Singapore Airlines

Executive Summary Singapore Airlines is a premium carrier in Asia’s aviation industry. It is associated with excellent services and affordable prices. Its success is mainly attributed to its ability to pursue both cost leadership and differentiation strategies. Currently, its corporate strategy involves investing in aviation related businesses. Its business and functional level strategies focus on enhancing high service quality and achieving cost efficiency.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Singapore Airlines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Singapore airline has been able to offer world class services due to the following reasons. It focuses on both process and product innovation in order to improve product quality. It is also involved in overseas ventures, improving the efficiency of internal communication and promoting a people-centered culture. It has since launched a subsidiary in Australia, Tiger Airways. Unlike SIA, Tiger Airways is a budget currier whose business model is based on a cost leadership strategy (Tiger Airways, 2011). Tiger Airways concentrates on providing low cost flights to various destinations from Australia by eliminating non-essential costs in its operations. It has not been able to achieve the same level of success as SIA due to the low quality of its services. Thus it can improve its performance by improving the quality of its services in addition to maintaining the low prices. SIA on the other hand should focus on maintaining low prices, high quality and flexibility. Introduction Singapore Airlines (SIA) is one of the most profitable and fast growing airlines in Asia’s aviation industry. Since its inception in 1947, the airline has progressively expanded by increasing its fleet size as well as the number of its routes. By 1993, the firm had the youngest fleet in the industry. Its success is mainly based on prudent management that is chara cterized by formulation and implementation of effective operation strategy (Heracleous and Wirts, 2009, pp. 1-6). This has enabled it to withstand the adverse effects of economic recessions that have been experienced in various parts of the world over the years. This paper focuses on SIA’s operation strategy by analyzing the factors contributing to the airline’s success.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Recommendations on how SIA can develop in future will also be discussed. Finally, the operation strategy of Tiger Airlines Australia, a subsidiary of SIA, will be analyzed and compared to that of SIA. Factors that Make SIA a World Class Service Provider SIA is associated with high product quality and excellent customer services. The firm’s mission focuses on offering high quality services that are also affordable to majority of its customers. Th e firm has thus been able to realize its mission by taking advantage of its strengths which include the following. Innovation and Development SIA is committed to investing in a variety of modern technology as well as product and service innovation. Innovation at the company has been achieved through on-going research and development initiatives and overseas ventures. Consequently, SIA has been able to offer new services which include free drinks, a choice of meals, in-flight phones and fax services (Johnston, 1996, p. 510). It also continues to improve the quality of facilities at Changai Airport to enhance the quality of its services. By staying ahead of its competitors in all aspects of the business, SIA is able to offer world class services. Overseas Ventures SIA partnered with Swissair and Delta Airline in 1989 in order to offer high quality flights to various parts of the world (Johnston, 1996, p. 511). The partnership enabled the firm to improve coordination of flight schedule s and sharing of airport facilities. Consequently, it has been able to avoid customer dissatisfaction arising from delays and difficulty in connecting to other parts of the world from Singapore. Customer Services SIA focuses on offering excellent customer services by encouraging its employees to be very attentive and responsive to customers’ needs. The company is able to distinguish between bad and good services by paying attention to every detail of customers’ needs (Johnston, 1996, p. 512). In order to maintain excellent customer services, the cabin crews are regularly trained on how to improve the quality of their services. Besides, the quality of the aircrafts’ cabins such as the quality of seats is also improved regularly.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Singapore Airlines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More People-Centered Approach The management aims at developing its human re sources in order to enhance the quality of services. It focuses on hiring talented employees who bring new ideas on how to improve the quality of services (Johnston, 1996, p. 512). The human resources department helps employees to improve their skills through training. Such training programs not only aim at improving existing skills but also aim at creating new ones. Consequently, the employees are able to offer excellent services at all levels in the company. Efficient Internal Communication Effective and efficient communication has been achieved at SIA through various newsletters and magazines (Johnston, 1996, p. 513). This has enabled the firm to effectively communicate its strategic objectives to its employees. The employees are also informed of their performance targets as well as the company’s commitment to improve the quality of services. Thus, teamwork, coordination and quality of services have tremendously improved over the years. SIA’s Operation Strategy Oper ation strategy refers to the â€Å"total pattern of decisions which shape the long-term capabilities of any type of operation and their contribution to the overall strategy through the reconciliation of market requirements with operations’ resources† (Dess, 2002, p. 76). Thus, it is the tool used by the management to determine how to offer services to customers. SIA’s operation strategy can be described as follows. Corporate Level Strategy The corporate level strategy directs the activities of the firm by defining the long-term goals and objectives to be achieved. It is normally expressed in the company’s mission statement. SIA’s corporate strategy focuses on providing high quality and affordable services. As an airline, SIA concentrates in the business of providing air transportation services from Singapore to various parts of the world. Consequently, the firm has been investing in air transportation alongside related businesses such as ground han dling services, aircraft maintenance and catering services. The related businesses provide supportive services that help in improving the quality of the firm’s air transportation services (Daraban and Fournier. 2008, pp. 15-24).Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, the aircraft maintenance segment helps in maintaining the efficiency of the aircrafts while the catering segment provides meals to passengers. Most of the company’s resources are channeled towards improving the transportation segment since it is the core business of the firm. Business Level Strategy Business level strategy defines the dimensions along which a firm should compete in its industry as well as the relevant goals and objectives that it should pursue (Feiler and Goodoritch. 2009, pp. 55-64). SIA’s mission is to provide high quality services at competitive prices. Consequently, it competes along the dimensions of high product quality and competitive prices. The firm’s products are differentiated in terms of their high quality and affordable prices. SIA’s strategic objective thus is to remain profitable and achieve rapid growth through world class services. Functional Level Functional level strategy is concerned with how the various functions such as marketing contribute to the overall strategy. It is also concerned with the objectives of the organization’s functions and how resources allocated for such functions should be managed (Hazeldine, 2010, pp. 40-43). At SIA, the human resources management contributes to the overall strategy by hiring talented employees as well as creating new skills through training. The marketing activities focus on high service quality by paying attention to detail and developing products that meet customers’ needs. Customer services contribute to the overall strategy by promoting responsiveness to customers’ needs. Finally, the financial management initiatives help in accessing the capital for implementing the overall strategy through acquisitions and partnerships/ joint ventures. Effectiveness of the Strategy The effectiveness of SIA’s strategy can be evaluated in terms of the five operation performance objectives namely, cost, quality, speed, dependabi lity and flexibility. SIA has been able to achieve cost effectiveness by flying a young fleet thereby saving fuel and maintenance costs. It has also been able to connect passengers to various destinations at low costs by forming an alliance with Swissair (Johnston, 1996, p. 511). High product quality has been achieved through product innovation, staff training and investment in modern technology. Quick decision making and execution of various tasks has been realized through effective and efficient internal communication systems. On-going research and development has enabled the firm to offer consistent services (dependability). Besides, it has enabled the firm to remain flexible in its operations. For example, the airline has aircrafts of different sizes; thus it can easily change the amount of capacity deployed to a particular route as demand changes. SIA Development in Future: Platts-Gregory Procedure The Platts-Gregory procedure points out the difference between the requirements of the market and the achieved performance of the company. The difference or gap between the two can be reduced by formulating and implementing an effective operation strategy. The Platts-Gregory is implemented in three stages which can be illustrated by figure 1. Figure 1 Step One The company’s current market position is defined at this stage by evaluating the opportunities available to it as well as the threats facing it in the industry. Hence, the market demand facts such as the expected product characteristics, quality, flexibility, lead-time and prices must be assessed (Franke, and John, 2010, pp. 19-26). SIA is a market leader in Singapore’s aviation industry. Currently, it offers exemplary services in the industry. However, not all customers are satisfied with the quality of its services and thus the firm must consistently improve the quality of its services. Effective and efficient communication and coordination has enabled the firm to reduce the delivery time . Thus the services are provided at an acceptable speed. Extensive investment in research and development has also enabled the firm to maintain flexibility in its operations. This means that SIA can easily vary its level of production inline with demand dynamics. Even though SIA focuses on providing affordable services, it is not the lowest cost producer in the industry. Low-cost airlines in Singapore are currently the lowest cost producers (Graham, 2009, pp. 306-316). Consequently, SIA is not able to compete with them on the line of low prices. We can conclude that there is a small difference between customers’ needs and the actual performance of SIA. This means that the actual performance of SIA satisfies the customers’ expectations to a great extent. Step Two This stage involves evaluation of the capability of the firm’s operation in terms of its scope, facilities, and capacity. The scope of SIA’s operation enables it to offer a variety of services to its customers. These include in-flight phone and fax services, world class entertainment and efficient connection to a variety of destinations. SIA also boasts of modern and adequate facilities such as new aircrafts, modern airport lounges and aircraft maintenance facilities. These help it to improve its efficiency and level of customer satisfaction (Morrell, 2008, pp. 61-67). The management has been able to expand the capacity of the firm through various expansion programs such as acquisition of additional aircrafts, joint ventures and alliances as well as expansion of airport facilities. Thus they have been able to cope with the increase in demand for their services. Step Three In step three, new strategies are developed to enable the company compete effectively within its industry. The new strategies will thus be discussed in terms of the market demand facts highlighted in step one. Delivery lead-time can be improved by reducing the time required to provide the services. For inst ance, the flight delay and cancelation rates should be reduced to less than 5%. Time limits should be set for delivering in-flight services such as serving drinks (Morrell, 2008, pp. 61-67). For example, such services can be provided within one minute. Reliability relates to the firm’s consistency in offering particular services to customers. SIA can improve its reliability by identifying a particular range of products and provide them at a standard high quality to the customers (Nicolau, 2010, pp. 254-260). This means that the firm should not compromise on the availability and quality of its products. Maintaining high levels of flexibility is important due to the seasonal fluctuations in demand for flights. SIA should thus improve its flight schedules in order to serve its route network effectively. Deployment of capacity to particular routes should be informed by the level of demand (Nicolau, 2010, pp. 254-260). The quality of SIA’s services is currently very high. H owever, continuous innovation and employee training can help in maintaining or improving the quality of the services. Finally, emphasis must be placed on cost efficiency in order to reduce prices. The effectiveness of the new strategy should be evaluated in terms of the roles of order winning and qualifying factors. Order winning factors are those that have direct and significant influence on the firm’s ability sell its products (Dess, 2002, p. 143). They include timely arrivals and departures, safety and affordable prices. Order winning factors must be improved for the business to increase its sales. Qualifying factors are those that are important but have no direct influence on the firm’s ability to sell its products. They include meals and drinks during flights. Qualifying factors must be there so that the firm’s products can be considered by customers. The role of these factors in the products life cycle is illustrated in figure 2. Competitors The firm†™s products should be compared with those of the competitors by considering the following parameters. The order winning factors should offer crucial advantages to customers. Qualifying factors should be comparable to industry standards. The products should be â€Å"consistently and clearly better than the nearest competitor’s products† (Dess, 2002, p. 144). They should also be better than those of most competitors. SIA’s Current Operation Strategy SIA has positioned itself as â€Å"a premium carrier with high levels of innovation and excellent levels of services† (Heracleous and Wirts, 2009, pp. 1-6). Besides, it has given precedence to profitability over size. The key aspects of its operations include continuous human resources development and rigorous product design. SIA’s strategy at the corporate level involves diversification by investing in related businesses. Currently, SAI group has 36 subsidiaries and associated businesses. Some of its s ubsidiaries include â€Å"Tiger Airlines, Singapore Airport and Singapore Engineering Company† (Heracleous and Wirts, 2009, pp. 1-6). SIA is a member of the Star Alliance and has also invested in aviation related businesses in India and China through alliances and joint ventures. The use of modern information technology is an integral part of its strategy. The technology is particularly used to enhance customer services and to improve efficiency. At the business level, SIA focuses on providing premium services through product differentiation. The high quality product/ services are also provided at prices that are comparable to those of low-cost carriers. Thus SIA pursues â€Å"a dual strategy of differentiation and cost leadership† (Harvey, 2010, pp. 287-307). At the functional level, various processes such as marketing are aimed at improving the quality of services and lowering the cost of providing such services. The five pillars of SIA’s current strategy can be described as follows. First, it focuses on rigorous product design and development. At SIA, the process of designing and developing products is viewed as a structured effort (Heracleous and Wirts, 2009, pp. 1-6). It has a product development department that perfects and adequately tests any changes prior to their introduction. The department designs new products, tests them and assess customers’ reactions before such products are introduced. Second, SIA concentrates on total innovation. Its aim is â€Å"to be just a bit better in all its functions and offerings than its competitors† (Heracleous and Wirts, 2009, pp. 1-6). It focuses on constant incremental innovation which is cost-effective but delivers the desired quality. Third, SAI aims at achieving strategic synergies through diversification. The subsidiaries act as training grounds and source of learning for employees. Fourth the firm prefers to remain profitable rather than increasing its size. Finally, it conc entrates on developing employees through appropriate training. The current strategy is comparable to the recommendations discussed above since it promotes maintaining low cost in production and enhancing high service quality through differentiation. The corporate level strategy is also comparable to the recommendations due to the fact that diversification enables the firm to invest in businesses that support its core activity of proving excellent air transportation services (Duvan, 2005, pp. 448-454). Besides, it improves the profitability of the firm thereby creating resources for implementing the overall strategy. Tiger Airways Australia Tiger Airways is jointly owned by Tiger Airways holding ltd, Singapore Airlines and Dahlia Investments ltd. Unlike SIA, Tiger Airways is a budget carrier that competes along the dimensions of low costs. Its business model is based on maintaining simplicity in order to achieve the lowest operating costs. It concentrates on evaluating every aspect o f its operations in order to eliminate non-essential costs. Tiger’s strategic objective is to maximize profits by developing a route network that is characterized by a high passenger load factor and prudent management of capacity (Tiger Airways, 2011). Thus the development of Tiger Airways did not follow the operating strategy of SIA. While Tiger Airways concentrates solely on cost leadership, SIA focuses on both cost leadership and differentiation. Problems Associated with Tiger’s Operation Strategy SIA went wrong in formulating the operation strategy for Tiger Airways. To begin with, SIA over emphasized the need to maintain low production costs in the industry. While the company managed to provide the lowest prices in Australia, it neglected the need to provide high quality services (Forsyth, 2010, pp. 204-255). This can be explained by the complaints raised by customers and the industry regulator about its poor services. In 2010 Tiger had a low on-time departure rat e of only 73.9% as well as a low on-time arrival of 72.8% (Tiger Airways, 2011). In 2011, it received about four warnings from the industry regulator for failing to comply with the security requirements at various ports in Australia. Consequently, its services were suspended in July 2011 by the Civil Aviation Authority. The poor services not only led to high levels of customer dissatisfaction but also led to huge losses. After resuming its operations, the airline had to reduce the size of its fleet and route network due to low demand. The management also failed to correctly judge the level of competition in the industry. When Tiger Airways lowered its prices in order to attract customers, other airlines such as Qantas did the same (McGurk, 2009, pp. 635-652). Since Tiger was not able to sustain the low prices for long, it found itself introducing extra fees for non-essential services. For example, it introduced a fee for check-in luggage and ticketing services at check-in. The overa ll effect was an increase in its prices which was against its cost leadership strategy. There was no focus on staff training and development at Tiger Airlines. Staff development through adequate training and skill improvement programs has been one of the major organizational pillars of SIA (Heracleous and Wirts, 2009, pp. 1-6). Its failure to replicate the same staff development programs at Tiger Airlines can be explained by the mistakes made by the cockpit crews in 2011. Despite the several warnings issued by the Civil Aviation Authority to Tiger Airline, its pilots kept flying their aircrafts very low at the Sydney Airport. Consequently, they risked causing accidents at the airport and losses to the company. Besides, such mistakes led to low customer confidence on the company’s safety standards. Need for a Different Approach SIA should have approached the launch of Tiger Airways differently due to the following reasons. First, the budget carrier business is not well develop ed in the region. Thus customers are not only interested in low prices but are also emotionally attached to various add-in services such as in-flight drinks (Trethway, 2004, pp. 3-14). Second, the customers are very demanding in terms of their expectations on the quality of services. Consequently, SIA should have focused on introducing the high service quality at Tiger Airways. Finally, SIA had the resources and technical capability to initiate innovation at Tiger Airways in order to provide high quality low-cost services. For instance a service department should have been established to design and introduce new products that ensure low operating costs without compromising the quality of services (Trethway, 2004, pp. 3-14). Recommendations SIA’s ability to offer world class services is based on its commitment to product and process innovation through research and development. Its success is attributed to the fact that it has been able to simultaneously pursue cost leadership and differentiation strategies. However, it can consider the following recommendations in order to improve its profitability in future. First, SIA should join new markets through joint ventures and partnerships (Trethway, 2004, pp. 3-14). For instance it can join emerging economies in Asia and Africa which are currently under serviced in order to increase its profits. Second, it should formulate its growth strategies within the strategic foresight framework. This will enable it to identify future customer needs. Hence it will be able to develop new products and identify new markets to satisfy emerging needs. Finally, it should focus on strengthening its core competencies such as excellent customer services in order to maintain its competitiveness. Tiger Airways on the other hand should consider the following recommendations. First, it can adopt cooperative growth strategies such as outsourcing alliances and supplier alliances (Trethway, 2004, pp. 3-14). These strategies will enable it to reduce its operating costs by outsourcing non-core activities. Hence it will be able to charge low prices without compromising quality. Second, it should concentrate on improving the quality of its services in order to attract new customers and retain the existing ones (Trethway, 2004, pp. 3-14). Finally, it should also diversify into related business with the aim of improving its revenues. References Daraban, B. and Fournier, G. 2008. Incumbent Responses to Low-Cost Airline Entry and Exit: A Special Autoregressive Panel Data Analyses. Research in Transport economics, 24(1), pp. 15-24. Dess, G. 2002. Strategic Management. New York: McGraw-Hill. Duvan, D. 2005. Public-Stakeholder Perception of Airline Alliances: the New Zealand Experience. Journal of Airline Transport Management, 11(6), pp. 448-454. Feiler, G. and Goodoritch, T. 2009. Decline and Growth, Privatization in Middle East Airline Industry. Journal of Transport Geography, 2(1), pp. 55-64. Forsyth, P. 2010. Environment and Financial Sustainability of Air Transport: Are they Incompatible? Journal of Air Transport Management, 17(8), pp. 204-255. Franke, M. and John, F. 2010. What Comes Next After Recession? Airline Industry Scenarios and Potential End Games. Journal of Air Transport Management, 17(1), pp. 19-26. Graham, M. 2009. Different Model in Different Space or Liberalization Optimization? Comparative Strategies among Low-Cost Carriers. Journal of Transport Geography, 17(4), pp. 306-316. Harvey, G. 2010. Cleared for Take-Off? Management Labor Partnership in the European Civil Aviation Industry. Journal of Industrial Relations, 10(3), pp. 287-307. Hazeldine, T. 2010. Legacy Carriers Fight Back: Pricing and Product Differentiation in Modern Airline Marketing. Journal of Air Transport Management, 17(1), pp. 40-43. Heracleous, L. and Wirts, J. 2009. Strategy and Organization at Singapore Airlines: Achieving Sustainable Advantage through Dual Strategy. Journal of Air Transport Management, 10(2), pp . 1-6. Johnston, R. 1996. Singapore Airlines. New York: McGraw-Hill. McGurk, J. 2009. Contrasting Management and Employment Relations Strategies in European Airlines. Journal of Industrial Relations, 51(2), pp. 635-652. Morrell, P. 2008. Can Long-Haul Low-Cost Airlines be Successful? Research in Transport economics, 24(1), pp. 61-67. Nicolau, J. 2010. Testing Prospect Theory in Airline Demand. Journal of Air Transport Management, 16(4), pp. 254-260. Tiger Airways, 2011. Investors Relations. [Online] Web. Trethway, M. 2004. Distortions of Airline Revenues: Why the Network Airline Business Model is Broken. Journal of Transport Management, 10(1), pp. 3-14. This critical writing on Singapore Airlines was written and submitted by user Eden Kerr to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Sociey (Athens & US) essays

Democracy/Sociey (Athens & US) essays In this paper, I will discuss a few aspects of ancient Athenian democracy and society, as well as modern American democracy and society. First, I will outline the key points of Athenian and American democracy, then compare and contrast them. Then Ill do the same for Athenian and American Society, concluding with a comparison between the two societies. The political system of ancient Athens was a democracy. It involved all of its citizens and not merely their representatives by giving them daily access to civic affairs and political power. Both decision-making and decision enforcing were the duty of every citizen, and not just of those elected by them or of their leaders. The citizens of Athens were directly involved not only in government matters but also in matters of justice, as there was no separation of powers in ancient Athens. Although not all persons living in Athens had these political rights, no other democracy in human history provided such a level of participation. This political system, quite innovative for its times, shaped a society of a distinct character, of great sensibility and of unusual cultural achievements. Government functions were assigned to two bodies: The Assembly, which focused on policy decision-making, and the Council, which concentrated on policy implementation and administrative matters. The functi on of an executive head did not exist in ancient Athens, for no one citizen ever held so much power. Closest perhaps was the political practice, which conferred on Perikles a personal impact similar to that of a head of government. This did not derive however from his title of general, but rather from the ability to get continuously re-elected, and to influence his fellow citizens on matters of policy and courses of action pertaining to city affairs. The council (or boule) was the closest body in the Athenian democratic system to that of a contemporary government. The council consisted of 500 citizens,...

Characterizing Mrs. Bennet

As far as the Mrs. being a gossip, it is clear that Mr. Bennet has heard his fair share of it from her. When asked if he wants to know who is moving into Netherfield he replies that he knows that she wants to tell him, but that he does not particularly â€Å"want† to hear it. We also see that Mr. Bennet knows his wife is somewhat of a drama queen and he is constantly poking fun at her with his sarcasm, which she never seems to understand as such. Yet another example of Mr. Bennet’s experience with his wife’s personality is his seemingly un-caring behavior towards his daughters getting married. Mrs. Bennet is convinced that Mr. Bingley could be her new son-in-law, Mr. Bennet points out that Bingley is not necessarily there to find a wife. Through all these ways we can see a bit of Mrs. Bennet’s personality through the words of another character in the book. We can get even more information through words not necessarily spoken in the book, but spoken to us through the voice of the narrator. Even the simplest of comments can show a huge personality trait. The simplest way the narrator shows us that Mrs. Bennet loves to gossip and talk is when Mr. Bennet says he has no objection to hearing her story, the narrator points out that â€Å"That was invitation enough,† showing us that Mrs. Bennet is very eager to get her information out. Although we can gather much of Mrs. Bennet’s character through the entirety of the page, the narrator makes sure we have gathered what we need to about her by giving us a summary at the very end of the page. The narrator tells us that â€Å"She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news. † So, once again we gather that she loves â€Å"visiting and news,† or gossip, and that the business of her life is to get her daughters married. Mrs. Bennet is not hard to figure out with Jane Austen’s excellent characterization techniques. With her great narration techniques we have the author there to tell us much of what we need to know. Even better is that much of the time we don’t even need the narrators help, through the speech in the book; whether it be Mrs. Bennet herself, or somebody speaking to her or about her. Through either the character itself, the characters around it, or the author herself, Jane Austen manages to use all three â€Å"characters† excellently to show us the personality of Mrs. Bennet, as well as the rest of her characters. Characterizing Mrs. Bennet As far as the Mrs. being a gossip, it is clear that Mr. Bennet has heard his fair share of it from her. When asked if he wants to know who is moving into Netherfield he replies that he knows that she wants to tell him, but that he does not particularly â€Å"want† to hear it. We also see that Mr. Bennet knows his wife is somewhat of a drama queen and he is constantly poking fun at her with his sarcasm, which she never seems to understand as such. Yet another example of Mr. Bennet’s experience with his wife’s personality is his seemingly un-caring behavior towards his daughters getting married. Mrs. Bennet is convinced that Mr. Bingley could be her new son-in-law, Mr. Bennet points out that Bingley is not necessarily there to find a wife. Through all these ways we can see a bit of Mrs. Bennet’s personality through the words of another character in the book. We can get even more information through words not necessarily spoken in the book, but spoken to us through the voice of the narrator. Even the simplest of comments can show a huge personality trait. The simplest way the narrator shows us that Mrs. Bennet loves to gossip and talk is when Mr. Bennet says he has no objection to hearing her story, the narrator points out that â€Å"That was invitation enough,† showing us that Mrs. Bennet is very eager to get her information out. Although we can gather much of Mrs. Bennet’s character through the entirety of the page, the narrator makes sure we have gathered what we need to about her by giving us a summary at the very end of the page. The narrator tells us that â€Å"She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news. † So, once again we gather that she loves â€Å"visiting and news,† or gossip, and that the business of her life is to get her daughters married. Mrs. Bennet is not hard to figure out with Jane Austen’s excellent characterization techniques. With her great narration techniques we have the author there to tell us much of what we need to know. Even better is that much of the time we don’t even need the narrators help, through the speech in the book; whether it be Mrs. Bennet herself, or somebody speaking to her or about her. Through either the character itself, the characters around it, or the author herself, Jane Austen manages to use all three â€Å"characters† excellently to show us the personality of Mrs. Bennet, as well as the rest of her characters.

Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Supply Chain Management - Essay Example Supply chain management (SCM) system is an integrated system in which different business processes are integrated for different business operations. Different firms like airlines, hospitality, oil and gas, medical, defense and many other logistics firms are deeply interested in the implementation of a robust and automated supply chain management system. SCM involves acquisition of raw materials, the transformation of raw materials into final products. SCM adds value in the business and involves distribution and promotion of final products in the markets. SCM plays a vital role in the exchange of information among business partners like vendors, suppliers, retailers, distributors etc. The main purpose of supply chain management system is to enhance the efficiency and profitability. SCM is also vital in order to gain market leverage or competitive leverage. Supply Chain Management can be defined as â€Å"the integration of key business processes from end-users through original supplie rs that provide products, services, and information and add value for customers and other stakeholders† (Lambert et al., 1998). In supply chain the two important business processes are 1. Inbound logistics 2. Outbound logistics Inbound logistic is also called as material management. The inbound logistics involves the acquisition of raw materials or supplies. ... The different activities of outbound logistics consist of order the product, inventory management and deployment, the storage and handling of the purchased products, transportation, pricing, support in order to promote a product, handling of the returned products and complete life cycle support. The combination of activities of inbound and outbound logistics represents a web or network of the business networks and the relationships among these business networks. During a supply chain management different stakeholders are involved like vendors, distributors, retailers, customers and other third parties associated with SCM. It is very difficult to conceptualize the whole process of Supply Chain Process in a single model because it is very difficult to capture all the real world dimensions or scenarios of SCM in a single model but the process is not so much complicated and surely it has certain solutions. There is not a thorough way to find out the scope of the supply chain problem in a firm except the guidelines which are comprised of competitive strategy, tactical plans and operational routines. There are certain problems issues which are faced during supply chain management process like choosing location, analysis of product demand, distribution process of the finished product, the business partners or strategic alliances, the ways to develop an innovative product, adoption of innovative technologies like IT/IS/E-Commerce, supplier or vendor selection, price planning and restructuring of the business network. The problems or issues encountered in a supply chain management system are generally of two types i.e. strategic and tactical in nature and the problems associated

The reality of arms trade compared to its depiction in popular Essay

The reality of arms trade compared to its depiction in popular Hollywood Movie - Essay Example Arms Trade has impeded the prosperity of this world and its negative effects are just increasing as it has become a nuisance for the well-being of the people.The global arms industry comprises of various governments and individual commercial companies who manufacture and sell weapons and other advanced form of military technology and equipment. This industry has grown in both volume and its reach. Now more and more developing countries are being served by these arms producing entities. A huge sum of cash is being spent on research, development, manufacture and supply of military equipment to the developing world. These defense contractors produce guns, ammunition, military aircraft, missile and other defense related equipment. Experts estimate that nearly 1.5 trillion dollars are wasted on the various military expenditures worldwide. Although the percentage has come down from 4% in 1990 to 2.7% at present, the volume has increased significantly and the sale has been focused more towa rds the economically deprived countries. (Shah, World Military Spending) These countries lack enough funds to provide for the well-being of its people but somehow they manage to spend a substantial amount of their GDP on defense budgets. The movie Lord of War does portray a true picture of the global arms industry existing in the world. Nevertheless, it can be argued that the degree of its reality is different since these things are hidden from the general public. The incidents depicted in this movie clearly highlight how in real life certain factors push one to pursue the worst of jobs. The life story of Yuri portrays him as a person caught up in a situation where he has to deal in arms trade in order to give others a chance to protect themselves. His initial intention is to provide the people with a necessity of life, but later on he turns into an arms dealer who builds contacts and uses his networks to sell arms and ammunition without caring for the lives of others. The way the t rade has been shown, where force and power has been used to get hold of weapons, is a true picture of reality. Arms trade is one of the deadliest causes of chaos in the world. It not only allows military dictators to rule ruthlessly over the population but also gives them the power to continue their suppression and oppression over the suffering population. The deal that is struck between the arms lord and the dealer is usually of millions of dollars and both parties are completely unresponsive to the effects such transactions would have over the future of their nations. The use of such arms is highly questionable; on one end these deals are struck to protect the people from the ruthless rule of their dictators, and on the other it is seen as a source of strengthening the grip of evil doers over the sufferers. For instance, the movie story shows that it was apparent that the deal between the African military ruler and the arms dealer would bring about a massacre of nearby villages an d loss of thousands of lives, but still the deal was carried out. It is likely that the dealer is rarely concerned about the interests of the people who will suffer as a result of these weapon deals. It has been debated also depicted in the movie that after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, thousands of AK-47 and other Russian weaponry flowed into the hands of arms dealers. Since it was lying idle in warehouses and military depots, Russian military generals illegally sold them to arms dealers around the globe in order to make their personal gains. This surely resulted in the availability of one of the best assault rifles of all times and was soon seen in the hands of mobsters and warlords on all continents. It is astonishing to know that around 76% of world’s total expenditure is accounted on defense budgets. This amounts to a humungous $1.22 trillion, out of which 42.8% comes from the United States. (Sipri, Recent trends in military expenditure) This reveals that no matter what

Political Typologies Essay Example for Free

Political Typologies Essay Liberal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The political typology quiz categorized me under the liberal typology group. The liberal typology group belongs support the ideologies of Democrats. It is also the largest group among the nine typology groups. According to the quiz, the liberal group is open to several controversial issues that are the main themes and topics of debates and arguments. These issues include homosexuality, abortion, euthanasia, etc. A most recent controversial social issue involves stem cell research. However, even if the liberal typology group is part of the Democratic Party, it still has distinct values apart from other groups that also belong to the same party. One that is particular to the liberal group is their stand on war. The liberal group is supportive of diplomacy as a means of promoting peace with other countries. Liberalist groups do not believe that war is the answer to conflicts and disagreements. In addition to this, the group does not support anti-terrorist laws, specifically the Patriot Act, that the U.S. government is implementing. Other issues include espousing same sex marriages and advocating the protection and the preservation of the environment. Moreover, the group is also sympathetic to the concerns of immigrants and labor unions. I agree with the results of the quiz because as I was reading the ideologies of the liberal group, I find myself agreeing to them. I do not believe in war, and I do not want to support it. I think wars just cause more wars. Instead of resolving issues, it makes it even more complicated. A lot of innocent lives have been lost just because of simple disagreements that the higher-ups should resolve by talking in peace, compromising, and deciding what is best for the country and other countries as well. I also respect other people in that I believe they have a choice whether to engage in same sex marriages, abortion, support stem cell research, adhere to any religious doctrine or not, etc. I think everyone has the right to decide for themselves and choose whatever it is that they want to do in life, well, as long as they do not do harm to others or the environment. That is a different case. In addition, the issue about labor unions and immigrants is also something that I agree with. There is no competition when it comes to immigrants and employment. They were qualified to work in the country; therefore, there should be no question whether they do harm or good to the economy. Moreover, the rights and concerns of labor unions should be addressed. I think large businesses should pay attention to them and practice humanitarianism in the sense that they should think more of the people who work for them than the money that they earn because of them. Works Cited The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. (2008). â€Å"Liberal.† Retrieved from The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. 28 March 2008. http://typology.people-press.org/typology/results.php.

Before Iran-Contra :: essays research papers

Before Iran-Contra: The Development of Latin American Foreign Policy During the Reagan Administration When the Reagan administration first took office early in 1981, many of its key members wanted to make a move as soon as possible in response to the growing realm of Soviet power in the world. One area that the U.S. felt a lot of pressure from was Latin America. Even before the advent of communism, US influence in Latin America was always a touchy subject. As early as Teddy Roosevelt’s term as president, the US began a course of foreign policy that protected US investments in Latin America. While being decidedly pro-imperialistic in the dealings with these small neighbors, Roosevelt created a â€Å"dollar diplomacy† relationship and resorted to a devious policy of â€Å"preventive intervention† in dealings with Latin America. Not surprisingly, there were not many American supporters in those countries, except, of course, for the American companies exploiting the native populations to maximize profits. But not until the late seventies, with the threat of communist expansion into Central America, did the US again focus their attention on Latin American foreign policy affairs. From the beginning, the Reagan administration displayed concern about Nicaragua becoming another Cuba. Nicaragua showed signs of becoming an armed camp from which trained guerillas would be sent into the neighboring countries to start revolutionary movements, and the US began to think that their only choice was military intervention. But support for military intervention was not very popular in the US among the public and legislature. The first Boland Amendment of 1982 capped the US monetary support for the contra rebels, and in successive years, amendments to the Boland Amendment dropped that number dangerously low. Congress remembered the lessons of the Vietnam War, and wanted to avoid the slow, steady build up to all-out war. Also, many of Reagan’s most trusted advisors were leftovers from the Nixon era. They had watched Vietnam fall shortly after the U.S. withdraw, followed closely by Laos and Cambodia, and the situation in Nicaragua seemed eerily familiar. Cringing at the memory of leaving millions of South Vietnamese American supporters to suffer a dismal fate at the hands of the NVA and People’s Republic of Vietnam, the Reagan Administration was careful not to get so involved in the situation that they could not wash their hands of it if necessary. Therefore, the US’s plan for challenging communism in Latin America changed.