The Disturbing World of The Psychopaths Essay Example for Free

The Disturbing World of The Psychopaths Essay Nowadays the number of adults and adolescents who perpetrate violence and consider violence as normal in everyday life is swiftly gowning and it is terrible because values and beliefs about morality are distorted. The actions of adolescents seem meaningless and professionals often can’t understand and explain their motivation. Therefore, the book â€Å"Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of The Psychopaths Among Us† by Robert Hare is a well-developed work on psychopathic personality. The author analyzes the reasons and consequences of psychopathic behavior stressing that it is the most dangerous personality disorder as such people when affected don’t distinguish what is right and what is wrong. Their actions aren’t motivated by consciousness. Instead, their actions are driven by psychological disorders. Actually, the book is vivid and colorful portrayal of psychopathic disorder and the book can recommended both for professionals and for parents. The book presents author’s research on psychopathic disorders. The positive moment is that the book is written in easy language and in readable fashion devoted to general audience.   Hare analyzes clinical literature in non-technical trying to avoid professional jargon. The author combines empirical literature with personal anecdotes, with descriptions of psychopathic personalities from popular press and literature. Moreover, the author includes analysis of celebrated cases as, for example, Ted Bundy, Clifford Olson and the fictional Hannibal Lecter. Robert Hare provides deep insight into personality of psychopaths by describing disorder in dozens of individuals with similar diagnosis, all of whom â€Å"scored high on the PCL†. The author claims that he rejects psychodynamic approaches when describing psychopathic mind. Hare describes psychopathic personality as reckless, impulsive, egocentric, disturbing, content with self and such that lacks conscience. Hare pays special attention to identification of the psychopaths. His Psychopathy Checklist presents ultimate understanding of psychopathic behavior. Actually, he uses his list to construct psychopathy as disorder. The author provides definitions, assessment tools and diagnosis approaches. Hare argues that â€Å"Psychopaths are social predators who charm, manipulate, and ruthlessly plow their way through life, leaving a broad trail of broken hearts, shattered expectations, and empty wallets. Completely lacking in conscience and in feelings for others, they selfishly take what they want and do as they please†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p.34) Psychopathy is associated with antisocial personality disorder. The author writes that not all patients with antisocial personality disorder are psychopathic personalities and they should not be provided with the same pessimistic diagnosis. Hare assumes that professionals are to be blamed for confusing psychopathic disorder with antisocial personality disorde r. The book conveys a number of important messages based on Hare’s fundamental perspective about psychopathic personalities and their behavioral types. The author portrays psychopathic personalities as personalities that seem to be born. Hare presents many stories about individuals who appeared to be normal, but with years became egocentric and aggressive personalities. The author is unprejudiced when he says that we are not aware of facts that change human behavior. A number of genetic and neurological studies were conducted to reveal the reasons and Hare says that environment plays crucial role in child upbringing. He concludes that psychopathy may be of different types ranging from con man to serial killer. Three particular messages are hidden in the book. The first one is that the parents of psychopaths should not be provided with constant sense of guilty that their children are not normal. Instead, parents should immediately consult professionals to diagnose their children and if psychopathic disorder is revealed then to develop specific strategies involving structured and favorable environment with behavioral management techniques. The second message is that psychopathic behavior is not likely to change significantly or it may diminish with age.   The most difficult thing to manage is that psychopaths are content with their behavior and often treatment efforts and therapies are not effective. Psychopaths believe their relations with people and treating them is fully justified and normal. Actually, psychopaths don’t understand they have serious mental problems and they are viewed as social danger. Hare seems to be very critical with insight-based approaches as, for example, with therapeutic community. Instead, Hare says that work with psychopaths should focus on incorporating their pervasive self interest stressing that their behavior contradicts their own interests. The third message provides recommendations and ways how to protect yourself from attack of psychopathic personalities. Every person should now ways to identify psychopaths and to protect his life from being victimized and conned. A series of techniques designed by Hare is important for adults, especially for women and the elderly. Lonely people and those who are going to invest are endangered the most. Being forewarned is being forearmed. Hare says that â€Å"Psychopaths are found in every segment of society, and there is a good chance that eventually you will have a painful or humiliating encounter with one†. (p.203) Hare intensifies his narration with real-world examples and anecdotes to describe differen t personality features of psychopathic personalities. The book is very informative and professional, but it seems contradictory when the author says he relies on common sense and folk wisdom. Further, the author stresses that relying on such sources isn’t justified in professional environment. Despite several weak points, the book is very strong and persuasive. The author distinguishes between psychopathic disorder and antisocial personality disorder. He concludes that not all psychopaths are criminals and not all criminals are psychopaths. The author offers emotional and interpersonal traits as, for example, lack of guilt, grandiosity, glibness, shallow emotions, lack of responsibility, impulsiveness, antisocial behavior, etc. References Hare, Robert. (1999). Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of The Psychopaths Among Us. USA: The Guilford Press.

Economic recession Essay Example for Free

Economic recession Essay Economic recession is a period of economic decline; it means that there is a drop in the stock market, and an increase in unemployment but also a decline in the housing market. It also means that in Tourism, the residents of UK will have to will choose to holiday at home as the http://www. independent. co. uk infers ‘’ Grounded by the diminishing value of the pound and fears about the recession, record numbers of Britons will choose to holiday at home this summer. ‘’ Source http://www. independent. co. uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/its-an-ill-wind-uk-tourism-finds-recession-is-so-bracing-1522542. html Additionally, the research by Visit Britain, the tourism authority, has shown that 74 % of people are trying to reduce their holiday spending, and are spending more time planning their trips to maximize value, a cottage in Britain where you can just pack the car up and take all your own food suggests that youve got greater control. However reducing the holiday spending is not the major problem, as there has been a big change in visits to Britain official figures have revealed that the number of tourists who visited the UK from overseas in 2009 suffered a 7% decline on the previous year to 29.57 million. The data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also showed that the number of UK residents who made trips abroad fell 15% last year to 58. 53 million. But visitors to the UK spent around ? 16. 48 billion, or 1% more last year than they did in 2008, a contrast to UK residents expenses while abroad, which amounted to ? 31. 85 billion a 14% fall on figures from 2008. The recession also had an impact on the number of trips UK residents took abroad last year. The figure fell 16% to 38. 44 million, while business trips were down 22% and visits to friends and relatives (VFR) abroad fell 7%. By contrast, more foreigners visited the UK on holiday, with the numbers rising 3% last year, although the overall total suffered with business trips falling 20%. The ONS also recorded a fall of 10% in the number of VFR trips to the UK last year. Records also reveal that UK residents took 21% fewer trips to North America last year and 15% fewer trips to Europe. Source http://www. statistics. gov. uk/hub/index. html Source http://uk. reuters. com/article/2009/07/16/us-britain-travel-idUKTRE56F3FX20090716 QUALITY OF GOOD AND SERVICES Most visitors that come to United Kingdom have clear expectations about what they must pay for, but most of all; they are hoping that the quality of what they pay for is worth their money. The concept of value for money is closely related to price but also involves other quality criteria. The English Tourism Council’s has set up star rating that let the visitors to be informed before they book accommodation to recognise quality and to differentiate levels of facilities and services which as potential guests they can expect, so that it can help them to match their needs and ensure they are not disappointed. The star rating gives an overall judgement of quality including comfort, space, facilities, and cleanliness, and can be used by both domestic and inbound tourits. One star indicates that the place is acceptable overall of quality. There is also adequate provision of furniture, furnishings, and fittings. Hotels that have only one star are usually small, and privately owned. Dinner may not be offered. Two star hotels are also usually small, and privately owned, including resort hotels, and commercial hotels. Accommodation offers a good degree of space and convenience. Furnishings may be simple but are well maintained in all the bedrooms. Breakfast is offered daily to residents and their guests. Dinner is available at least five nights per week. Three star hotels indicates that it is a more formal style of hotel with a greater range of facilities and services such as colour television, telephones, radios, desk etc. There are also public areas including lounge seating, restaurants or bars. Dinner will be provided seven nights per week and light snack lunches are available in the bar or lounge, together with a wide range of drinks. Additionally, there’s also laundry service available. Four star hotels infers that there is a luxury quality with services to match, for example, there is a selection of catering options all offering cuisine and service of the highest international quality. There is also highly trained, professional staff providing exceptional levels of anticipatory service. Source http://www. britainexpress. com/oxford-hotels/star-ratings. htm EXCHANGE RATES The value of one currency against another currency is known as the foreign exchange rate. Exchange rates are an important factor in determining patterns of holiday taking, as any rise in the value of the pound will encourage outbound tourism, particularly if it involves the leading destinations countries. The value of the pound, or sterling, against another currency affects the cost of coming here for inbound tourists. It can affect negatively if it is more expensive to visit UK, but also can affect positively it is cheaper to visit UK. It is more likely that the appeal to tourist will increase when sterling is weak, as they will get more pounds for their money. Conversely, if sterling is strong, overseas visitors get less pounds in exchange for their money and are less likely to want to come here. In recent years sterling has been very strong against the dollar, or the dollar has been weak against sterling – which amounts to the same thing. This has meant that it has been relatively cheap for UK outbound tourists to visit the United States and more expensive for Americans to come to the UK. As VisitBritain. org have suggested that due to the dollar being weak against sterling, America perceived United Kingdom, as an expensive place to visit – the cost of accommodation, transport, and food has been highlighted by Americans as being really high priced. If the pas is riding high against most other currencies, it allows the British to budget for their holidays abroad with unusual freedom of choice, because the UK holidaymakers get much more for their money. For example, the rate of exchange with the Spanish peseta, the French franc, and the US dollar influences over 60 % of the holidays taken abroad by the British. The exchange rates depend on the strength or the weakness of sterling but they are also affected by the internal strength of currencies in main destination countries like France or Spain. At the moment the strenght of the pound sterling against other currencies looks as following Source  http://fx-rate.net/

Air Asias Corporate and Business Strategies

Air Asias Corporate and Business Strategies Air Asia is a low cost air carrier that charges the lowest fares per kilometre in the world. A PESTLE analysis indicated that liberalisation of the air market has improved international market access and supported the growth in the number of airlines and passengers in East Asia. A five forces analysis indicates that the airline industry is highly competitive, with a high threat of new entries and of substitutes in the domestic travel market. Air Asia is positioned at the low cost end of the spectrum of competitors that fly internationally. A SWOT analysis indicated that Air Asia has strengths in management, operational efficiency and marketing, but has weaknesses in staffing, customer care, and attractiveness to business travellers. The airline has been successful because it has taken an entrepreneurial and innovative approach to the market, leveraging its competencies to create automated ticketing processes and to reduce other operational costs. The airline should consider expanding into Europe and western Asia using Abu Dhabi as a hub, which would require additional aircraft or joint ventures with other low cost carriers. The firm should also consider introducing business class flights that charge a higher price, but provide the services including convenient scheduling that can attract the business segment of the airline market in East Asia. 1.0 Introduction Air Asia is a low-cost air carrier providing service between its main hub in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia and destinations in East Asia. The airline also provides service to Abu Dhabi and London. Air Asia has adopted a generic strategy of cost leadership by reducing the cost of operations and passing the savings through to customers with very low ticket prices. The firm was founded in 1996 as a low cost domestic airline, and was purchased by Tony Fernandes in 2001. The firm was re-launched as a no-frills airline in 2001 with three aircraft. Air Asia entered the low-cost international market in 2003. The firm currently has revenues of $60 billion and provides services to 60 million customers a year. Air Asia is the first low cost airline to have formed a joint venture for the procurement of aircraft with a competitor, JetStar, which is based in Singapore (Quantas, 2010, 1). The airline currently has interlocking ownership through the Shin Corporation which holds a major equity position in b oth Air Asia and Thai Air Asia. The airline also holds a minority equity position of 30% of JetStar, which is a low cost Australian airline. 2.0 Environmental and Industry Analysis A PESTLE analysis provides an assessment of the industry environment, which is necessary to create a context for the airline industry analysis (Grant, 2008 p. 68). A Porters five forces analysis provides an indication of the competitive forces influencing rivalry in the airline industry. 2.1 PESTLE Analysis The PESTLE analysis is a qualitative evaluation of the political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental forces affecting the airline industry. The focus of the analysis is on the East Asian region, which is the primary market for Air Asia. Political: The trend is toward liberalisation of the airline markets in East Asia to allow airlines access to markets without the need for a specific bilateral agreement concerning air transportation between nations. An ASEAN open skies agreement, the Roadmap for Integration of Air Travel Services (2004) was ratified by member nations in 2007 and will be fully implemented by 2015. Nations in the region such as India and China that are not members of ASEAN are also liberalising air transportation regulations (OConnell Williams, 2006, p. 362). Economic: The rate of economic growth in the ASEAN nations is variable, with the ASEAN member nations experiencing a growth rate of only 1.5% in 2009 because of the global economic crisis. In contrast Chinas GDP grew at 8.9% in 2009 while Indias GDP grew at 6.8%. Economic growth in 2010 and beyond in the region is likely to be strong because East Asia has largely recovered from the global recession. Social: The social trend in East Asia is towards increased consumption including transportation consumption because of the economic growth in the region. Globalisation has also increased the propensity to travel in East Asia for both business and recreational purposes. The population in the region is also growing rapidly. Another social trend is the increased use of personal computing devices, which intersects with the technology drivers in the airline industry. Technological: The air transportation industry is technology-driven, with information technology used to enhance marketing and engineering technology used to improve safety. Airlines use information technology systems such as internet ticket sales, paperless tickets and automated check in systems to improve customer care while reducing cost of operations (Buhalis OConnor, 2005, p. 12). These systems are also used to maximise load capacity by controlling scheduling and use of aircraft. Legal: The nations in East Asia have various ownership and anti-competition laws that affect the ability of airlines to merge or to acquire an airline (Hsu Chang, 2005, p. 558). In addition some nations in the region have laws that affect the ability and the nature of joint venture agreements between domestic and foreign airlines. Environmental: The PESTLE analysis suggests that the implementation of the Open Skies agreement can increase access to markets for air carriers although the various national laws concerning ownership may hamper the use of a merger and acquisition strategy for expansion. The analysis also suggests that airlines implementing new technologies to improve customer care may enjoy a competitive advantage. The growing population and affluence in the region will produce greater demand for air transportation in the long run. 2.2 Five Forces Analysis The five forces analysis is an industry-based assessment of the factors driving competition to support the development of strategy (Peng, 2009, p. 35) (see Appendix A). If the competition in the industry is high, there is less likelihood that a firm in the industry such as Air Asia will gain competitive advantage through a strategic initiative. Buyer Power: Buyer power in the airline industry is weak because of fragmentation of buyers and the large numbers of potential buyers. The propensity of air travel in East Asia is relatively low compared to the global average of 2.0 trips per year, with India at .1 and China at .3 (OConnell Williams, 2006, p. 362). At the same time, the large size of the East Asian market results in sufficient travel to support a growing airline market. Buyer power is somewhat strengthened by low switching costs in the industry, with buyers able to chose among many different competing airlines. Buyers can be segmented into business travellers and recreational travellers with different price sensitivities. Business travellers value flight schedule and convenience in an airline with price often a secondary consideration. In contrast, recreational travellers are more sensitive to price and the cost of the airfare relative to the total cost of recreation (Talluri van Ryzan, 2004, p. 17). Supplier Power: Suppliers in the airline industry consist of aircraft manufacturers, producers of fuel, and airports, with the power of these groups moderate. The manufacturers of aircraft have moderate bargaining power because of the high cost to airlines for switching aircraft types because of the need to carry additional parts inventory. Aircraft manufacturers, however, pose no threat of credible integration. The producers of fuel have relatively strong bargaining power because oil prices are established by global markets with airline consumption representing only a small portion of oil industry sales. Airports have moderate bargaining power through their ability to provide airlines with gates and ground services. Although airlines changing airports in a destination region face high switching costs, the increased development of regional airports intended to reduce congestion at major airports reduces the bargaining power of airports because of gate fee competition (Hooper, 2002, p . 293). Threat of Substitutes: The threat of substitutes is high in domestic markets because consumers in East Asia prefer rail and road transportation that is less expensive than air travel whenever possible despite the increase in time for travel (OConnell Williams, 2006, p. 362). The threat of substitutes in international travel within the region is low because of the absence of viable substitutes. Overall, the threat of substitutes in the industry is moderate. Threat of Entry: The threat of entry is high in the industry. Although the cost of aircraft is high, a new firm can enter the market with only a few aircraft as Air Asia did in 2001. The liberalisation of the market environment is eliminating barriers to entry in the form of governmental restrictions on airline routes. As a result, a threat of entry also exists from established airlines from other regions seeking to expand routes in the East Asian region. Competitive Rivalry: Competitive rivalry is high in the industry because of a diversity of rivals, high cost of fixed assets and operations, low switching costs, and low levels of product differentiation. Many airlines compete in the East Asian market, each of which has different strategies and different brand reputations. As a result, price rivalry is characteristic of the industry. Aircraft are expensive to purchase and operate, with a high load capacity necessary to cover costs. Passengers can switch airlines at a relatively low cost despite the use of incentive programmes by some airlines to increase customer loyalty. While air transportation can be differentiated based on the level of amenities available to passengers, the fundamental attribute of transportation service is similar in all airlines. The five forces analysis suggests that the primary threat in the industry comes from competition among rivals, which is intensified by the possibility that new airlines will enter the East Asian markets. The analysis also suggests that opportunities may exist for smaller airlines to form strategic partnerships with other airlines to expand the schedule and destination options for passengers at a cost less than the amount necessary for direct investment in aircraft and terminal gate facilities. In the low cost segment of the industry, taking advantage of this opportunity would require Air Asia to adopt a strategy that restructured in the industry (Cockburn, Henderson, Stern, 2000, p. 1127). 2.3 Competitors and Competitor Groups Competitors in the airline industry can be divided into the two main groups of full service airlines and low cost airlines. Full service airlines are large firms that have been in the industry for an extended period of time, with many of these airlines enjoying a monopoly or quasi monopoly on certain national routes prior to the gradual liberalisation of the airline industry in the ASEAN market, with full liberalisation taking place by 2015. These major airlines often use a hub-and-spoke routing system in which short-haul feeder flights bring passengers to a hub airport for transfer to other aircraft for long-haul flights or for other short-haul flights to reach their final destination (Burghouwt and Veldhuis, 2006, p. 107). Airlines in this competitor group use a differentiation generic strategy based on frequent flight scheduling and use of airports conveniently located with respect to major urban centres, with a wider range of services justifying higher ticket prices. They also ha ve a wider range of destinations including transcontinental flights. Competitors in this group include Singapore Airlines, Air China, Malaysian Air, and Thai Airways International. The low cost group of competitors focus on flights taking passengers directly from the point of origin to their final destination, although transfers may be necessary to consolidate passengers and maximize capacity utilisation. Airlines in this competitor group are regional airlines with destinations limited to East Asia. There are numerous competitors in this group including Jet Star, Tiger, Value Air, Firefly, and Maswings. Appendix B shows the positioning of firms in the two competitor groups. 2.4 Developmental Stage of Market and Industry The air transportation market in the East Asian region is in the growth stage of development, which is characterised by a rapid rate of increase in sales (Inglada, Rey, Cote-Millan, 2006, p. 9). The economic growth in the region is allowing more individuals to afford air transportation, particularly for tourism. In addition, the increased commerce with the ASEAN region and with China as a result of the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement that was gradually implemented between 2004 and 2010 is producing higher commercial and business demand for air transportation between Southeast Asia and China (Wong Chan, 2004, p. 509). The low cost segment of the airline industry in East Asia can be viewed as at the point of emerging from the market penetration phase of growth. The low cost airline industry is comparatively new in East Asia, with independent airlines entering this market segment in 2001 (OConnell Williams, 2005, p. 260). Many of the firms in this segment of the industry can be considered prospectors using the Miles and Snow typology because they adopt strategies to use entrepreneurial skills for developing new types of services and have strong marketing competencies (Wratschko, 2009, p. 71). In contrast, the major air carrier segment of the industry can be considered mature, but undergoing a period of transformation because of the elimination to governmental regulations that had given many of these airlines a competitive advantage in routes and airport access. These airlines can be considered as defenders because they focus on retaining market share despite the instability in the market created by new market entrants such as low-cost airlines. 3.0 Resources and Capabilities In the resource-based theory of the firm, the resources and capabilities of the firm should be the foundation of the firms strategy. To use this approach, the firm assesses its resources, determines the capabilities that can provide it with competitive advantage, select a strategy that matches resources and capabilities with opportunities, and identify resource gaps that have to be filled (Grant, 1991, p. 115). A SWOT analysis can be used to identify the resources and capabilities of Air Asia and the way the firm can use these resources to take advantage of opportunities and counter threats (see Appendix C). A value chain analysis can provide an assessment of the areas in which Air Asia can add the most value for customers, which a gap analysis identifies the resources that Air Asia must acquire to implement a selected strategies. 3.1 Swot Analysis Strengths: Air Asia has a strong management team, with operations managed by an ex-Ryanair director with extensive experience in controlling expenses in a low cost airline (OConnell Williams, 2005, p. 264). The airline has a good technology infrastructure that supports very low cost of operations from its use of technology to automate customer processing and to maximise load on flights. The company also has strengths in operational cost containment through very low staff levels, lack of amenities on flights, and standardisation of aircraft which reduces expense for maintenance and parts inventory. Only 8% of the airlines passengers are business travellers, indicating that the cost leadership strategy has been successful in attracting the recreation segment of the market (OConnell Williams, 2005, p. 268). Another strength of the firm is its marketing competency, which has effectively designed and promoted a service targeted to the underserved low-cost no frills segment of the market . The airline has a breakeven load factor of only 52% and the worlds lowest airline unit cost of $.23 per passenger kilometre (OConnell Williams, 2005, p. 265). The airline also has a strong brand reputation in the market for offering low fares. The airline also has strong information technology competencies. Weaknesses: Air Asia has weaknesses in human resources, poor customer care in resolving complaints, and limited ability to attract business travellers. Because of its low cost approach to operations, the airline has lower staff levels than competitors. The lower staffing creates issues such as delays in turnaround time that result in delays in departures, with inadequate communications and support for delayed passengers. The airlines business model also reduces its ability to attract the business market that values flight scheduling, on time flights, and convenience. Air Asia uses only the A320 aircraft, which has a range of only 4,800 km with a full passenger load, which limits the destinations that the airline can serve (Airbus, 2010). Opportunities: Opportunities for Air Asia are providing expanded service in the growing East Asian airline market, opening new intercontinental routes, and forming joint ventures or other strategic alliances with competitors in markets not currently served by the airline. A significant overlooked opportunity in the region is the potential of tourism from Northeast Asia to Southeast Asia (Winter, 2007, p. 28). Smaller airlines can gain greater access to markets in the region through joint ventures and strategic alliances that allows airlines to code share, which involves transporting passengers using aircraft from two or more airlines. Threats: The primary threat for Air Asia is an increase in competition with some airlines adopting a similar operating model to Air Asia which reduces differentiation. A threat to the business model comes from cultural differences such as the preference of Indonesians to use heavy luggage that must be stowed in cargo compartments (The Low Cost, 2009). Another threat comes from the regulations in some nations setting minimum fares and airport usage limitations, which are not covered by the ASEAN Open Skies agreement. The airline is vulnerable to the threat of an increase in fuel prices and the possibility of disruptions to travel caused by terrorist attacks. The SWOT analysis indicates that Air Asias strengths in management, operational efficiency, marketing, and brand reputation would allow it to take advantage of the opportunities presented in the region from growth and tourism potential. These strengths could also support efforts to develop more intercontinental routes and joint ventures with competitors. The weaknesses of the airline in limited human resources and poor customer care could inhibit growth unless they are addressed. The weakness of insufficient staffing increases the firms vulnerability to the effect of cultural differences. At the same time, the firms strengths can help overcome the threats posed by increased competition. The airlines difficulty with attracting business passengers because of its business model may ultimately have a negative effect on its market share as business travel in the region increases. 3.3 Value Chain Analysis The value chain analysis disaggregates the activities of the firm to determine which activities add the most value to customers (Grant, 2008, p. 145). The inbound logistics segment of the chain involves purchase or leasing of aircraft, fuel, and gate space at airports, which add some value through reducing overhead and by providing convenient or desirable routes. The airline adds significant value to the customer in its operations, which has reduced costs to allow the fares to be the lowest in the world. This segment of the value chain, however, does not add value for customers who desire amenities or assistance from airline staff because of insufficient support from the human resources management function. Outbound logistics in the context of an airline involves factors such as airport turnaround time, which are related to operations. Marketing and sales also adds significant value to operations by the airlines ability to leverage its technology support function for internet ticket sales, paperless tickets and automated check-in. Because of the difficulties that the firm has with customer care and complaints, the after sales service segment reduces value for the customer. Based on this analysis, Air Asia adds primary value for customers in the operational and marketing segments of the value chain. 3.3 Gap Analysis Gap analysis involves determining the discrepancies between the current resources of the firm and the resources necessary to achieve the desired future state (Grant, 2008, p. 162). The generic future state for Air Asia is continued growth in its primary market in East Asia and expansion into secondary markets. To increase its share of the market in East Asia, Air Asia requires additional aircraft, additional staff, and additional access to airport gates. The airline has 78 planes available including aircraft owned by the firm and aircraft available through joint ventures, all of which are A320 models. Because these planes operate near capacity, additional aircraft would have to be acquired for expansion. To expand into intercontinental markets, the airline would also need larger aircraft with longer range. The firm would also require additional human resources to meet the operational and customer care needs with expansion, particularly to attract business customers. The analysis sugg ests that the firm does not have sufficient depth and breadth of resources to support expansion and must acquire additional resources. 3.4 Technical and Landscape Fitness of Air Asia Air Asia has high technical fitness, but only moderately high landscape fitness. Air Asia has developed and implemented a proprietary yield management system, computer reservation system, and enterprise resource planning system. In addition, the firm makes extensive use of a front-end internet interface with its backend computer systems to support online internet ticket purchases and paperless tickets. The technology systems are flexible enough to respond to any change in customer requirements, and have been a factor in promoting the acceptance of paperless tickets in Malaysia (Sulaiman, Ng, Mohezar, 2008, p. 149). Air Asia has been successful in attracting the low-cost segment of the market, but may not have sufficient flexibility to respond to a change in the environment such as a surge in business demand or a dramatic decrease in demand because of terrorist attack or high fuel prices. 3.5 Competitive Scenarios A likely competitive scenario is an increase in competition in the low cost segment of the East Asian airline market from new entrants and low cost subsidiaries of established major carriers. A FAR analysis of the scenario suggests that other carriers will adopt some of the functions used by Air Asia such as paperless ticketing, reduced staff level, and no amenities to become cost competitive. The assets required for these airlines to adopt this business model are generally available with their existing fleets of medium range aircraft. The risk posed by this scenario is Air Asias loss of competitive positioning as the lowest cost carrier in the market. 4.0 Conclusion The most likely reason for Air Asias success has been its willingness to risk using innovative strategies to reduce costs while maintaining profitability. The firm was a pioneer in the use of internet reservation and paperless tickets in the market, with its marketing overcoming any passenger reluctance to use the electronic systems. It has also adopted the innovative strategy in the low cost segment of the market of forming joint ventures with competitors to gain entry into new markets and to reduce operational costs. 4.1 Recommendations Air Asia should expand into the intercontinental market by using Abu Dhabi as a hub for routes in western Asia, North Africa, and Europe. From the Abu Dhabi hub, the airline could offer flights to India and Southeast Asia. The business model would continue to follow the cost leadership generic strategy. To implement this strategy, the airline would have to expand the size of its fleet, with the possibility of adding some wide body aircraft designed for long haul flights in addition to A320s. Funding could be obtained from a seasoned equity offering, with the airlines historic performance supporting the offering. The airline could also form code sharing relationships with low cost airlines in Europe and western Asia. This strategy would offset some of the airlines vulnerability from additional competitors using a low cost business model entering the East Asian market. Air Asia should offer some flights designated as business class that provide a wider range of services for business travellers at a higher price than its normal flights. This strategy would be intended to attract a higher percentage of business travellers. Implementing this strategy would require modified A320s to provide passengers with additional seating space and may require additional staff for customer care. The business class aircraft would have priority in operations for scheduling and turnaround to ensure that they remained on time. The airline would use its marketing competencies to differentiate between low cost fares and business class fares. This strategy would address the problem of low market share in the business segment of the market and diversify the market base if competition in the low cost segment increases.

The Deeper Meanings of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay -- Young

The Deeper Meanings of Young Goodman Brown "Young Goodman Brown," a story written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, should be interpreted on a psychoanalytical level rather than a religious one. It is my observation that "Young Goodman Brown" may very well be the first published work alluding to divisions of the mind and personality theory. Although religion is a direct theme throughout the story, "Young Goodman Brown" appears to be an allegory with deeper meanings. To explore properly my position concerning the dynamics of "Young Goodman Brown," it is necessary to understand Freud's structural model. The development of Freud's structural model presents an understanding of the struggles between the conscious and unconscious forces of the mind. The structural model indicates three powerful forces that dictate conscious behavior, or binders of reality. These three forces consist of the id, superego, and ego. When Young Goodman Brown begins his journey down the path of the haunted forest, he quickly meets a fellow-traveler that I interpret as the irrational guide lurking inside himself. The guide repeatedly urges Goodman Brown to continue the errand despite Brown's overwhelming reluctance; he assures him that "[W]e are but a little way in the forest yet" (Hawthorne 274). The traveler demonstrates a subconscious part of the psyche called the id. The id is that part of the psyche that is driven by pleasure and irrational wishing. The guide's insistence never seems to be in Brown's best interest. The traveler's motive was to do what feels good at the time, not putting into account any potential ramification that could result, which in this story turns out to be the loss of Goodman Brown's wife, Faith. His reckless behavior is ap... ...ind may be found within Hawthorne's story. If the reader will only look past its literal interpretation and explore the rich symbols and hidden meanings laden throughout the text, she or he will be rewarded with a work of fiction that was way before its time. Works Cited Carpenter, Richard. "Hawthorne's Polar Explorations: Young Goodman Brown and My Kinsman, Major Molineux." Nineteenth Century Fiction 24 (1969): 45-56. Gay, Peter. Freud: A Life for Our Time. New York: Doubleday, 1989. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodman Brown." Literature Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. Ed. Robert DiYanni. 4th ed. Boston: McGraw & Hill, 1998. 272-280. Hurley, Paul. "Young Goodman Brown's 'Heart of Darkness.'" American Literature 37 (1966): 410-419. Paulits, Walter. "Ambivalence in 'Young Goodman Brown.'" American Literature 41 (1970): 577-584.

Frontpage - Microsoft’s Net Solution :: essays research papers

Frontpage - Microsoft’s Net Solution You know about the Vermeer story right? Never heard of Vermeer? Really? So the story goes, as I am usually lounging around with others who have migrated into the vast world of the web, these questions generally come up†¦ Vermeer was the company who silently pioneered FrontPage, and was quietly and expeditiously merged into â€Å"the empire† at Microsoft. It evolved into two key MS technologies, the Personal Web Server (PWS) and FrontPage, now widely utilized at homes worldwide as a key component of Office 2000.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alas the story continues, as I tread the waters deeper and find other so-called web developers around Cebu creating pages and sites for the vastness of the net. I usually silently snicker inside as they tell me how they learned FrontPage at â€Å"so and so† institution and have been a professional web developer ever since. Rest assured, I think to myself, they’ll be attending a class or two of mine soon†¦ However, not for nothing, us professional developers (you know these guys, the ones who are making integrated solutions for the guy next down AND several [er, thousand] kilometers away.) usually have little to do with FrontPage nowadays.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  FrontPage, long ago the â€Å"cream of the crop† silently sits in wait as we tear away with apps such as Ultradev 4, 1st Page, Flash 5, Adobe PhotoShop, XML-Spy, and the Top Style CSS editor. Us â€Å"big boys† are playing with such things as .asp, .php, ColdFusion, ActionScript, XSLT, and a myriad of other acronyms that will leave your head spinning. On top of that, we’re all scrambling to learn more Java (for server pages and COM building), PowerBuilder, and of course, XHTML. This is not to the fault of FrontPage , it still is functional, but has lost it’s functionality as we deal with interactive web sites and most (over 85%) of the servers in Cebu can’t run FrontPage’s Server Extensions (That’s what JavaScript is for anyway you say†¦). But don’t fret, they have just breathed life into this ailing creature, redirecting it’s path from the tangent path of obsolescence. Enter the next generation o f FrontPage, a powerhouse of fury packed under the soon-to-be-released Windows OfficeXP umbrella. XP standing for experience, something we’re all going to have to sit down and do ourselves†¦ but for now, here’s the primer†¦. What’s OfficeXP all about? Here’s the marketing pitch: Whether you are a small business user, a user in a larger organization, an IT administrator, or a user working from home, Office XP is the essential tool to maximize your productivity. Frontpage - Microsoft’s Net Solution :: essays research papers Frontpage - Microsoft’s Net Solution You know about the Vermeer story right? Never heard of Vermeer? Really? So the story goes, as I am usually lounging around with others who have migrated into the vast world of the web, these questions generally come up†¦ Vermeer was the company who silently pioneered FrontPage, and was quietly and expeditiously merged into â€Å"the empire† at Microsoft. It evolved into two key MS technologies, the Personal Web Server (PWS) and FrontPage, now widely utilized at homes worldwide as a key component of Office 2000.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alas the story continues, as I tread the waters deeper and find other so-called web developers around Cebu creating pages and sites for the vastness of the net. I usually silently snicker inside as they tell me how they learned FrontPage at â€Å"so and so† institution and have been a professional web developer ever since. Rest assured, I think to myself, they’ll be attending a class or two of mine soon†¦ However, not for nothing, us professional developers (you know these guys, the ones who are making integrated solutions for the guy next down AND several [er, thousand] kilometers away.) usually have little to do with FrontPage nowadays.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  FrontPage, long ago the â€Å"cream of the crop† silently sits in wait as we tear away with apps such as Ultradev 4, 1st Page, Flash 5, Adobe PhotoShop, XML-Spy, and the Top Style CSS editor. Us â€Å"big boys† are playing with such things as .asp, .php, ColdFusion, ActionScript, XSLT, and a myriad of other acronyms that will leave your head spinning. On top of that, we’re all scrambling to learn more Java (for server pages and COM building), PowerBuilder, and of course, XHTML. This is not to the fault of FrontPage , it still is functional, but has lost it’s functionality as we deal with interactive web sites and most (over 85%) of the servers in Cebu can’t run FrontPage’s Server Extensions (That’s what JavaScript is for anyway you say†¦). But don’t fret, they have just breathed life into this ailing creature, redirecting it’s path from the tangent path of obsolescence. Enter the next generation o f FrontPage, a powerhouse of fury packed under the soon-to-be-released Windows OfficeXP umbrella. XP standing for experience, something we’re all going to have to sit down and do ourselves†¦ but for now, here’s the primer†¦. What’s OfficeXP all about? Here’s the marketing pitch: Whether you are a small business user, a user in a larger organization, an IT administrator, or a user working from home, Office XP is the essential tool to maximize your productivity.

Resolving the Global Warming Problem Essay -- Climate Change, Greenhou

Resolving the Global Warming Problem "It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else will effect the outcome." Global Warming according to Microsoft Bookshelf nineteen ninety eight edition is " A conjectural greenhouse effect on earth that is attributed to deforestation and industrial air emissions"(MS Bookshelf 98). Global Warming could be one of the most important issues of the century. As global warming becomes more and more of an issue, the factors surrounding global warming need to be dealt with. The world is beginning to show that if something is not done about global warming serious side effects can occur. At first impression someone might think that global warming does not effect everyday life, but the current situation with global warming cannot be ignored. Humans could be in serious danger because global warming destroys the earth?s ecology and effects everyday life by creating an unhealthy environment. The important issue of global warming is that the greenhouse problem is recognized and we try to do our best to solve the problem. The effects of global warming could create an ecological disaster. The underlying fact that the greenhouse effect will have serious effects on humans is very relevant. During the next century the earth?s atmospheric temperature is expected to rise between one and nine degrees. The problems with the rise in the earth?s temperature could be extraordinary. Several things could happen when the earth?s temperature rises. A major problem would be the melting of the polar ice caps. If the ice caps melt the current sea level could be raised by as much as "six to thirty seven inches," during a one hundred-year period (FORTUNE 129). When the sea rises th... ...ruary 1998: 67- 73. Parrish, Michael. "Meteorological Mayhem; So, What?s Behind All this Weird Weather." Playboy December 1998: 118-122, 210-211. Reynolds, Patrick. "Solar Power Players." Time 5 October, 1998. Scott, Alex. "BP Experiments with CO2 Emissions Trading." 28 October, 1998. Stripp, David. "Trouble in the Air." Fortune 8 December1997: 113-120 Schelling, Thomas C. Some Economics of Global Warming. The American Economic Review 82. 1-14. Ward, Peter D. "The Greenhouse Extiction; Evidence of Greenhouse Effect on Dinosaur Fossils." Discover August 1998: 54-58 Wilson, Jim. "Global Warming Wildcard; Science; connection between sunspots and Earth?s Climate." Popular Mechanics September 1998: 44-45. Zimmer, Carl; Kunzig Robert. "Carbon Cuts and Techno-fixes: 10 things to do about the Greenhouse Effect Some of Which Aren?t Crazy." Discover June 1998: 60-68.

Changing Learning Styles in the Light of New Educational Technology Essay

Over the last twenty years technology is guiding our lifestyle, i. e. how we should live, how should we communicate and also how one shall learn. Discoll (2000) defines learning as â€Å"a persisting change in human performance or performance potential which must come about as a result of the learner’s experience and interaction with the world. † In other words learning is defined as lasting changed state (emotional, mental physiological- skills) brought about as a result of experiences and interactions with the content or people. This definition holds the notion that gaining knowledge is an objective of learning (or a style) that is attainable if not already innate through either reasoning or experiences. It is known that learners create knowledge as they make attempts to understand their experience, as they are not empty vessels to be filled in with knowledge Instead learners are actively attempting to create meaning, they often select and pursue their own learning styles. Although it is believed that real life learning is messy and complex, but methods which emulate the fuzziness of this kind of learning is more effective for lifelong learning. Earlier the life of knowledge is measured in decades but today as knowledge is growing exponentially, and there we may have such fields where the life of knowledge is measured in months and weeks. Today what is known may become obsolete after few weeks. According to (ASTD) American Society of Training & Documentation the amount of knowledge in the world has doubled in the past 10 years and is doubling every 10 months as a result this is responsible for the shrinking half life of knowledge. It is believed that because of these trends in the development of knowledge formal education remains no more the ultimate source of learning, rather learners are switching on to a variety of sources like personal networks, communities of practice and personal experiences. As we can no longer personally experience and acquire learning that we need to act in this digital age making connections has become necessary to keep moving the learning theories. We may derive our learning, competence and expertise by forming connections with the experiences of others, as experience has long been considered the best teacher of knowledge, so here the quote â€Å"I store my knowledge in my friends mind† becomes an axiom for collecting knowledge by collecting people of varied experiences. Chaos is the new reality for the learners to attain knowledge, as with Chaos learners foster their understanding by deriving out the meaning of their task which has hidden patterns and their chaos unveil that meaning. Chaos as a science connects specialized communities and further it connects everything to anything. It recognises the adjacent patterns for new knowledge which is a key to learning. Since technology is getting advanced day by day thereby altering one brain, it further defines and shapes our thinking. In today knowledge economy it is necessary to form connection between the sources of information in order to develop useful informational patterns or a network, it can be computer or social networking which works on the simple principle that people groups systems nodes, entities all can be connected to create an integrated whole. This way sharing and exchanging of ideas may greatly lead to the notion of serendipity, innovation and creativity. In their new learning styles if students are connected to their teachers, their peers, and with other social groups through various networks. It may be possible that they come up with new ideologies and experiences which will result in the enhancement of their learning, researches in the past have indicated that cognitive (interactive and experimental) learning is the result of â€Å"Mental Construction† in a collaborative learning environment. It is believed that 1. Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions. 2. Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes (experts) or information sources. 3. Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known. 4. Nurturing and maintaining connective bonds is needed to facilitate continual learning. 5. An ability to seek connections between fields, ideas and concepts is a skilful learning. 6. Updated knowledge is the index of all learning activities. Learners change as the knowledge keeps on changing from time to time, learning styles acknowledges the tectonic shifts in society where learning is no longer an internal individualistic activity and learners no more permissive sponges. It requires us to rethink and redesign our learning styles for the digital age. This paper is an attempt to provide an insight into new form of learning style and tasks needed for learners to compete and flourish in this age. Connections based on small efforts of many with the large efforts of few, where flow of knowledge starts when the individual enters into his social network, add something from the global nodes comes back to him. Radio and television, print media are just a one way preposition, they push their contents to us, but the web is a two way push and pull. It connects the learners directly to the sources it can be live as on line and offline too. Web has the ability of two ways reciprocity, another important aspect of learning through web is that it is the medium that honours the notion of multiple intelligences as experts from all over the world are at an ease to contribute their knowledge at a single platform. Web has become a great tool for writers as they provide the learners learning with entertainment, it has multiple forms of intelligence abstract, textual, visual, musical social and kinaesthetic. Learning through web has a chance to construct a medium that enables all young people to become engaged in their ideal way of learning. The Web affords the match we need between a medium and how a particular person learns. One of the goal of Learner is to have course curricular to be offered in multiple formats – teach Led, CD- Rom, DVD, Video and internet , Mobile Phones, Spoken and written Information, Conferencing, Virtual Classrooms etc. The right technology used appropriately can greatly enhance the learning experience. The key to choosing the right technology to support learning is to match the technology to the learner and the learning context. E-learning has a two way benefit for learners, one to have professional lessons from the experts and to have the lessons available at anytime as online subject matter of different courses is being delivered over the internet, and is available for all learners. The most common function used in online learning style is electronic mail that allows students and teachers to send and receive messages along with attached files. In addition web conferencing capabilities let participants conduct multi-person discussions, either in real time (chats) online or off time, combination of technology with personal contact and support is optimal for pedagogy. If the faculty members of distant learning integrate technology into their teaching it will be of great help in mentoring and giving time to time support to the learners.