EasyJet Essay -- Business and Management Studies

EasyJet EasyJet has become the European leader in a no frills frenzy for low cost, cheap air travel. This market however has since the mid nineties gone from strength to strength and we have witnessed the arrival of a number of low cost airline companies which cater for the no frills approach. In Europe the top two competitors in this market are EasyJet and Ryan Air which serve their customers from London Luton and Dublin respectively. They offer a differentiated product compared with the major traditional airlines and the key to their success has been to offer the lowest cost/fare structure possible and the differentiated â€Å"no frills† product is purely a consequence of the implementation of this rigorous low cost strategy. Background information about the companies is listed below: Comparative Company statistics EasyJet Ryanair Date of commencement 1995 1985 Date of IPO 2000 1997 Passenger Numbers 20.3m 15.7m Number of Staff 3,453 1,897 Aircraft 73 67 Routes served 109 133 Source: http://www.easyJet.com, http://www.Ryanair.com Comparative Key Financial Data EasyJet ( £) Ryanair (Ââ‚ ¬) Share Capital 758,461,000 563,732,000 Earnings per share 8.24pence 31.71cents Operating revenue 931.8m 842.5m Retained profit 32. 4m 239.3m Source: Company Accounts 2004 Both airlines have adopted similar business models and strategies. Key common features of the business model of both companies are: - Point to point se...

Marketing Framework

What Is It? Marketing Framework Market Research and Buyer Behaviour Understanding the behaviour of buyers in your target group is crucial in marketing. Now more than ever, success is dependant upon market research and identifying and meeting customer needs at a profit. ‘Zara' have recently become the world's largest clothing retailer, ‘by focusing on understanding consumer needs and behaviour and by providing value to the customer'. Through intense market research, they developed an important knowledge of their target market's buying patterns and recognised the need to constantly update their styles.Furthermore they understood new concepts such as fast fashion' and ‘disposable clothing, the idea that teenagers and young adults craved new styles quickly and cheaply. It is now more important than ever for marketing managers to respond swiftly and decisively to changes in consumer patterns. Nowadays, an excellent method a company can monitor their target market and con duct extensive market research is through social media. Never before have enterprises had such powerful technologies to interact with customers.Almost every company has their own ‘Facebook or ‘Twitter' account (combined with ver one billion active Facebook users globally), where they can receive immediate customer feedback about the faults in their product online. Furthermore, customers can chat online about these products. 53 percent of people on Twitter in Ireland recommend companies and/or products in their tweets'(ROl Research for Performance, June 2010). ‘Calgon' dishwasher tablets recently produced an advertisement for television, where two women chat in an online forum about their dishwashers.The first woman complains about her dishwasher, while the other recommends she starts using ‘Calgon' tablets. Calgon certainly demonstrate their nderstanding of the importance of Word of mouth'; recent statistics show that 84 percent of customers trust peers over advertisments. Social media is both an opportunity and a challenge for businesses. Consumers used to have to go looking for the product, but now the product will find us, with excess information hurled at us from every direction! We don't have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is how well we do it. There are many other concepts which are particularly noteworthy when developing a successful marketing strategy. Marketing managers must take into account the ountless amount of factors that influence consumer patterns and buyer behaviour, trom gender and age, to social and economic backgroun s c ae O'Leary, CEO ot Ryanair, flourished in recognising an untouched market segment of consumers looking for low quality air travel at exceptionally low prices by comparison to the likes of Aer Lingus.He understood that people on lower incomes neither needed nor wanted to pay high prices for comfort, such as more leg room and nice meals on flights. This has become even more evide nt since the recession, with Ryanair climbing above high fair competitors. O'Learys market strategy succeeded because of is insight and understanding he had of the buyer behaviour of his target group. Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning Marketers developed the processes of segmentation, marketing and positioning so that they could understand their customers and their buying behavior. Segmentation is the first step in this process of product promotion.The goal of market segmentation is finding out where the firm should compete and in what segments should they focus that will result in a comparative advantage. Segmentation leads to comparative advantages in a number of ways. Firstly, it reduces rivalry due to reduced competition in any given segment. It allows for efficient resource allocation as resources can be effectively focused on concentrated targets. Finally it can allow a firm no matter what size to become the product of choice in the given segment. Target marketing is at its most basic level is when a firm directs its marketing message at a specific market or segment.It means that a group of customer has been chosen to whom the firm will direct most of their marketing resources, times and attention. Target marketing means that firms avoid wasting resources and time by giving the consumer what they need or want rather than making a product that the irm believes the consumer needs or wants. Finally positioning, which requires the firm to establish the brand in the minds of the consumers in order to maximize the potential benefit. Businesses use positioning analysis to understand how their target customers see their product and to see where they are in relation to their competitors.All three of these components must be completed correctly or else the whole marketing campaign will be destined for failure. Branding Branding plays a major part in the marketing world. Branding exists so as to differentiate a company's product or service from that of its om petitors. It performs many roles both for the consumer and for the business. In relation to the consumer ,brands allow the consumer to shop with a reduced level of risk due to familiarity with the quality of each brand and this also would lead to a reduction in time spent shopping.Concerning businesses, branding performs a lot of valuable functions. The main function, is brand loyalty as this leads to predictability and security of demand, increased security against competitors and can allow the businesses to charge higher prices. Other roles it plays are, that it offers legal rotection due to trademarks and it can give the business a comparative edge . Companies use brand to install an image in the consumer's head when they hear of ything associated witn that brand. To make sure this is a success they must match all the elements of marketing, such as pricing policy, distribution methods etc. to the image that this wish to create. 7 P's Of Marketing An essential element of the marke ting strategy is the marketing mix. Comprising of product, price, place, promotion, process, people and physical evidence, it allows enterprises to deliver value in conjunction with satisfying consumer needs. Firstly, the product is some good or service that a company offers in the market.. A product satisfies a customers' want or need, and to what degree depends on the quality of the product which is usually quite subjective.Price is the next P and it denotes the monetary value a good is exchanged for. Price plays a major part in the decision making process of consumers. High prices, usually convey a luxurious consumption experience contrasted to affordable low prices offering basic products. Enterprises communicate their products to their target market through adopting and implementing a promotional strategy. Promotional activities seek to inform, persuade and influence the target market. Strategies include; branding, personal selling and advertising.Following on, place is the loc ation of the transaction between the consumer and business, ultimately it is the accessibility of the product to the consumer. There are various channels of distribution both direct and indirect an enterprise may adopt, in order ensure its product reaches the consumer. During the provision of a service, it is the people or staff who exert a major influence as to the outcome of the consumer experience. Therefore, staff must be adequately trained nd equipped with the necessary skills, approach and attitudes in order to achieve the desired outcome an enterprise strives towards.The process an enterprise implements is the way in which business is conducted within an organisation and is seen through the flow of activities. For example, customer-cultivating companies are designed to serve customers and customer segments, this is one part of a potential business process, as seen in the Zara fashion retail example. Finally, physical evidence is how a business presents itself to its target ma rket. It is the outward appearance of the organization and creates an impression on the consumer.

Briefing Memo on Globalization

The discussed chapter of the book is not confined to one specific field of business, but rather seeks to analyze General Electric impact by globalization trends and GE management’s response. In this way, the article provides interdisciplinary knowledge, which ties political economy of globalization, strategic management, corporate culture and marketing. 2. The author makes the argument that General Electric activities were positively affected by globalization, as this company had all necessary resources for extensive export and investment activities abroad.Its massive scale of production, renowned and recognizable brand, and support of American government and multinational financial institutions were the basic prerequisites for GE’s successful export and investment activities abroad. These changes resulted in significant reorganization of company’s structure (initiated by Welch). 3. Author gives examples of new GE policies, directed at financial investment abroad , internal reorganization of management practices, corporate culture and leadership.The spread of GE headquarters in Europe and other continents and acquisition of new productive capacities abroad (Central and Eastern Europe) are discussed. Important evidence provided by the author refers to extensive use of international labor force and management specialists. 4. The author’s evidence corresponds with existing trends and facts. Globalization process within GE is obvious: GE management globalized ‘the intellect of the company’, that is qualified labor force, which significantly de-Americanized it.Besides this, GE relies on local cadres in managing its headquarters overseas. Other facts, such as Welch cutting American labor force in GE by 50% since 1986 and doubling the number of abroad labor force signify true nature of author’s argument. 5. Managers should be aware of these arguments due to several reasons. First of all, globalization trends are inevitabl e and each company is affected by the same economic laws and processes.Without knowing the experience of such influential companies as General Electric, it would be difficult to organize the process of change in a given company. Secondly, author’s argument provides not only interesting descriptions and facts, but practically probed strategies of positive and effective globalization of activities. Article discusses the subject of technological development within General Electric and focuses on application of its technologies in medical sphere. It’s confined to GE technological innovations in medical sphere.2. The author’s main argument may be summarized as follows: technical innovations in GE are no less important, than technical breakthroughs in computer industry, represented by such companies as Microsoft, Apple and IBM, and General Electric continues to spend its resources on R &D. In proving his argument the author focuses on GE Medical Systems Information Te chnologies department activities, directed at creating a digital system of patients’ records in hospital, implementing new techniques of medical data analysis, etc.3. The author gives much evidence in support of his argument through his analysis of past and present technological development in General Electric. Koprowski lists such important innovations as building a superconducting magnet, which resulted in creation of magnetic resonance imaging. General Electric also created the first computer system, which was used for electrocardiograms’ analysis. Nowadays GE continues to implement his technical innovations in medical sphere.Author claims that Picture Archiving Communication System (PACS), which stores medical content, is a good demonstration of GE innovative investment. Besides this, PACS created Excite (magnetic resonance technique), which provides perfect resolution, used in imaging patients’ body. Other major innovations of GE in this sphere are connecte d with scans, radiograms, lighting ergonomics, 3D tomography etc. 4. Author’s evidence and arguments are well-grounded, however, he fails to present a general picture of technological and research process within company.The article is confined to medical sphere, and innovations discussed do not bear revolutionary character, but merely rationalize existing techniques. The digitalization discussed in the article could be realized by other companies and is not specific to GE. Moreover, the article lacks proper analysis of fundamental research in GE. 5. Managers should be aware of this argument, because it provides examples of practical application of company’s technical innovations, which helps connect the process of R&D with commercial goals.Without such connection, R&D in the company is not effective and management is not optimistic about its necessity. Works Cited Lowe, Janet. Welch: An American Icon. â€Å"Chapter 6: The Globalization of General Electric†. New York: Wiley, 2001. Koprowski, Gene J. â€Å"General Electric's Tech: Past, Present, Future†. TechNewsWorld. August, 2003. 13 October 2008.

Biography of Rubén Blades

Biography of Rubà ©n Blades Rubà ©n Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948) is a Panamanian singer/songwriter, actor, activist, and politician. He was a key figure in popularizing New York-based salsa music in the 1970s, with socially conscious lyrics that commented on poverty and violence in Latino communities and U.S. imperialism in Latin America. However, unlike most musicians, Blades has been able to toggle between multiple careers in his life, including serving as Minister of Tourism in Panama. Fast Facts: Rubà ©n Blades Known For:  Salsa singer/songwriter, actor, Panamanian politicianBorn:  July 16, 1948 in Panama City, PanamaParents:  Rubà ©n Darà ­o Blades, Sr., Anoland Dà ­az (original surname Bellido de Luna)Spouse:  Luba MasonChildren: Joseph VerneEducation: Masters Degree in International Law, Harvard Graduate Law School (1985); Bachelors Degree in Law and Political Science, University of Panama (1974)Awards and Honors: 17 Grammys (9 U.S. Grammys, 8 Latin Grammys); Honorary Doctorate degrees from University of California, Berkeley; Lehman College; and the Berklee College of Music Early Life and Education Rubà ©n Blades was born in Panama City to a Cuban mother, musician Anoland Dà ­az (original surname Bellido de Luna), and a Colombian father, Rubà ©n Darà ­o Blades, Sr., an athlete and percussionist. He earned a bachelors degree from the University of Panama in law and political science in 1974. In 1973 Blades parents had moved to Miami because Rubà ©n, Sr. had been accused by General Manuel Noriega, then chief of military intelligence under President Omar Torrijos, of working for the CIA. The following year, after graduating from the University of Panama, Rubà ©n, Jr. followed his family to the U.S., but headed not to Miami, but to New York to try and break into the salsa scene. He began working in the mailroom at Fania Records, where he would eventually become one of the labels major recording artists. He took a break from his musical career in the early 1980s to pursue a Masters Degree in International Law from Harvard University, which he earned in 1985. Rubà ©n Blades and Willie Colon in the 1970s. Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images Cultural Impact Blades has had a significant impact on Latino music and culture writ large, particularly with regards to his recordings with Fania Records and other leading salsa musicians of the 1970s, like Willie Colà ³n. Their joint album Siembra is the best-selling salsa album in history, with over 25 million copies sold. He is widely known as the intellectual of salsa music, with lyrics that reference Latin American literature and issue bold social critiques on a range of issues affecting Latinos. Regarding his desire to make more explicitly political music during his time with Fania, he recently stated, â€Å"It didn’t make me popular in the industry, where you aren’t supposed to antagonize people, you are supposed to smile and be nice in order to sell records. But I never bought into that.† Ruben Blades with their Grammy Awards for Latin Pop at the 2000 Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles, CA.   Scott Gries / Getty Images As an actor, Blades has also had a long and fruitful career, which began in 1983 with the film The Last Fight and most recently included a role on the TV show Fear the Walking Dead. He has often turned down roles that reinforced stereotypes about Latinos. When offered a role as a drug dealer in the hit 1980s show Miami Vice, he rejected the offer, stating: â€Å"When are we going to stop playing the drug addict, the pimp and the whore?...I could never do that stuff. I’d rather kill myself first†. He continued, regarding the scripts he continued to receive: â€Å"In half, they want me to play a Colombian coke dealer. In the other half, they want me to play a Cuban coke dealer. Doesn’t anyone want me to play a lawyer?† Politics and Activism Blades is well-known for his left-leaning political orientation, particularly his critiques of U.S. imperialism and intervention into Latin America, which have often made their way into his music. His 1980 recording Tiburà ³n, for example, was an allegorical critique of American imperialism, and Ollies Doo-Wop (1988) addressed the Iran-Contra scandal that funded the U.S.-backed war against the socialist Sandinista government in Nicaragua. However, he has also been critical of leftist authoritarian governments or Marxist Leninist dictatorships, as he referred to the governments in Cuba and Venezuela. Musicians Residente (R) of Calle 13 and Ruben Blades perform onstage at the 10th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on November 5, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Michael Caulfield / Getty Images Blades political activism stems from his experience as a young Panamanian in the 1960s who saw Americans living in the Canal Zone disrespecting Panamas sovereignty and treating the country as an extension of the U.S. He began to learn about racial segregation in the U.S. and its historic treatment of Native Americans, which contributed to his emerging political consciousness. U.S. foreign policy in Central America in the 1970s and 80s- particularly its role in the civil wars in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala- was also an issue that affected Blades deeply. The U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989 to depose Manuel Noriega was a major reason Blades returned to Panama in 1993 to run for president. He founded a political party, Papa Egorà ³ (meaning Mother Earth in the Embera language of Panamas indigenous population), and ran for president in 1994, coming in third place out of seven candidates, with 18% of the vote. He was later asked to join the government of Martà ­n Torrijos, and served as the Minister of Tourism from 2004 to 2009, an important post since tourism is the countrys main economic driver. He has spoken about not wanting to sacrifice Panamas natural environment in exchange for foreign investment, and the fact that he stressed the development of small-scale eco-tourism and cultural tourism over large-scale tourist amenities. There has been speculation for years about whether Blades will run for president again in Panama, but thus far he has not made an announcement to that effect. Writing Blades publishes a fair amount of opinion writing on his website, mostly related to the political situations in various Latin American countries, with a focus on Panama and Venezuela. Sources Rubenblades.com. http://rubenblades.com/, accessed June 1, 2019. Shaw, Lauren. Interview with Rubà ©n Blades. In Song and Social Change in Latin America, edited by Lauren Shaw. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2013.

What We Dont Say

What We Dont Say We have opinions about so many things in our lives, but there are so many we dare not express aloud. For instance, these are sure to spark a conversation at a party: 1) Not liking Christmas.2) Not liking to read self-published books.3) Not liking Duck Dynasty.4) Not liking babies.5) Not liking marriage.6) Not liking gay marriage.7) Not liking Republicans (or Democrats).8) Not liking cats. Any one of those will have people verbally at each others throats in 2.3 seconds. So we keep our opinions to ourselves in a society thats supposed to be grounded in free speech. This is fertile ground for writing material. Magazine markets love having the common, acceptable way of thought turned on its ear somehow to make for a more intriguing feature piece. Novels become trendsetters when they take the etiquettely unspoken and elaborate keenly and obnoxiously on the subject. The common way of thought does not make for a bestseller. Yet we fear taking stands on controversial topics. However, you can take a subject, catch attention with it, and still come out on the other end not terribly unscathed. For instance: 1) You hate Christmas. However, what about a story that involves a bunch of Christmas-haters coming together? Makes for a good freelance piece, short story, or chapter in a book. 2) You hate reading self-published books. However, you can create a fabulous blog post or magazine piece on the specifics of what you disliked in, say, five self-pubbed books so that people realize that there are reasons so many self-pubbed books fall 3) You dont like Duck Dynasty. However, you can do an article talking about how your dislike for Duck Dynasty made you study why so many people from all levels of society still enjoy it? Whats the reason for such an anomaly? 4) You dont like babies. What a great piece about how society pushes people to live the standard family structure, and you show some very successful, happy, non-ba You get the picture. When a subject sparks debate, take notice. These are the subjects that command attention, and ultimately contracts and sales.

Data Mining in Airlines - NOTE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Data Mining in Airlines - NOTE - Essay Example Among the diverse transportation security parts, airport security remains the most contentious because it is vastly invested however it raises concerns. A conceptual connection to the word â€Å"security† divulges several aspects of AIP security initiatives supported through government funding. Results of the study support theoretical framework that two levels exist that the influence the distribution of grants in transportation security, and they include environmental changes in macro level as well as project features in micro level. Moreover, analysis points out that 9/11 events and the economic crisis in 2008 greatly affected the provision of grants associated with security and all grants in various ways (Wang, Andoh-Baidoo & Sun, 2014). The main weakness in the analysis of the study is that it is restrained by the variable choices because of secondary data. For instance, airport region and type are the only two variables describing project characteristics that only approxi mately indicate location and scope. Moreover, FAA discloses only financed AIP projects, increasing the difficulty of investigating factors that influence awarding of grants. Despite the weaknesses, the study findings still generate some significant implications to both practitioners and researchers. It shows that the investment in transportation security positively responds to terrorist attacks like 9/11 although this is not the case with economic events like the 2008 economic crisis (Wang, Andoh-Baidoo & Sun, 2014). The study focusses on customer behavior and firms developing permanent relationships with customer (Liou, 2009). The study tries to solve the problem of forecasting behavior to help firms minimize loss of existing customers by vigorously creating an enduring relationship with customers (Liou, 2009). The paper uses factor analysis; as well, it introduces Variable Consistency

National Trust CaseStudy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

National Trust CaseStudy - Essay Example A SWOT analysis is a useful instrument for helping managers to identify internal strengths and weaknesses of a business and external opportunities and threats facing it (Strydom, 31). Based on the case study, it can be noted that National is a registered charity that looks after special places and was founded in 1895. The major strength of the organization is that it is unique since it specialises in looking after historic places that are centers of attraction. Many people are attracted by the beautiful places under its jurisdiction and this helps National Trust to generate substantial revenue from the number of visitors that go to the place every year. The main weakness confronting National Trust is that it is not for profit business. It relies on membership and entrance fees to cater for its operational costs. Costs incurred in maintaining the places as well as advertising are high which leaves the organization vulnerable to financial constraints. The major threat for National Trust is that the members of the public have alternative ways of spending their time. This entails that National Trust might not be in a position to attract the large envisaged numbers. Research has also shown that a lot of young people are not comfortable to work for the organization. Promotion is very important in the operations of the organization. For instance, this marketing strategy is used to raise awareness among people about the product and services offered, appeal to the interests of people as well as to remind them about the product (Kotler & Armstrong, 2004). In case of National Trust, promotion is used to raise awareness among the people about the product as well as to explain the benefits of the services offered. Different marketing communication tools such as new media including social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, Youtube, Weibo, MSN and advertising are often used. National Trust promotes its activities mainly through the use of social