The commercial airline industr... free essay sample

The commercial airline industry has grown and changed tremendously over the last four or five decades. Southwest has many strengths and weaknesses, but every company has their strengths and weaknesses. Southwest can safely say that they have many things that they do that are not used in most other airlines. This includes; not charging extra for baggage or fees for changing travel schedules, and offering a sizable amount of in-flight entertainment. The company also only hires candidates that have certain traits, attitudes, and behaviors. They also send their new recruits to their own university. I believe that Southwest is a company that caters to families. To start, Southwests employees are a strength to the company because having employees who have certain attitudes can be a great thing for any company. The hiring process that Southwest employs is that the employees should be a good team player, have a good sense of humor, and treat others with respect. We will write a custom essay sample on The commercial airline industr or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Southwest flight attendants cater to a family-based style because they have a good sense of humor and treat others with respect. This can show children that Southwest is a good option to choose when they grow older and have families of their own. I believe that this is a competitive advantage for Southwest because having good employees will make your customers happy and they will keep coming back. Furthermore, I would say that their advertising campaigns are the best among the other airline companies in the industry. The bags fly free advertising that they have done is great for their business. It helped them in the recent recession of 2008-2009 and it will continue to help when times of financial recession occur. The company uses advertising to show special fare sales to fill seats that would otherwise be empty. I think that this overall would lower the price of tickets sold for flights and helps with having lower operating costs per customer-per mile. Moreover, the bags fly free campaign, to me looks good to families who want to travel around the country, because they dont have to pay for their checked bags. Southwest helps families who have small kids by allowing their parents to check car seats and strollers for free. This can help families who might be poor but need to travel to a funeral or other event across the country. The sizeable amount of electronics or things to do during a flight helps keep the kids in line too. Non-stop or point-to-point flights cost more but there is no need to use a hub for the flights, so there is less travel time. This system caters to families, because parents with children dont want to be waiting at an airport terminal for their plane to arrive where one of their kids may get bored and go stir crazy. This kind of flight can cater to business people too because like families, they dont want to wait either. In addition, the companys use of one aircraft type can help them save on maintenance costs and costs with training the employees that work on and maintain the aircraft. It can save the company money because the company needs less warehousing space for replacement parts. I think they have a partnership with Boeing, and having a partnership with an airplane manufacturing company can give you advantages, and in Southwests case, they get Boeings newest airplanes first. As well as having only one type of aircraft, it could also be a weakness because while Southwest Airlines has international flights, they would need to probably buy bigger aircraft to fly overseas. They acquired AirTran, but the amount of passengers Southwest gets from international travel shown in the case is a small amount towards dominating the international areas they fly. To go along with the weakness that they are not flying internationally, they do have flights to places nearby like places in the Caribbean and Mexico, but they dont really get any international customers. On the other hand, this could be better for them because they can focus on the United States and its customers there. This is in fact what I think they are doing, and they are dominating the airline ind ustry in the US. Having longer international flights would also mean that they may have to go back to the drawing board for how they are going to serve food and beverages on the plane, or tell its customers that there is a new practice for international flights. They would also probably need to change their operating strategy too, because of new languages, cultures, and laws and regulations they would need to deal with. Another weakness is the fact that Southwest has only one class of seating available to its passengers. This isnt bad for families since they dont really want to sit in business class seating with their children. Business people who are traveling and may have their trip paid for would rather have a seat in a business or first-class area than in the coach area, so they would have enough room for work, and wouldnt be bothered by children. I think that business and first-class seating would probably gain additional revenue for the company even if they had only a few seats per flight. In fact, purchasing tickets for Southwest may be a hard task to overcome for some people because depending on if you are booking flights connecting to other airline companies, you may have to go through a travel agency. Going t hrough travel agencies will cost more because of the fees that go with it. I think that if I were to do it this way it would give me a hard time finding the right flight. Also, traveling with Southwest you need to check in 24 hours before your flight to get your boarding position, and it seemed to me to be on a first come first serve basis. So, if you were a little behind, or slow with the process, you would get a boarding position where you would have fewer seats to choose from when boarding your plane the next day. Southwest also has a pretty bad weakness for families, and that is the fact that they dont provide passengers with transfer services. Again, families would have a hard time moving all over the airport with their children. Moving around the airport also takes time, so if a customer wanted to book a flight with transfers, they would want to leave at least 30 minutes in between transfers to get to baggage claim and onto their next flight. This also leaves less time for a meal, snack, or something else before their next flight. Southwests key elements to its culture, is the fact that way back in the early days of the company when Herb Kelleher took the role of CEO, he did many things to help the companys culture become what it is today. He would make it a point to work with the companys employees and find the weaknesses and problems within the company. As part of a quote, he said, You have to treat your employees like your customers. Employees come first, and since you treat your employees like customers they will treat the companys customers well. In this way, you would be benefiting both your employees and customers, instead of just your customers. I think that overall this is a great competitive strategy for them because working side-by-side with your employees makes them feel better. To me, I think most employees like that kind of boss. To conclude, most of the strengths of Southwest are towards families because that is the kind of company they want to be. Its not a bad thing but business people should be involved too. Overall, I think that Southwest Airlines will continue to flourish and become an improved company in the next decade.

Starbucks SWOT Analysis

Starbucks SWOT Analysis Introduction The Starbucks Corporation has expanded its operational capacity by establishing its business across all regions of the world since it began its operations in 1971 in Seattle.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Starbucks SWOT Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The company’s revenue has expanded greatly with direct operations in more than 60 countries across the world currently. As at the end of 2012, the revenue of the company stood at $13.29 billion, with the company’s profits crossing the billion dollar mark to reach $1.38 billion. The paper presents a SWOT analysis of the Starbucks Corporation by focusing on the internal environment of the corporation and the external environment. In the analysis, the paper presents an assessment of the operational conditions within and without the organizations. The paper also assesses the possible impacts of these operating conditions or strategies on the competitive positioning of the company in the industry in which it operates. Strengths Research ascertains that the corporation has managed to establish itself as a brand that is highly respected in the industry across the entire world. The basis for brand positioning in the company began with the managements decisions to concentrate and dominate the North American Market, which is one of the wealthiest markets in the world. This has been followed by the aggressive opening of new stores across the world, especially in the first decade of the 20th century. At a certain stage in 2005, the company managed to open stores at the rate of 32 per week. This depicts the aggressiveness of the top management of the company. It denotes the desire of the management to expand the brand across the world (Shah, Thompson, Hawk, 2006). Therefore, it can be noted that the company sought to increase its presence in the markets in which it had penetrated, increasing the corporation’s chan ce to establish a larger customer base in its operating regions (Shah, Thompson, Hawk, 2006).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As of today, the Starbucks Corporation enjoys the largest market share in the global coffee chain industry, having been rated as the largest coffee chain store across the globe. The ability of the company to attain this position is attributed to the aggressive expansion strategy in the management of the company. Under its Chief Executive, Howard Schultz, the company is planning to open more stores. This is bound to help the company to cement its position not only as the largest, but also the most widespread brand in the coffee chain industry across the world. This is an indicator of strategic and visionary leadership, which is critical in the substance of business operations in a competitive business environment. However, the company needs to learn how to moderate its pace of expansion by assessing the economic conditions (Mangold, 2012). The company has also been able to build its capacity around the production of different coffee brands. Among these coffee brands is specialty coffee. Patterning the strong coffee brands in the company is the fact that the company has created a customer friendly environment in all its stores, which is depicted by the friendly employees and premium music. This is a marketing strategy that enhances customer experience and satisfaction. The sound financial record is another important thing to note as far as the competitiveness of Starbucks is concerned. The company has been witnessing an incremental growth in profits due to sound management policies. The increment in profits had risen to 14% as at the end of 2012 (Shah, Thompson, Hawk, 2006). This is a remarkable performance considering the recent economic crisis that affected its major markets. This enables the company to maintain a hi gher percentage of return on investments. This puts the company far much higher than its competitors (Mangold, 2012).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Starbucks SWOT Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The deployment of strategic human resource management practices in the company enables the company to record a higher level of employee satisfaction. Starbucks gives its values a lot of benefits such that they are not easily poached by competitors. This implies a low rate of employee turnover and a higher rate of employee efficiency and quality delivery (Mangold, 2012). Weakness In as much as the brands of the company are highly rated, one of the main undoing for the company is that most of its brands are offered at higher prices than the competitor brands. Therefore, an economic evaluation of the coffee brands in the market ends up resulting in higher ratings for competitor brands. The company should reconsider the fair adjustment of the pricing rate for its products, although it is bound to have a negative effect on return on investments (Mangold, 2012). The company has a poor record of embracing sustainable practices. Starbucks still appears in the news for embracing unethical practices like tax evasion and exploitation of its suppliers in the modern economic environment where most companies are striving to gain the ‘green’ tag. The company is bound to lose touch with its customers if such practices continue to be witnessed. The company needs to hasten the rate at which it is embracing ethics and corporate social responsibility. This begins with the establishment of mutually beneficial relationships with its suppliers for the sake of sustainability in supplies (Mangold, 2012). The operation of the company depends on products, whose prices keeps fluctuating. The company has no capacity to control the prices of coffee beans. Therefore, frequent rises in the prices of coffee ar e caused by natural and economic forces in the international market. Therefore, the estimation of coffee prices as the major product used by the company is quite challenging. However, the fact that the company has operated in the industry for an extended period of time means that it can use its records to project on the future prices of the coffee beans. This enables the company to adjust its operations for the sake of sustaining its profitability (Mangold, 2012).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Opportunities The emerging markets offer a great opportunity for the company. In the recent times, the company has been seen extending its operations in the Asian region, Eastern Europe, South America, and the Middle East region where most economies are experiencing a transition from low to middle and from middle to large income economies (Shah, Thompson, Hawk, 2006). The concentration of the company in producing coffee brands has aided the company to attain a commanding position in the market. However, there are opportunities for growth and expansion through broadening the range of products that are offered by the company. This strategy has been under implementation in Starbucks’s mother market. Some of the products that can be introduced by the company include energy drinks, fast food offerings, alcohol, and juices (Shah, Thompson, Hawk, 2006) Starbucks does not only focus on operating its coffee houses, but it also develops business partnerships with other retailers who help the company sell its products. The development of such strategic partnerships with more retailers like supermarkets and restaurants should be embraced (Curtis Williams, 2008). Threats There is immense competition in the coffee chain market. Starbucks faces immense competitive pressure from other world’s renowned restaurants and chain stores. These include McDonalds, Caribou Coffee Company, Dunkin Brands Group, Costa Coffee, Nestlà © S.A, and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. These companies offer a wide variety of coffee, thereby causing a good level of competition for customers. Most of them, like Macdonald’s, are at a higher advantage because coffee is not their main product offering. Competition is worsened when it comes to the other local competitors who offer coffee at a relatively lower price. Moreover, customers seem to be more familiar with the menus in local cafes. There is a high probability of significant loss in market share without diversification of the range of products and product offering to the customers (Mangold, 2012). According to Mangold (2012), the inability of the company to predict and control prices of dairy products and coffee products is another possible impediment to the successful operation of Starbucks. The prices of these products are often externally controlled, implying that the company is only left with the option of responding to price changes. Venturing in other product offerings can serve as a key strategy for cushioning the company from this threat. This impediment can be related to constant political and economic challenges that are witnessed in the developing market economies from which the company gets most of its supplies, especially coffee. The fact that the company has established a strong brand across the world implies that it has many admirers. This has resulted in cases of copyright infringement that involve the illegal use of the Starbucks trademark by other businessmen in the industry. This a lso translates to a possible loss in market share if the company does not enhance a crackdown on such businessmen (Mangold, 2012). Conclusion From the analysis conducted in the paper, it can be concluded that the establishment of stronger brands and expansion of the company into other markets has been key in maintaining Starbucks’s market share. This has sustained the competitiveness of the company. References Curtis, T., Williams, J. (2008). CIM coursebook 08/09 marketing management in practice. Burlington: Elsevier Ltd. Mangold, C. (2012). Starbucks: Success strategy and expansion problems. Berlin: GRIN Verlag. Shah, A. J., Thompson, A. A., Hawk, T. F. (2006). Case 29: Starbucks’ global quest in 2006: Is the best yet to come? In Thompson, A. A., Strickland, A. J., Gamble, J. E. Crafting strategy executing: The quest for competitive advantage- concepts and cases. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Research & Presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research & Presentation - Essay Example D.). In keeping up with communication in an organization effectively, and efficiently a Human Resources manager is overseeing the importance of proper communication between lower level Human Resource managers, and senior level Human Resource managers. Having a stable, and reliable Information Technology system will ensure that the Human Resource managers will be kept up to date, and promptly informed if there is a change in anything, anywhere in the organization. This means if an organization is a multinational company the organization will benefit from having an up-to-date Information Technology department. The Human Resource management team will be able to communicate effectively, and efficiently with Human Resource managers in another nation. Having an effective, and reliable Information Technology system is important because if the Human Resources management team is not able to communicate effectively and efficiently with members of the team within the organization, the company w ill not remain competitive. Before a company can remain competitive a company needs to implement an Information Technology department, and everyone within the organization needs to communicate effectively, and efficiently. Company’s who are not contemporary companies and make use of Information Technology, and the computer cannot compete effectively with larger, more experienced companies who do utilize Information Technology. The Human Resources manger is able to keep files on employees in a database on the computer. The database is part of the Information Technology system. When Human Resource managers maintain records on employees in a database, Human Resource managers are able to maintain accurate information about an employees performance. In keeping accurate information on employee performances Human Resource managers will know when it comes time to terminate an employee. Human Resource managers maintain positive information about employees as well. Having the positive information at the Human Resource managers fingertips will allow a Human Resources manager to know when to give an employee a raise. Traditionally, Human Resource managers would maintain accurate information on the employee benefits package. This was done manually, and the information was stored in a file in a filing cabinet in the Human Resource managers office. Today, the Human Resource management team will maintain accurate information on employee benefit packages through the use of a database. This information can be shared with other Human Resource managers, and others within the organization who are in need of the information with the use of the Information Technology system. With the use of a reliable, and effective Information Technology system senior Human Resource managers are able to effectively communicate within the organization a number of important information. The Human Resource managers have come to rely on the Information Technology system to effectively do their j ob. When a company has an Information Technology system in place the company can effectively communicate within the organization whether, or not the company is a multinational company. The Information

Debate over English Only Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Debate over English Only - Essay Example ThecaseofJoseph Vento, owner of Geno's Steaks in Philadelphia,willbediscussedinthisregard. InDecember,2007,thecaseofPhiladelphiaCheesesteakShopOwner,JosephVento,whohaddisplayedthesign'ThisisAMERICA:WHENORDERINGPLEASE'SPEAKENGLISH'hadbecomehighlycontroversial(foxnews.com).Tothis,Ventoreiteratedthathewasnotindulgentinmakingdiscriminatoryremarksoractivities.HesaidthathewasofItalianoriginandevenhisparentsandhe,hadtolearntheEnglishlanguage.Thiswasbecause,EnglishwastheunifyinglanguageinacountryliketheUS,wherethepopulationisdiverse.Onecannotpossiblyconverseinalllanguagesthatthepopulationwouldcomefrom. Hence,hefelt,thattheEnglishlanguagebeingtheinternationallanguage,wouldbeidealforunifiedcommunicationandavoidinganybreachincomprehension.Healsosaidthatsincethecountryhadimmigrantsfromdifferentcountriescomingin,theywouldspeakintheirownlanguage.Thiscouldnotbeunderstoodbyoneandall.Hence,hehadtoputuptheboard,tobeabletopassonthemessagethatcustomersatisfactionforabusinessisindeedimportant,forwhichservingtherightitemswasimperative.Onlyaunifyinglanguagecouldhelpincommunicatingwhatthecustomerneeds,inabetterway.Fullyconvincedbyhisreply,Vento'sattorneyShannon.L.Goessingsaid,"Thecaseshould,withoutquestion,bedismissed.Thereisalegitimatebusinesspurposeforthissign." Inspiteofthedecision,anumberofpartiesareforandagainsttheissueofputt... he'Whitesonly"postingsoftheJimCrowera.'Thesignsgiveafeelingofbeingunwelcomeandbeingexcluded, Charlessaid."(Philadelphia Cheesesteak Shop Owner Defends 'Order in English' Policy Saturday,December 15, 2007,Associated Press http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,316939,00.html) ENGLISH AS THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF THE US Many people in the US debate that English should be made the official language of the country. This would bring about a common ground for unhindered communication and minimize comprehension errors, misunderstandings and misinterpretations. By making the English language the official language, even immigrants can converse without really having a problem. However, the challenge here lies in getting the immigrant force to understand and comprehend English. This largely depends on their backgrounds and it translates into meaning that if they do not know English, it would be very difficult for them, to live at ease in the US and converse. On the other hand, this would help all and sundry in gaining a common understanding and linguistic identity. This would work towards promoting unity in diversity. It would go a long way in unifying the masses under one common umbrella of linguistic unity, irrespective of subjective linguistic orientations and origins. ENGLISH AS THE ONLY LANGUAGE If English is made the only language in US that is officially recognized, it would spell doom to the huge number of citizenry that come from other linguistic backgrounds. Ever since globalization has impacted the world, US has gained immensely from the steady influx of immigrants

Business Communication - My Role Model in Career Essay Example for Free

Business Communication My Role Model in Career Essay Mr. Mahbub Hossain, my line manager of my previous office, is my role model for my career path. He is the CSM (Customer Service Manager)of Joydebpur branch, Brac Bank LTD. In brief, he is getting MBA from IBA along with his job. Was graduated from DU (Finance), prior that he took places in both HSC SSC examinations. As I worked with him, I found many good qualities in him. By times, I took him as a role model as his qualities impressed me. I am going to point out two of them which is leadership quality and secondly, quick decision (appropriate) making ability. As I have seen him closely, I found all the qualities that a leader should have. He guided the team successfully to achieve the organizational goal. He teamed us up too strongly cheered us to act spontaneously to meet up the goals. He used to take initiatives for cheering us up. So that we never been tired in meeting our business targets. Theory says, a leader has to have seven qualities, but I found more in him. Out of the theoretical ones, his friendly caring attitude made us believe that we are not only team players, even more than that. Personal recognitions helped a lot to follow his leadership willingly, not only for his designation. His interpersonal communication skill ability of finding out team members strength or weakness made him a successful leader. I found him always remain calm in critical situations and controlled tactfully. Always stand with subordinates against all odds (from outside) is remarkable. His keen knowledge and prompt decision making ability is an effective quality for any career. I always found him deciding with the best option. Some of his effective decisions saved potential losses. He even made critical decisions over the phone in instant. His knowledge on current issues, updating about the recent changes made him up to this standard. We people learn from the surrounding. I passed a long time with Mr. Mahbub inside as well outside of our office. I try to adapt these two qualities in me. I wish to be a leader like him as my team members also think like that we are in a team, not like a orderer follower relation. To get leadership quality like him I try to spend more time with him. Whenever we meet, we share our ides. I am gathering theoretical data as I can even exceed his leadership quality. It was said, â€Å"Leaders are born, not made. † But recent studies proved that these leadership qualities can be developed to a great extent. I attended a training program at Briddhi with him (arranged by our organization), which was meant for mid level managers and up comers. Finding out colleges ability seems tough to me. I found this as my area of developments. At any stage of career I should be prompt in making quick decisions with accuracy. As I said just ago, I discuss about every issue with him. If there is any situation I have to decide anything at once, I let him know about the issue and exchange ideas for improvement scopes. Knowledge gathering is a key to professional success. Thats why, I get myself admitted MBA here. I am studying here with hope, I can implement these theoretical knowledge at my workplace. I read a lot of articles written on banking FI (Financial Institutes). Current issues mostly published on web or newspapers. For making myself up to date about, I go through them. Internal circulars helps a lot to updating myself.

Farewell to the One-Reelers :: essays research papers

The plot of Big Red Riding Hood is as thin as you can get, but that is usually the case with most one-reelers. Charley plays Jimmy Jump as in all of his one-reel shorts. A title describes Charley's character, "Jimmy Jump -- An intellectual giant, but a financial dwarf." Charley's task in this film is to translate the story "Little Red Riding Hood" into Swedish. So, in the entire film, Charley tries to finish reading the story. When a man buys the book and puts it in the back seat of his car, Jimmy rides alongside the car with his bicycle. He is so absorbed in his reading that he doesn't realize that a couple of gangsters have stolen the car and are being chased by the police. After a car-to-car shootout, with Jimmy oblivious to any action that takes place around him, he and his bicycle fall off the dock and into the sea where he manages to finish the story. Despite the simple plot, it is quite original, and many good gags stem from it. One memorable gag is when Jimmy tries to read the story from above a sunshade using binoculars. A policeman, persuing a thief, shoots his gun in the air hitting the sunshade, which falls to the ground along with Jimmy. There are many slapstick incidents that Jimmy gets into, like getting pricked with a sharp object in his rear and trying to avoid a suspicious cop, but many gags are quite inspired. The elaborate shootout as well as Jimmy's drop into the water at the end serve as the film's most exciting moments. The part when Jimmy falls into the water is quite memorable, in fact. Right after he descends into the sea, he finishes the story and a wide smile goes over his face, but just as quickly fear registers on his mug as he realizes where he is. Another memorable, yet quite surreal, scene in the film is the dream sequence. In it, Jimmy is an inept woodsman and Helen Gilmore plays Little Red Riding Hood.

Causes and Solutions for Crime Essay

Crime is a serious issue of many countries in the contemporary society; in particular, the crime rate gradually increases annually in some sectors worldwide. There are two main causes and one solution of crime that will be illustrated in this article. The first cause is poverty, which is seemed to be the principal cause of crime. People cannot survive without food; however, In some areas, the poor do not have sufficient money to buy food or other necessities. The only way to maintain their lives is to steal or rob, which leads to crimes. The second reason is the violence from media. There are many films and teleplays including violence, which provides individuals negative influences. Some people want to emulate the hero in films; therefore, they performance as the actors who destroy attributes in films, but these behaviors in reality is illegal. Especially, teenagers are easily to be affected and tend to imitate, so the crime rate of the young has raised annually. The authorities need to adopt necessary measures to resolve this problem. For poverty, it has to narrow the gap between the poor and the rich, that is, the government should tax more from the rich and relieve the poor. For TV violence, television and film rating system need to be strictly implemented. Moreover, parents should supervise their children and restrict the time of watching TV. To conclude, poverty and TV violence are main reasons of crime. The authorities need to have efficient solutions such as tax balance policy and film rating system to decrease the rate of crime and defend their populace. Read more: Crime Rate in India