccer was me, stepping out of my comfort zone. During warm-ups in the first practice, I felt as if I was going to die! My legs felt horrible, and there were 2 hours left of practice. I wanted to quit, I was uncomfortable and embarrassed because I fell during an easy drill, was the s lowest runner, and tired in the first 20 minutes. In the back of my mind I knew that I shouldn’t quit, I did soccer for me, to benefit my health and feed my anxiety and curiosity about the sport. On the other hand, if I were to quit, I knew I would be unhappy and disappointed with myself. Therefore, I stayed with soccer and I’m happy with my decision because I’ve made the greatest friendships and came out of my comfort zone. My middle school soccer experience has changed me in the greatest way, it helped me realize that I will face problems where at times I won’t feel comfortable and that I shouldn’t quit, no matter how difficult, strange, or painful. After playing soccer in the eighth grade, I decided to continue to play in high school; I wanted to continue my new healthy habits and my friendships that I made in middle school. From freshman year to senior year, I have played soccer for my high school team, junior varsity for my freshman year and varsity for my sophomore, junior, and senior year, and during all my embarrassing falls, crazy drills, and â€Å"psycho† coaches, I realized I love playing. Such a shift in my own paradigm was one of the hardest things for me to do however, I learned what it means to play with heart and passion, a team is a family, and new healthy habits. I grew because I was willing to feel awkward and embarrassed and as Kristen Wiig has once said, â€Å"When you go out of your comfort zone and it works there’s nothing more satisfying. †

Expressing Quantity in French - Zero, None - Pas De

Expressing Quantity in French - Zero, None - Pas De Theres a lot to keep in mind when expressing quantities in French. We have  studied  how to express unspecific quantities, du, de la, de l, des, then how to express specific quantities, numbers and expressions of quantity, so now for the last part: when there is nothing, zero, zip, not any! 1 - The Quantity Is None Aha! I bet you didnt think about that one! Well, zero is also a quantity. Which means when you say I dont have money (join the club), you are using a quantity. You could be saying I dont have any money, but the any is often left out in everyday speech.   So, if you wanted to actually say zero, well thats easy, its a number: - jai zà ©ro chat (I have zero cat). But where it gets complicated is when you use a negative. I dont have (any) cat.   In French, wed say something like I dont have none of cat. Please, dont think of it this way, because youd never say that in English, so translating doesnt work. I am just saying it to explain, but its more logical to think of it as pas being a quantity, therefore followed by de/d in French. Je nai pas de chat. (I dont have any cat)Je nai pas de fille. (I dont have a daughter)Je nai pas de lait. (I dont have milk)Je nai pas denfants (I dont have children) And of course, there is a main exception. This rule doesnt apply when your verb is à ªtre (to be). So with à ªtre in the negative, you say the same thing as in the affirmative. Je suis une fille. Je ne suis pas une fille. (I am a girl. I am not a girl). 2 - Adjectives of Quantity Are Not Followed by De/d Aucun/e/s and plusieur/s are adjectives. They dont need an article. Jai plusieurs chats - I have several cats.Je nai aucun ami - I have no friend, I dont have a single friend, I dont have any friend.. 3 - To Recap Some things are easy to quantify: one apple. It’s a whole apple. You usually buy, eat, need one, 2, 3 apples.  But you may decide to be vague, and say â€Å"des pommes† more than one, but I don’t know exactly how many. Now, some things are less easily quantifiable†¦ You don’t buy â€Å"one rice†. You buy either â€Å"one kilo of rice† (a kilo of, an expression of quantity), or â€Å"some rice† (unspecific quantity of an item which is not easily quantifiable). So you need to ask yourself: Am I talking about... A very specific  quantity (a number, or an expression of quantity : une pomme, 5 pommes, un kilo de pommes, une bouteille deau†¦).An unspecified quantity of an item (du vin), or an unspecified quantity of something that you cannot quantify easily (du riz, de la patience)More than one of an item, but a vague plural quantity (des pommes)No item at all (pas de pomme) This is a lot to take in. Read these  lessons over a couple of times and even read it out-loud so you really take the time to understand and process everything.