Korematsu vs. United States :: essays research papers

Fred Korematsu was born in the U.S. in 1919. His parents were born in Japan. Since he was born in the U.S. he was a citizen. He grew up like a normal kid in California. As he grew up, his life was normal, until the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1942. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans were regarded as a threat to the U.S. President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, also know as the Exclusion Order. This Order stated that any descendents or immigrants from enemy nations who might be a threat to U.S. security will report to assembly centers for Internment. There were no trials or hearings. They were forced to evacuate and many lost their homes and their businesses. Fred Korematsu refused to go. He was a U.S. citizen. Fred Korematsu was grabbed by police, handcuffed, and taken to jail. His crime -- defying President Franklin Roosevelt's order that American citizens of Japanese descent report to internment camps This action violated Korematsu’s basic constitutional rights. The fourth amendment states, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated; and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized." The government’s actions clearly stepped over the boundaries of the constitution. As a U.S. citizen he should not have been pushed around like that. Korematsu decided to take his case to the court. Korematsu’s case first went to regional court. After being turned down there, he then went to the court of appeals. Being turned down there also, his lawyer appealed to the Supreme Court while he was held in the relocation camp. The Supreme Court decided to take his case, but then made the wrong worst decision ever. They decided to uphold the other courts’ decisions by a vote of six to three. Korematsu lost his case. After the war ended, the internment haunted the nation's conscience as well. In 1948 Congress took the first step in making amends, enacting the Japanese American Evacuation Claims Act to provide some monetary compensation to those who had lost homes and businesses because of the order. In 1980, Congress again opened the internment issue, and this time a stream of witnesses testified, many of them for the first time, of the hardships and psychological trauma they had suffered.

Compare Contrast Perfect Compettiton Essay

A market is any place where the sellers of a particular good or service can meet with the buyers of that goods and service where there is a potential for a transaction to take place. The buyers must have something they can offer in exchange for there to be a potential transaction. Market structure: Market structure refers to the factors, such as size of the market, technological, cost and demand conditions and the barriers to entry and exit, that would affect the effectiveness of managerial decisions. We can also consider the market structure as describing the state of the market with respect to competition. Market structures Monopoly Perfect competition Imperfect competition Monopolistic competition c Oligopoly Overview: Perfect competition is a theoretical market structure. It is primarily used as a benchmark against which other market structures are  compared. The industry  that best reflects perfect competition in real life is the agricultural industry. For example , As there are millions of farmers who would produce rice & there are millions of consumers who would consume rice. In this case not a single buyer or seller could influence the price of rice. Perfect competition is a competitive market. Economist uses the term† competitive market â€Å"to describe a market in which there are so many buyers & so many sellers that each has a negligible impact on the market price. Characteristics of perfectly competitive market- 1. Large number of buyers & sellers: In perfect competition, there must be large number of buyers and sellers. Each buyer buys a small quantity of the total amount. Each seller is so large that no single buyer or seller can influence the price and affect the market. According to Scitovsky buyers and sellers are price takers in the purely competitive market. Each seller (or firm) sells its products at the price determined by the market. Similarly, each buyer buys the commodity at the price determined by the market. 2. Homogeneous product: Under perfect competition, the product offered for sale by all sellers must be identical in every respect. The goods offered for sale are perfect substitutes of one another. Buyers have no special preference for the product of a particular seller. No seller can raise the price above the prevailing price or lower the price below the prevailing price. 3. Free entry and exit: Under perfect competition, there will be no restriction on the entry and exit of both buyers and sellers. If the existing sellers start making abnormal profits, new sellers should be able to enter the market freely. This will bring down the abnormal profits to the normal level. Similarly, when losses will occur existing sellers may leave the market. However, such free entry or free exit is possible only in the long run, but not in the short-run. 4. Perfect knowledge: Perfect competition implies perfect knowledge on the part of buyers and sellers regarding the market conditions. As results, no buyer will be prepared to pay a price higher than the prevailing price. Sellers will not charge a price higher or lower than the prevailing price. In this market, advertisement has no scope. 5. Perfect mobility of factors of production: The second perfection mobility of factors of production from one use to another use. This feature ensures that all sellers or firms get equal advantages so far as services of factors of production are concerned. This is essential to enable the firms and industry to achieve equilibrium 6. Absence of transport cost: Under perfect competition transport, cost does not exist. Since commodities have, the same price it logically follows that there will be no transport cost. In the event of the presence of cost of transport, there will be no single price in the market. Transport cost occurs when there is no perfect knowledge of the market conditions on the part of buyers and sellers. . No attachment: There is no attachment between the buyers and sellers under perfect competition. Since products of all sellers are identical and their prices are the same a buyer is free to buy the commodity from any seller he likes. He has no special inclination for the product of any seller as in case of monopolistic competition or oligopoly. Theoretically, perfect competition is irrelevant. In reality, it does not exist. So it is a myth Profit maximization for a competitive firm: The goal of any competitive firm is to make profit. Three general rules for profit maximization under perfect competition are stated as follows: -If the marginal revenue is greater then marginal cost the firm should increase the output -If marginal cost is greater then greater then marginal cost the firm should decrease output -At profit maximizing level of output, marginal revenue & marginal cost are exactly same Example: Profit maximization for a perfectly competitive market.

Doubt Is the Key to Knowledge

Doubt is the key to knowledge† (Persian Proverb). To what extent is this true in two areas of knowledge? Firstly, to understand fully the proverb, definitions should be given. Doubt is the psychological status of being stuck between believing and disbelieving, involving uncertainty and distrust in a particular situation or issue or when there is lack of hard evidence and facts to support the alleged information, action, motive or decision.When you question a notion or you are open to inquisition or reassessment of it, you are having doubt. Only when you can find the justification for your doubt, one that satisfies whatever convinces you to think otherwise, then you will no longer have doubts. To have knowledge is like to have an explanation, understanding or reasoning   to things in the world. Knowledge can be both personal and collective, and not all knowledge is a fact. The big bang theory , the theory of relativity, and the string theory etc. rovides us explanations and re asoning to why the world is the way it is. These theories are what we know but are not necessarily the fact – we do not know if these theories are correct, but still knowing these theories count as our knowledge. Knowledge can come from our personal experience as well. This essay will seek to address the extent to which doubt is manifested as a key to knowledge regarding two areas of knowledge, Science and History.According to Academic Press Dictionary of Science & Technology, science is the systematic observation of natural events and conditions in order to discover facts about them and to formulate laws and principles based on these facts and also the organized body of knowledge that is derived from such observations and that can be verified or tested by further investigation. There is a view that science is seen as provisional, which means that it is subjected to being falsified.In an ever-developing world were new discoveries are made all the time leading to new theories and realizations, older theories are always at the threat of being falsified. Even the new theories, the scientific community will vigorously doubt and criticize any ideas until enough evidence is produced to back them up. It is without ground to say that the basis of scientific growth is on inferred or even imagined hypotheses by scientist in an attempt to create or explain something new or unexplained.Experiments are carried out and positive results can turn these hypotheses into theories and possibly knowledge, of course until they are doubted and contested against by new theories that explores the opposition of the theory in question. Throughout the history of Science, knowledge has been derived from the selfsame processes. In early Mesopotamian study, the Earth was believed to be a flat disk with a dome, until Ferdinand Magellan managed to prove that Earth was spherical after successfully circumnavigating the Earth in the 15th Century.Another example would be of the Italian phy sicist Galileo Galilei who, despite the endless controversy, criticism and denouncing made against him, proved false the long withheld notion of the geocentric view that the Earth was at the center of the Universe. Thus, it is evident that through the use of scientific theories, unless disproved otherwise, knowledge is updated and will remain as such through continual doubt. Hence we can see that as long as there is doubt, new things will be explored and old laws might be disproved of although it is perceived as knowledge to everyone.Although doubt leads to more and more correct viewpoint of an issue, we can never be certain that what we think of as knowledge now is definitely the real truth and can never be disproved. However, with that being said, I believe that doubt and doubt alone cannot be the sole key to gain scientific knowledge, but continual doubt can actually leads to wasting of time and effort and worst is to eliminate the correct fact that is suppose to be true which ca n lead to a regression of knowledge.Firstly, there are many theories in science that remain in the gray area that cannot be logically proven with our current knowledge, like for example the existence of black holes. No scientists have been successful in proving its existence. However, one of the many theories of the black hole might actually be true but as nobody can prove it so, scientists in the field may invest pointless effort into developing new theories instead of directing that effort into proving the theory, which is actually true. Also there are truths that can never be doubted or proven otherwise like the fact that the Earth orbits around the word.Thus, although doubt lends to the progress of science and hence knowledge, it also has limitations which might prove detrimental to the growth of knowledge. The next issue is that of religion. Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. According to New York Times writer Peter Steinfels, published in July 19, 2008, religion is no longer like it was in the past when religious faith was present in everything people do, even for oubters. Nowadays it is almost inevitable that believers must live in a condition of doubt and uncertainty. We often think that there is no room for doubt within faith, that doubt is weakness. Even worse, most conservative faiths regard doubt as something to be battled against because it is dangerous to one's faith. It can lead to heresy, doubting the existence of God, and, according to their belief, perhaps loss of salvation and eternal torture in the fires of Hell.Of course , it had been pointed out by religious thinkers a long time ago that being doubtful about a religion is not the opposite polar of the religion but it is actually the better way of having faith rather than blind belief. Personally, although I am a devout Buddhist, many a time I have found myself doubting my own re ligion. For example, I sometimes question whether there is such thing called karma or does everything just happen by chance and karma is just a way to scare believers into doing good deeds for they fear of having to suffer the consequence afterwards.Ultimately there are people who are kind-hearted and yet still suffer every day. I found my answer not long ago about how it is related to another issue of reincarnation and bringing over karma. I did feel guilty of doubting Buddha and his words but then I learned that he said: Do not accept any of my words on faith, Believing them just because I said them. Be like an analyst buying gold, who cuts, burns, And critically examines his product for authenticity. Only accept what passes the test By proving useful and beneficial in your life.The Buddha (Jnanasara-samuccaya) Doutb, to Buddha is necessary because there is no point in following a religion blindly. According to the Buddha, religion should be left to one's own free choice. Religion is not a law, but a disciplinary code which should be followed with understanding. That’s why the Buddha told his disciples not to blindly follow his teachings but test them and verify them through their own experience like a goldsmith tests the purity of gold. However sometimes fir belief in the spiritual side of things can be necessary or at least comforting.In the book : â€Å"The Age of Doubt: Tracing the Roots of Our Religious Uncertainty†, an example of a 20-year-old boy was given. He is of an agreeable and intellectual appearance,† but he's soon beset with existential and religiously-inflected questions, tied to his faith, that he feels compelled to ask his doctor: â€Å"What am I? What are all these things that are made like me? Why am I? â€Å". â€Å"Why am I? † is perhaps the most remarkable of these questions, with religion offering an answer more confident and comforting than science perhaps ever could.But as his doctor explains, the patien t finds no comfort in theology. He is in one sense suspended between two options, greater faith and firmer uncertainty, yet neither strikes him as possible or appealing. Ultimately religions are spiritual havens that most followers take refuge in; and by constantly doubt its truth, it defeats the purpose of having religions as people are always have this insecurity that what they are doing, adhering to may not do any good to them despite what their religions says.In conclusion, due to the broadness and ambiguity of the knowledge areas of Science and History, it is impossible to accurately evaluate doubt and its ability to present itself as the key to attaining knowledge. Nonetheless, through careful study and research on these various areas of knowledge, this essay presents the stand that doubt, to a large extent, is an indispensable and important factor as the key to knowledge. 1505 words ———————————â€⠀Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€- [ 2 ]. Sharpe, Alfred. â€Å"Doubt†. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 5 (New York: Robert Appleton). Retrieved 2008-10-21. [ 3 ]. http://blogs. yis. ac. jp/13hwangj/2011/09/05/definition-of-knowledge/ [ 4 ]. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Religion#cite_note-0 [ 5 ]. http://www. nytimes. com/2008/07/19/us/19beliefs. html [ 6 ]. http://viewonbuddhism. org/dharma. html [ 7 ]. http://www. budsas. org/ebud/whatbudbeliev/277. htm

Easy Jet

The  marketing audit  is a fundamental part of the marketing planning process. It is conducted not only at the beginning of the process, but also at a series of points during the implementation of the plan. The marketing audit considers both internal and external influences on marketing planning, as well as a review of the plan itself 1. Environmental Audict on Easy jet(the factors that can influnce the company) A)Five porter’s forces: *Threats from new entrants : When new airlines enter the market ,how they affect easy jet *Threats from subsititue products: more options to go to a destination such as buses,train.. ow these things affect easy jet *Bargaining power of suppliers: if plane manufacturer factories sell planes with a high price ,how this affect the easy jet’s finance *Bargaining power of buyers: for instance easy jet makes a contract with plane factories for 10 years with the fixed charge so the factory can’t increase the price during this time. Ba rgaining lets you buy products at a cheaper rate *Internal Rivalry: Internal competation ,easy jet fight against other airlines Threat of substitutes-this can be anything that can be a substitute to EasyJet or airline industry in general.For instance, another airline with even lower prices, consumers opting to use other modes of transport (trains for instance). When Heatrow was hit by that huge fog just before Christmas and no planes were flying, Eurostar trains were suddenly all booked. I would think, however, that for Easy Jet, there would be no big threat of substitutes. There is a threat of ever growing competition but this isn't the case of substitutes. Substitues are in other words ‘me too' products which are less likely to occur in airline industry or service industry then in FMCG. I think. Buyers-here you can list down any possible threats from buyers.This is where you look at the relationship between Easy Jet and its targeted consumers. How strong is Easy Jet brand? D o consumers believe in, and to, Easy Jet? Are they loyal to Easy Jet or do they switch to other airlines with no real or perceived risks? If yes, why? If not, why not? Do consumers have alternative to Easy Jet? If yes, and I would say they do, how does the relationship between Easy Jet and its consumers change? Who has greater leverage in this relationship, consumers or Easy Jet? Who is more dependable on whom, why and to what extent? Etc†¦ Ask as many questions as you can and you will get your answer.Talk to someone who has used Easy Jet services, ask them what they liked and disliked about it, would they use it again and why, how do they feel about Easy Jet, how did they decide to fly with Easy Jet, will they choose Easy Jet again B)Swot analysis: 4 main strenghts and the opposite ones are for weaknesses *Finance *Technology *HR Department *Reputation and image EasyJet Airline Company Limited: Strengths: * EasyJet is a leading provider of  low budget, no frills air travel  servicing many of the leading city destinations in the UK and across Europe, including Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Prague. They offer a high quality service at competitive prices and offer a number of features including ticketless travel, internet booking and assisted travel services. * They have a  highly distinctive livery  on their fleet of aircraft making them easily recognisable and distinguishing them from their competitors. * They have a  user friendly website  which fully discloses the price breakdown of the passengers planned travel. Offering a full breakdown of the price plan prevents any hidden charges when the customer confirms there booking. EasyJet offers an online promotion alert which is e-mailed to existing customers and contact on the company’s database. * Recognised as a leading brand name in the UK travel industry. * As a market leader in an industry widely seen as a leading contributor to the green house effect and global warming, EasyJet actively embrace there environmental responsibilities and continue to keep these factors as a keep priority when developing their future strategies. * EasyJet operate a fast and efficient service with an average turnaround time of 30 minutes or below.This enables them to maintain a reliable and hassle free service to their passengers. * For the case study,planes and turnaround times means to take short time on departure,use of internet,financial position The easy brand is a well known brand across the UK and  some areas of Europe. It is knownfor ‘low cost for the masses’ which is implied by their orange culture. They want to paint the worldorange, implying that they want to provide goods and services at the lowest possible price. easyJeteasyJet only offers a single fare class. Its pricing strategy is to offer ‘value for money’ and this is  doneby keeping costs to a  minimum.Unit costs are kept  low by eliminating travel agents, maintaining highaircr aft utilisation, focusing on internet sales, eliminating unnecessary service frills, operating a fleet of  similar aircraft and establishing long-term agreements with suppliers. One of the key strengths of easyJet has been the utilisation of the internet. easyJet bookings over theinternet relate to  over 92% of total sales and  is expected to increase. They see themselves as  becomingthe first internet only airline. Strengths: †¢ Cheap tickets. †¢ A simple fare structure. †¢ Image, differentiation on price andbrand. †¢Commitment to customer service. †¢ Multi-base network. †¢ Strong corporate culture. †¢ Flexibility to change bookings on theinternet. †¢ Lower costs than the  established airlines Weaknesses: * Domestic air travel is an extremely competitive industry with  EasyJet’s main competitors being Jet2, BMI Baby, Ryan Air plus a host of smaller independent competitors. These external competitive forces can restrict and shape pricing policy on some of  EasyJet’s less profitable routes as they seek to compete with their competitors. * They do not offer a free food service on longer flights of 2 hours plus. asyJet has many weaknesses but the main include the lack of service,flexibility and  business focus making  the low-cost model  unappealing to  business travellers. Businesstravellers are not included within easyJet’s business model. Since September 11 business  travellersaccount for 50% of passengers and therefore should be a target for marketing and should be included inthe business model. This can be seen as a weakness for not targeting this segment. easyJet’s business model also relies on people flying more often. However, there is a limit as to howoften people fly.The growth is not infinitive, it is possible that the low-cost market will be saturated. Itwill come to a point when the low-cost airlines will not be able to stimulate any more demand fromlow prices . (CPRE: The Future Development of Air Transport in the UK, July 2003 Weaknesses: †¢ Pilots over 65 are not allowed to fly over  France, Italy and Portugal. †¢ No guaranteed departure. †¢ No unaccompanied children under age of 16. †¢ No autopilot. †¢ Lack of service, flexibility and business focusmake the low-cost model unappealing tobusiness travellers. †¢ Focus on price and convenience is reaching itslimit.Differentiation will be difficult. †¢ Due to quick success it is difficult to recruitand train new staff. †¢ No customer retention scheme Opportunities: * Possible opening of alternative routes to major cities in Europe. A key route could be from Dublin to the UK, as this has a large potential for travellers going to soccer matches in the UK plus new links into corporate flyers to and from the UK. * Offering of free refreshments on flights with a travel time of over two and a half hours. This would offer an extra perk and comfort to pass engers making their experience with EasyJet all the more comfortable and enjoyable. Updated versions of the fly on the wall documentaries would provide the brand with more coverage and publicity. The opportunities in the industry mainly come from the Eexpansion. On the 1st of  May 2004, 10 countries will be joining the  EU. Thus, the EU’s membership will be  expanded from 15to 25 countries. The new states include former members of the Eastern Block and smaller â€Å"island†states. (bized. ac. uk) These are Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta,Poland and the Slovak Republic.Further EU expansion is expected in 2007 when Bulgaria andRomania are hoping to join the EU, while Turkey is now currently negotiating its membership. (europa. eu. int)The addition of more than 100 million people to the EU’s market of 370 million will present anopportunity for further growth  for the low-cost airline industry. easyJet has already annou nced its newroutes from Luton, Berlin and Dortmund airports to Budapest (Hungary) and from Stansted airport toLjubljana (Slovenia). (easyJet. com) Threats: * Competitors flying the same routes compete very competitively on price forcing pressure on margin on more popular flights and time slots. External market forces can have a significant impact on  EasyJet’s business, e. g. the rising cost of oil can have a significant impact on running costs putting significant pressure on the profitability of less popular routes and time slots. * Pressure from unions and employee relations committees can signifigantly impact on the day to day operations with strikes proving to be very costly to the company’s image. * Economic downturn may lead to a decrease in casual flyers and corporate travel as companies seek to curtail what they see as unnecessary expenditure and in turn make less business trips.   Financial Analysis Within the  low-cost/no-frills  airline industry in  the UK,Ryanair  is easyJet’s main  competitor. Inevaluating the  financial performance of  easyJet, it  is therefore useful to  compare its performance withthat  of Ryanair. For the purpose of  this  comparison, we will be making use of a  number of ratioswhose formulae follow that of FAME. The data used for this financial analysis are easyJet’s unauditedpreliminary results for their financial year ended 30 September 2003, which provided results for boththe year ending  30 September 2002 and  2003.Ryanair’s financial year-end however is 31  March 2004. Therefore in  order to obtain data that  would be directly comparable, it  was necessary to use data fromtheir half-year which ends 30 September 2002 and 2003, and to use figures taken from their financialyear end 31 March 2002 and 2003. This enabled us to obtain figures for a full 12 months ending 30September 2002 and 2003. For a quick overview of all ratios refer to Appendix 3 a nd details of allcalculations  are contained in  Appendix  4. All financial  reports were obtained from downloadsavailable onwww. easyjet. com  and  www. ryanair. com.The first numerical set of data to  be analysed is the Profit and Loss Account. This deals with therunning of the business, i. e. the amount of turnover, the cost of what has been sold, the expensesgenerated during the year and of course the profit that has been made, perhaps the figure that theshareholders are  most interested  in, but there  are other criteria that  could affect the profitability of thecompany PEST analysis for easyJet The following factors are likely to have an influence on the airline industry and should therefore be taken into account when formulating a Marketing Plan for easyJet.Politico-legal factors †¢ Threat of war in the Middle East †¢ The Air Miles scheme is not considered as a taxable perk by the government in the way that company cars are taxed which may cha nge to allow easyJet to compete on more equal grounds with the likes of BA. †¢ A EU east-enlargement may provide access to viable, new markets. Economic factors †¢ Likelihood of increasing fuel costs, congestion and other environmental restrictions, as well as the prospect of higher security and insurance costs to reflect the risk of terrorism. As the recession is likely to last for some more time, business travellers will keep an eye on their travel expenses. †¢ Globalisation should continue to boost traffic in the long-term. †¢ The introduction of the single currency in Europe is likely to bring more business to easyJet as Europe becomes more integrated. Socio-cultural factors †¢ To win over the French and German publics might cause problems as there appears still to be a general reluctance to use credit cards over the phone and Internet . †¢ The public are general quite friendly to the prospect of cheap flights.However they may feel begrudged where t hey see promotions found in newspapers where flight are for ? 10 only to find that the actual cost is much higher for the particular time or day they wish to fly on. Technological factors †¢ A key issue will be the extent to which technological advancements – such as the use of the Internet on distribution and cost synergies from industry consolidation – can offset upward pressures on prices and costs. †¢ easyJet has to keep track of technological developments in the field of e-commerce and aircraft manufacture in order to gain a competitive advantage. CONTINUE..The business environment is a set of political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors otherwise know as PESTLE analysis. These factors are not controlled by the business. Which means that businesses must adapt quickly as the environment changes. These macro factors have a positive or negative impact on the business. The political factor can be affected through tax policies a s Easyjet are charged with landing in different countries, employment laws, environment regulations, trade restrictions, tariffs and the government. The economic factor is forever changing with prices constantly fluctuating.For example oil prices increasing affects overall profits for the company which in return affects how much money Easyjet can invest on improving the airline or giving back to the communities. Baines, Phil and Page (2008a) explain firms are effected by environmental issues such as wage inflation, price inflation, gross domestic product and income sales and corporation taxes. From the social aspect this looks highly on safety of the airline and its staff and passengers. Which then attracts passengers to fly again after being ensured of safe and secure flights.To keep up in technology Easyjet must be internet dependant as flights are booked and checked via the internet. Therefore customers need to be satisfied with a quick and simple service. Easyjet also have a gre at career attitude which commits staff to be up to a excellent standard of service. Technology plays a huge factor within Easyjet as it has to rely hugely on the reliance of technology. Also as things improve technology becomes cheaper which means barriers to entry could be lower for competitors to join which could affect the profit of Easyjet. â€Å"Barriers to entry are designed to block potential entrants from entering a market profitably.They seek to protect the monopoly power of existing firms in an industry and therefore maintain supernormal profits in the long run. Barriers to entry have the effect of making a market less contestableâ€Å". (Tutor2u n. d) To prevent this research and development expenditure can act as an obstruction to potential entrants to industry PEST analysis PEST analysis is chosen, to look at the possible business environmental impacts that may affect theindustry and easyJet. It can be used to infer a variety of trends, patterns and projections which willinfluence easyJet’s future strategic decisions (ACCA 2004).PEST analysis was chosen over SLEPTanalysis as we found it difficult to differentiate between legal and political factors. The legal issubsumed into political. Consideration will be made to the political, economic, social and technologicalenvironments that may affect the industry and easyJet in the future. Political Environment The industry and easyJet must react to any regulations that are imposed by the political party and thecorporate governance code. The EU compensation ruling that will take affect in 2005 is currently beingchallenged by easyJet as well as other airlines.If this challenge is unsuccessful then it would meanincreases, in  legal battles, compensation payouts and  overall increases in costs. As  a result, fare  prices easyJetwill increase and demand will fall. This would make  it very difficult to see  the future for the  low-costindustry. Expansion of the UK airport system will play a major role in the future of the airlines growth model. Stansted is expected to have one additional runway and terminal, increasing UK air traffic growth to402 million by 2020, 501 million passengers by 2030 (Mintel report 2003).The government are seeingthe benefits that the aviation industry can bring to the country. The question that remains to beanswered is, for how long are the government willing to help the growth of the industry before theystart to intervene? Any intervention from the government is likely to be costly in the future to theindustry. Economic Environment The government may decide to impose taxes on  the industry. A possible introduction of  a ‘Green tax’,a tax on fuel to try and reduce the pollution that it causes, would increase the costs and as a result couldraise easyJet’s fares by more than 20% (Financial Times, 1 stNovember 2003). Also the ? 6 billionworth of subsidies that is currently received from the government may be reduced ov er time to limit thegrowth of the industry. The growth of the industry may need to be controlled to keep pollution to aminimum. As subsidies decrease there will be  an adverse affect on  fare prices causing demand to fall. This will also affect the business model as it would need to be revisited. The recent rises in the UK interest rate, which currently stand at 4%, has increased the public’sliabilities.People have less disposable income and as a result are less likely to travel abroad. Theincreases will also affect easyJets’s loan repayments on its new order of aircrafts. At present, paymentsrelating to  the purchase are not  included in the hedging  policy and therefore will affect the liabilities of  easyJet. Social and Cultural  environment The UK population as a whole are aging, people are living longer. The number of people between theage of 25 and 34 has been decreasing but the age group between 55 and 64 are expected to increasefrom 2005 (Mintel r eport 2003).The older age group tends to have more disposable income (SAGAholidays target this group) and therefore should be targeted more by easyJet. Saying this, younger  people who have less disposable income are now starting to go abroad for their holidays. This meansthat the airline industry is attracting more potential passengers because of their low fares. Technological  environment easyJeteasyJet’s use of the internet needs to be enhanced, they are aiming to become the first ‘web-only’airline.Currently 92% of their tickets are sold online and improving this figure will bring cost savingwhich in turn could  be passed on  to the consumers. This will make easyJet more competitive on price. easyJet will need to  keep track of  technical developments in e-commerce and  aircraft manufacturing inorder to compete against its rivals 2. 7ps Marketing Mix of Easyjet Product  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Easy Jet is a flight booking company located at London. The  ben efits  of Easy Jet being online and on teletext means that they are providing better margins; this is where they are dedicated to customers digitally.Place  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Not solely online but majority of sales are online so Easy Jet will concentrate on this target market. Today, technology allows us to sell more goods to fewer people, which is far more efficient than selling fewer goods to more people. This is confirmed by Peppers and Rodgers in their Marketing concept. Peppers an advertising executive and Rogers a marketing scholar, their concepts addressed â€Å"one to one marketing†and how it concentrates on providing services or products to one customer at a time. This is by identifying and then meeting their individual needs.It then aims to repeat this many times with each customer, this is so consumers feel relationships are in place when perhaps they are forged. Price  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ With Easy Jet being on the internet for such a long period it means it has cut out aspects such as â€Å"the post†, this is because tickets and boarding passes are now emailed to customers or printable online, therefore â€Å"cutting out the middle man†. Promotion  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Easy jet’s website is offered through search engines and travel/flight comparison websites, this is both advertising and selling their service.They also send members emails with promotional offers. Physical Evidence  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Although Easy Jet is based mainly online now, Easy Jet are still booked through travel agents or in the airport itself. Physically offline Easy Jet have recently in the previous few months been advertising in Sainsbury’s stores by staff (uniformed Easy Jet T-shirts), advertising there new partnership. Physical evidence online differs, they have aspects such as â€Å"security icon† and policies in place which gives consumers a sense of security when booking online.People  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ On Easy Jet’s website they have sections, such as blo gs, FAQ’s and a whole section dedicated to customer service to try and give consumers a sense that even though they are online they still have some form of contact to Easy Jet. Process  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ As mentioned above Easy Jet integrates online and offline by having customer service in the airport and online. CASE STUDY Product: Easy jet is an low cost budget airline as well as no frill. The easy brand has been extended to other products. There are now easyinternet cafes,easycar,easymoney and new easycruise products.Price: There 3 types of pricing which are Premium Pricing this is for specific segment of people for example apple targets for certain people. Low cost pricing which is for easyjet,targeting low cost price and low income people. Psycological pricing,99p instead of 1pound They use a low cost price to be competitive Place: It means Distrubition . Distrubition has manufacturer,agents,wholesalers,retailers,consumers. The more distrubition you have ,the more expensive yo ur products will be. easy jet has manufacturers and directly deals with consumers so they save money. lmost 90 percent of tickets are sold through the internet for the 10 percent agents sell so they sometimes deals with agents too. Promotion : internet People : Paperless opeartions since its launch easyjet have simplified its working practices by embracing the concept of the paperless office. they do everything online rather than people going to branches and taling face to face ,everthing can be done online so easyjet saves money for hiring less people Process : Ticketless travel passengers,instead receive an email containing their travel details and confirmation number when they book online. his helps reduce significantly the costs of issuing,distrubuting,processing and reconciling millions of tickets each year Physical Evidence: it means beauty,new planes ,comfort flights†¦ Each boeing is new 737 aircraft and has a list price in the region of 35million gbp. Therefore maximisi ng utilisation of each aircraft reduces the unit cost NOTES FROM THE CASE STUDIES MARKETING:The mutual satisfactions of both suppliers and customers. The method is the process of shaping and managing the marketing mix in a way which takes into considerition the needs of the customer and the goals of the organisation at one and the same time.Marketing is the performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from organisation to their customers. Chartered Institute of Marketing defines marketing as; The management process which identifies ,anticipates and satisfies customer requirements effciently and profitably Professor Philip Kotler 1999 states;Marketing is a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups get what they need and want through creating,offering and exchanging products of value with others. People don’t only buy what they want to ,they buy them because of the value of products they require.Marketing is concerned with cu stomers ,they are the main element in marketing not quality or products. If customers are demanding for new products features,marketing department will have to communicate these requirements to the production department to make provision for new processes and new machinery. On the other hand if the customer change their pattern of shopping or seek more information regarding the safe us of product ,the company may have to recruit new marketing executives to match up to the demand. )Using technology on easyjet One of the most important developments in the UK travel industry in the last 15 years is the growth of the ‘budget’ or ‘no frills’ airlines, easyJet and Ryanair. Both of these airlines were launched when new regulations made it easier to operate between countries within Europe and both used new technology and other methods to sell seats, rather than through traditional high street travel agents.The growth of both companies has been exceptional and the a irlines have used similar approaches in their ‘business models’ * Use of the Internet to reduce distribution costs – easyJet was one of the first airlines to see the opportunity of the Internet when it sold its first seat online in April 1998. Now approximately 95 % of all seats are sold over the internet. * Maximise the time the aircraft is being used – For both Ryanair and easyJet maximising the use of each aircraft reduces the overall cost of running the aircraft. Ticketless travel – Passengers receive an email containing their travel details and booking reference when they book online, rather than a traditional ticket. This helps to reduce significantly the cost of issuing and processing millions of tickets each year. * ‘No free lunch’ – Not offering free catering on-board reduces cost. Passengers can purchase food on-board if they choose to. * Free seating – Unlike traditional airlines, Ryanair and easyJet passengers are not assigned a seat, unless they pay extra to board first.This helps passengers to take their seats more quickly and saves time. * Efficient use of airports – By reducing turnarounds (the time between landing and take-off) to 30 minutes and below, easyJet and Ryanair maximise the use of their aircraft. Not having pre-assigned seating, like traditional airlines, helps reduce turnaround times. * Reduced fares – generally Ryanair and easyJet offer cheaper fares than traditional airlines, especilally for passengers who can book early and take advantage of the deals available. Easy Jet MANAGEMENT 100 800 WORD SUMMARY 836 WORDS EXCLUDING REFERENCES EasyJet EasyJet Airline Company Limited headquartered at London Luton Airport is the UK’s largest budget airline measured by number of passengers carried, operating domestic and international scheduled services. Easy Jet has grown through a combination of acquisitions and base openings fuelled by consumer demand for low-cost air travel. Ryanair another budget airline is currently Easyjet’s biggest competition. EasyJet has adapted cost-cutting measures such as not selling connecting flights or providing complimentary snacks on board.The key points of this business model are high aircraft utilisation, quick turnaround times, charging for extras and keeping operating costs low however EasyJet flies mainly to primary airports. EasyJet also focuses on attracting business passengers by offering convenient services such as the â€Å"Flexi fare† which allows free of charge changes to the flight within a windo w, speedy boarding and a checked in bag. General environment – International dimension According to Samson and Daft (2009), general environment is ‘layer of environment that affects the organization indirectly’. It includes external factors that are not within an organization.One of the dimensions, international dimension is referring to factors that arise from foreign countries that will affect an organization. Factor that will either be an opportunity or threat to an organization will include having to encounter competition globally. An organization will have to face international competitors where it trade on its own even though not involve in exports and operates domestically. Besides, it would be essential to learn to adapt to the changes and trend circulating around the world as technology advances as time passes and political events such as Iraq war.Apart from that, rise of economic power of China has a significant impact on the international economy due t o the massive workforce, brainpower, population dynamics and abundant natural resources that many countries rely on. The always changing worldwide environment has very large impact on organization compared to domestic environment, demanding for great control of the organization. What is a competitive advantage A competitive advantage could be defined as a unique position a firm develops in comparison with its competitors (Hyvonen 1995, 334).It is imperative for firms to understand what it’s competitive advantage is and take advantage of them as it can change rapidly (Anthony, Perrewe, Kacmar, 1996, p. 468). One of the ways to create a competitive advantage could be, through lower prices or differentiation (Woodruff 1997, 139). Lower prices is a competitive advantage when a firm is able to sell their product cheaply to consumers. Lower prices may be dependent on lower costs, however lower cost itself is not a competitive advantage as it should come along with lower prices for the advantage to be formed (Kotha, Vadlamani 1995, 76).Differentiation can be achieved through, providing superior goods and services, through the firm’s image, flexibility, total supplies and speed (Kotha, Vadlamani, 1995, p. 76; Sashi, Stern, 1995, p. 126; Helms, Ettkin, 2000, p. 1) Easy jet as a buget airlines has set its competitive advantage through lower prices. How The International Dimension Impacts Easy Jet’s Competitive Advantage There are many ways in which the International Dimension has affected Easy Jet’s Competitive Advantage. After the 9/11 attacks the airline industry suffered extensively. Passengers opted to use less of the big airlines.This allowed Easy Jet to be more successful as passengers were choosing their services over the big Airlines in Europe. When the number of people who used Easy Jet’s services increased it would have allowed the airlines to spread their fixed costs, which in turn reduces overall expenses and meant that the y were in a position to lower their prices thus impacting their competitive advantage in a positively contributing to the overall success of Easy Jet. (Easy Jets Market Structure 2012) Another factor in the International dimension that affects Easy Jet’s competitive advantage as that EU had ruled an ‘Open Skies’ agreement which meant that Easy Jet was given the choice to serve flight paths that may have been normally associated with some specific airlines. This allowed them to choose the routes that they preferred allowing them to choose routes that gave them the most benefits. (Easy Jets Market Structure 2012) Easy jet is also influenced by rising fuel prices. Increased fuel prices meant that the entire airline industry around the globe and Europe had raised their prices.However, increasing fuel prices meant that even Easy Jet had to raise the price, and this does not work well with their low cost, low price strategy. Therefore there is a negative and positive e ffect by the rise of fuel prices (Topham 2012) Conclusion In conclusion, the international dimension of the general environment represents event originating in foreign countries as well as opportunities for Easy Jet in other countries. International dimension affects competitive advantage in various way. Easy Jet has proved to be robust and competitive in a tough general environment.This is due to its large competitive advantages, which is its low cost prices. However, it is the report on the overall international dimensions which affects the competitive advantages of Easy Jet shows that Easy Jet is a highly successful company, which is expanding rapidly. Besides, by engaging with the international dimension, Easy Jet not only get more benefit from its competitive advantages but also increase it’s cash flow from operating activities throughout United Kingdom. References Anthony, William P. , Perrewe, Pamela L. nd Kacmar, Michele K. (1996): Strategic Human Resource Management, Fort Worth: Dryden Press Bamberger, Ingolf (1989): Developing Competitive Advantage in Small and Medium-Size Firms, Long Range Planning, 22 (5): 80-88. Easy Jets Market Structure. 2012. Competitive Advantage and Developing a Competitive Advantage Over Rivals. Accessed September 18, http://www. 123helpme. com/view. asp? id=122608 Helms, Marilyn M. and Ettkin, Lawrence P. (2000): Time-Based Competitiveness: A Strategic Perspective, Competitiveness Review, 10 (2): 1-14.Hyvonen, Saara (1995): Competitive Advantage, Bargaining Power, and Organizational Performance: The Case of Finnish Food Manufacturing Firms, Agribusiness, 11 (4): 333-348. Samson, Danny, and Richard L. Daft. 2009. Fundamentals of Management. Australia: South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage Learning Australia, 2009. Kotha, Suresh and Vadlamani, Bhatt L. (1995): Assessing Generic Strategies: An Empirical Investigation of Two Competing Typologies in Discrete Manufacturing Industries, Strategic Management Journal, 16 (1): 75-83.Sa shi, C. M. and Stern, Louis W. (1995): Product Differentiation and Market Performance in Producer Goods Industries, Journal of Business Research, 33 (2): 115-127. Topham, Gwyn. 2012. EasyJet losses narrow despite fuel cost rise. http://www. guardian. co. uk. /business/2012/may/09/easyjet-losses-narrow Woodruff, Robert B. (1997): Customer Value: The Next Source for Competitive Advantage, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 25 (2): 139-153.

Netflix’s Business Model and Strategy Essay

Netflix is the largest subscription service for sending DVD’s by mail and streaming movies and TV episodes over the internet. Netflix’s revenues grew from $500 million in 2004 to $519.8 million in 2010. Company’s net income increased from $21.6 million in 2004 to $141-156 million in 2010. It attracted 1.6 million subscribers in 2004 and had to 15 million subscribers by 2010. Reed Hastings founder and CEO of Netflix have pushed the company to outcompete its movie rental competitors by building the world’s best internet movie service. Netflix is the world largest online entertainment subscription service and revolutionized the way that people rent movies. Netflix has outcompete its rivals on the basis of differentiation features, with their higher quality, wider product selection, added performance and services, and has superior technology. Netflix has a large selection of DVDs to choose from. It maintains relationships with entertainment providers to expand the title selection. Movies are prescreened for customers based on peer reviews. This allows Netflix to increase their inventory with movies chosen by viewers. There are no late fees. Netflix technology is superior because movies and TV episodes can be streamed directly onto nearly any device in a matter of seconds. Netflix business model and strategy can be analyzed with the 5 competitive forces in the movie rental marketplace: 1-substitute, 2- buyers, 3- suppliers, 4- potential for new entrants, 5- rivalry Substitute-It does not matter who sells the movie or the TV episode at the end the end user is getting the same product whether he got it from Walmart or Blockbuster. Substitute for Netflix and a potential threat is pirating movie files from the internet and illegal. This is a substitute that is inexpensive or free copy of the file. Buyers- Have the power to select where they are going to get movies or TV episode. They are going to look provides the best price and best quality. Buyers are not loyal and can get this product from other vendors. Competitors compare industry prices and quality. They will reduce cost in order to attract the buyer. Suppliers-Such are Hollywood are likely to increase cost if the industry profits increase. Suppliers have the capability to make movies and TV episodes harder to get by limiting license agreements. In order for suppliers to maximize their revenues they sell large number of movies and TV episodes the outcome results in competition and does not allow supplier to have much power on the product. Potential for new entrants- Blockbuster, and Netflix are the dominant retailers in the market it is very difficult for new entrants to succeed. Rivalry- Consumers have multiple sellers they can buy or rent movies and/or TV episodes. Main competitors are online subscription services internet movies and TV episode provider, kiosk services, and DVD rental outlets. From SWOT analysis we found the Strengths as followed, by operation on line is very flexible and very low cost, it has high customer satisfaction levels, and strong knowledge base and brand identity. Weakness are the industry, it is constantly changing at a fast speed, it is supplier dependent, postage is a variable cost (increases), customers need to have internet access and or DVD players. Opportunities are: It can expand globally to international markets because its internet access, new technology. Threats: If it’s not able to adapt or keep up with technology, rivals such as Walmart.com or Blockbuster have capital to compete against Netflix. There are some issues Netflix is facing Netflix needs to watch out for growing competitors with deep pockets and need to keep up with the fast growing changes with technology. It is recommended that Netflix increases its customer base (subscribers). This income will offset the ongoing costs. Netflix should move away from DVD rental, it creates a large percentage of its operating cost. Netflix should find out why people are still ordering DVD’s Netflix should educate customers with their streaming and downloading and focus on encouraging customers to stay with the service. Blockbuster advantage over Netflix is that they are able to release new released titles. Netflix needs to negotiate with entertainment providers to get new releases earlier than the competitors. Finally it is suggested that if Netflix is able to get new releases earlier they should pass a cost for the newest release (separately from subscription download monthly fee).

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Leadership - Essay Example As mentioned above, schools obviously function as an open system, taking input from the environment, putting it through a transformative process and producing the changed product back into the environment. The second major frameworks schools function in is rational. A rational system is a system which attempts to achieve a specific goal with maximum efficiency. Though schools have a wide variety of goals, they are often very specific: they want to educate students to the point that they meet required standards (whether the standards are set by a school board, an accredited body, or the school itself). They seek to give students a balanced life, by providing access to education (in the form of physical education classes) and food along with academic pursuits. So clearly schools meet the first part of the definition of a rational system: they have specific goals. Schools also try to meet these goals in as efficient methods as possible; they employ teachers with enough experience to cov er multiple subject areas (such as physical education and another subject), they try to economize by using textbooks which will not become outdated quickly or can be used for multiple classes. So clearly they meet the second definition of a rational system.

History and Laws of Abortion in the US Research Paper

History and Laws of Abortion in the US - Research Paper Example Abortion has always been a controversial but frequently performed practice in nearly all parts of the world whether it is legal or not. Despite all the moral considerations, abortions were performed legally before 1880 in United States of America. After that most of the states banned the practice with the exception of the case for saving a mother’s life. Anti-abortionist movements, politics, and birth control efforts facilitated anti-abortionist or restrictive legislation throughout history. However, the case of Roe v. Wade and Supreme Court’s decision turned the history in favor of abortion forever in 1973.The abortion history before and after Roe v. Wade is entirely different. The law legalized the practice throughout United States considering it the privacy and right of a woman. The paper explores the history of abortion and laws involved with special emphasis on 1973 Roe v. Wade case. According to Webster’s New International Pocket Dictionary 1998,â€Å"The expulsion of a fetus prematurely, miscarriage, the defective result of a premature birth; a monstrosity, and a person or thing that fails to progress or develop normally or as expected† (as cited in Krieg, 1999, p.4).On the other hand, Webster’s New International Pocket Medical & First Aid Dictionary, 1998 refers abortion as, â€Å"The ultimate termination of a pregnancy, either by natural or artificial means† (as cited in Krieg, 1999, p.4). In United States, Abortions became legal after Supreme Court’s decision of the case Roe v. Wade in 1973.But the history of abortions dates back to the time when earliest settlers of this land arrived. In American colonies, English â€Å"Common Law† was adopted that prohibited abortion. It was considered a â€Å"misdemeanor† if performed before â€Å"quickening† while after quickening, it was considered to be â€Å"felony†. In early 1800s, the discovery about conception and