South Africas Black Consciousness Movement

Business Intelligence in Retail Sector

Question: The motivation behind this evaluation is to empower understudies to show a basic consciousness of past research in an IT setting inside a picked point region through a fundamental comprehension of research hypothesis and strategies. It requires away from of thoughts in an expert way with the goal that the peruser can without much of a stretch comprehend the reason and consequences of your exploration. By and large objectives of this task are to push you to: 1. Become increasingly proficient about finding and utilizing changed research sources in your picked zone in IT. 2. Further build up your basic reasoning aptitudes and back up your focuses with proof. 3. Become progressively adroit at orchestrating data and creating educated perspectives. 4. Teach yourself to follow an academic research organization to record in-content sources and a references page (book index). 5. Form an efficient, clear, compact, inquire about paper to grow your insight on an exploration question in your picked territory. Answer: Presentation Since late occasions, there has been an expansion in the requirement for having and keeping up productivity in the administration of retail chains on customary premise. There has additionally been a development in the weight being forced by effectiveness of cost in the field of retail that has expanded the requirement for utilizing various methodologies, instruments and strategies for fulfilling these particular needs. One huge open door recognized in this setting is the usage of a profoundly advanced examination of systematic business insight (Bresnahan, 1998). Business insight is an amazingly expansive term all the more frequently utilized for forms, devices, applications and advancements for social occasion, putting away, getting to and examining information for having the option to settle on better and improved choices. Business Intelligence is alluded to as the procedure to accumulate adequate measure of proper data in a suitable way inside a fitting casing of time, and to convey the results to the separate individuals for the motivations behind creation choice. These choices ought to be made in a way with the end goal that there is nonstop yielding of the genuine advantages in business, or impacting the systems, tasks and strategies of the business in the particular undertaking (Bruque, 2007). Business insight has been distinguished as a notable class of programming that gives various advantages by its capacities and functionalities. The frameworks of business insight are considered just like a stride in front of the frameworks liable for the administration of information. Despite the fact that there might be variety specifically definitions being given from one client to the next, more frequently it is concurs by individuals that business knowledge has an ordinary implying that gives it a superior definition. According to this run of the mill definition, business insight is alluded to as the test to furnish the clients of business with significant and reasonable data from the information wellsprings of the organization for aiding and supporting those clients settle on improved and profoundly educated choices in the business association (Johansson and Sudzina, 2009). The utilizations of business knowledge include exercises identified with web based handling of examination, frameworks for supporting choices, warehousing of information and mining of information. As this framework and its application has been demonstrating tremendous predominance in various ventures, this examination will direct an exploration on the inclusion of business insight in the part of retail. For the finishing of this examination, a survey of writing will be introduced. The approach of this exploration will be contextual investigation examination as it will help in giving a superior knowledge with respect to the idea and its suggestions in the business of retail. Issue Statement The board of data is a very significant piece of every single business, yet lion's share of the business have been confronting various needs in correlation with the others. Association in the business of retail, especially, present profoundly convoluted difficulties and issues to the one giving the applications to the product of business knowledge. In this exploration, spotlight will be made on the requirement for having business insight in the segment of retail and what difficulties and issues are looked in effectively embracing these frameworks and procedures of business knowledge. Research Questions The fundamental inquiry of this examination is: What are the key points of interest of Business Intelligence in the Retail Industry? The examination will likewise be concentrating on some sub-questions that are as per the following: Is there a critical requirement for business insight in the business of retail? How well are the associations in retail industry mindful about the ramifications of business knowledge? What elements of progress are associated with the activity of business knowledge? What future is held by Business Intelligence in the retail business? Reason for the Research In the present period of globalization, where various changes continue occurring, there has been an expansion deprived for having successful and reasonable data of business. This data has been considered amazingly basic for the organizations, in setting with their endurance, however their prosperity too. The instruments of business knowledge are used for helping the association in the administration and purging of data required and for settling on fitting choices in the business. Writing Review In the underlying and essential setting, business insight had been set up as a framework for unraveling errands of examination, by and large considered as a noteworthy method to settle on improved and better choice, costs being decreased and empowering an improvement in the nature of execution and procedures (Britton, 2006). These choices ought to be made in a way with the end goal that there is nonstop yielding of the genuine advantages in business, or impacting the techniques, activities and strategies of the business in the individual endeavor. Notwithstanding, there are various definitions accommodated business knowledge. Meanings of Business Intelligence Business Intelligence is alluded to as the procedure to accumulate adequate measure of fitting data in a suitable way inside a proper casing of time, and to convey the results to the individual individuals for the motivations behind creation choice. For the absolute first time, the term business knowledge had been utilized by Hans Peter Luhn, an analyst in IBM. As per his definition, business insight is alluded to as the capacity of securing the interrelationships and interconnections of the realities being introduced in such a way, that it helped in giving direction in the moves being made for accomplishing the alluring objectives and targets (Beal, 2014). In any case, this term had been promoted in a critical way by Howard Dresner, an examiner of Gartner Group. As indicated by his definition, business knowledge is alluded to as the arrangement of strategies and ideas for the improvement of dynamic at business associations by using frameworks of help dependent on true portrayal (Gartner official statement, 2009). The idea introduced by this definition contributes in featuring the pertinence of breaking down information, apparatuses of inquiry and various reports that are significant wellsprings of information. These sources help them for incorporating helpful just as significant data. What Does Business Intelligence Do? According to the run of the mill definition, business knowledge is alluded to as the test to furnish the clients of business with significant and reasonable data from the information wellsprings of the organization for aiding and helping those clients settle on improved and profoundly educated choices in the business association. Business insight helps in settling on choices dependent on activities and methodologies. The vital usage of business knowledge can be set in a particular request expressed underneath (Bruque, 2007): The executives of corporate execution Streamlining of relations with the clients, checking exercises of the business, and observing the convention framework for supporting choices Utilization of bundled independent for specific techniques or activities Dealing with the reports being introduced for business knowledge The main ramifications for setting this request is that exclusively making reports of the presentation of an association and the related contenders isn't adequate and enough, regardless of whether it is the quality of various existing bundles of programming. The second ramifications for setting this request is that countless association, especially from the area of retail, have still been seeing and considering business knowledge as a product giving capacity of internal looking (Chuah, 2011). Business insight has been distinguished as the common development of various prior frameworks set up for supporting the procedure of dynamic. With a development in the distribution center of information as a store, there have been various progressions in the purging of information that bring about a solitary truth in regards to the gigantic capacities of programming and equipment. The blast in the advances of web have contributed in giving the predominant interface to client, all in mix for the making of a more extravagant condition with business insight, in examination with what was accessible in the past setting. Business knowledge helps in pulling data from various frameworks (Doherty, 2010). The figure underneath helps in portraying the diverse data frameworks that are used by business knowledge in extraction of information. In the figure underneath, OLAP represents online information process, DSS represents Decision Support Systems, CRM represents Customer Relationship Management, and GIS represents Geographic Information Systems. The Retail Sector: The Search for New Product

8 True Horror Stories You Cant Not Know

8 True Horror Stories You Cant Not Know I cant shut my mouth about a good, scary, true story. Seriously, Im pretty sure thats why my friends take me as their plus-one to holiday parties: you want to stop making small talk with your bosss fourth wife? Let me tell her this thing I just heard about the family annihilator who inspired the Amityville Horror while you refill my bourbon. Youre welcome. Theres just something about the storys truthiness that adds a level of horror that we just cant in good conscience ignore. So for those of us who are not faint of heart, or if you need something to end unwanted conversations, heres my list of the eight best true horror stories and  why  theyre scary. “Torch Song” by Charles Bowden Charles Bowden (both the essay’s author and speaker) is a journalist who takes the ledes that no one else wants. The stories of child murders, rapes, and other crimes alongside which the newspaper won’t run advertisements because no one wants their products to be associated with those crimes. After one such story, he says, “fifty subscribers cancel within an hour.” The essay shows how reporting those crimes had him enter the criminal world as a spectator and inadvertently became a part of it. He says: I wonder if there is a monster lurking in all of us. I never cease, I realize, scanning faces when I prowl the city, and what I wonder is, Are you the one? I look over at the other cars when I am at a stoplight. This becomes an unconscious habit. Sometimes I think I have adopted the consciousness of a woman. Now I think like prey. SCARY BECAUSE: This essay shows how even the most self-assured human’s empathy can make him impressionable. And that’s scary because it’s infectious. Bastard Out of Carolina  by  Dorothy Allison Although marketed as fiction, Dorothy Allisons book  Bastard Out of Carolina definitely  falls into the category of real horror stories. Our protagonist (Bone) lives in rural South Carolina with an extended family who is, she says, the bad poor. Ultimately, this narrative is about a child who experiences emotional, physical, and sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather, and her mother knows about it. As does the rest of her family. Bone says of her life: Growing up was like falling into a hole. The boys would quit school and sooner or later go to jail for something silly. I might not quit school, not while Mama had any say in the matter, but what difference would that make? What was I going to do in five years? Work in the textile mill? Join Mama at the diner? It all looked bleak to me. No wonder people got crazy as they grew up.   SCARY BECAUSE: The hopelessness of Bone and her family is so complete that they take it in stride with laughter at the absurd. Even when the worst thing possible happensâ€"and it definitely, definitely doesâ€"the family strategizes to move past it in the only ineffective ways they know. This story has a child protagonist and narrator, but  it’s one of several true horror stories for adults only. whoever fights monsters: my 20 years tracking serial killers for the fbi  by  Robert Ressler AND TOM SHACTMAN Whoever Fights Monsters is a clinical sort of memoir by one of the FBIs first to change criminal profiling into an actual science (rather than just racist and classist profiling, which it was until the late 1970s). I listened to this one on audiobook, and whenever I get a good audiobook, I clean my house so I dont have to turn it off. This one had me standing at the sink with a dripping mop in my hand listening to the vampire killer of Sacramentos story from the perspective of one of the men who helped find him. Note: Robert Ressler was Thomas Moores FBI consultant while he was writing  Silence of the Lambs.  This guy is amazing. Another note: The title comes from a section of Freidrich Nietschzes  Beyond Good and Evil:   Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. SCARY BECAUSE: This story happened  as  the world was figuring out how the minds of serial killers work. Im the person screaming at the TV, Hes right behind you! during every horror movie, and in listening to this book, you know what will happen  because  of this guys research. Its the opposite of false suspense. I really cannot oversell this one as one of the best true horror stories Ive ever heard. (Honestly, the reason I ever go to cocktail parties as a plus one is on the very slim, one-in-a-billion chance of running into THIS GUY.) In Cold Blood: a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences  by  Truman Capote In Cold Blood might be among the first that comes to mind at the idea of real horror stories, but it’s our culture’s prototype for a reason: it is the best. Truman Capote has a close to eidetic memory, and even though he arrived on the scene after the mass murder of the Clutter family, his reconstruction of the events is powerful, horrific in its detail. (So horrific than when he read it aloud people actually fainted.) Not to mention that he falls so deeply in love with one of the killers that he convinces most of his readers of his innocence. Even the title implies senseless murder, and not just of the Clutters, but the murderers as well. Capote writes: He remembered his first meeting with Perry in the interrogation room at Police Headquarters in Las Vegasâ€"the dwarfish boy-man seated in the metal chair, his small booted feet not quite brushing the floor. And when Dewey now opened his eyes, that is what he saw: the same childish feet, tilted, dangling. SCARY BECAUSE: Capote convinces his readers of a mass murderer’s innocence. That’s the power of storytelling, even of true horror stories, which is another dangerous and scary thing. My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark This is a true crime podcast told by two dope comediennes. They claim to know nothing about anything, but this is the podcast that made me feel normal about wanting to know everything about true crime. (And its part of the inspiration behind  co-founding this scary-movie podcast!) Karen and Georgia say: Tell me all that shit so I can avoid it. EXACTLY. I recommend the episode about Ronald DeFeo, or the true story behind the Amityville Horror films and books, but theyre all worth listening to. SCARY BECAUSE: This is the least-scary of the options here, not because the subjects are terrifying (they are!), but because it’s told in a comedic setting. setTimeout(function() { if (typeof(__gaTracker) !== 'undefined') { __gaTracker('send', 'event', 'InlineRandomContent Impression', 'InlineRandomContent', 'Daily Deals Giveaway Inline RC Feb 20'); } }, 3000); the Stranger Beside Me  by  Ann Rule The Stranger Beside Me  is another classic: Ann Rule, who was a professional crime writer, worked at a suicide hotline with Ted Bundy. Many years later, she was assigned to write about the case of the serial killer who lured pretty, slender, dark-haired women who parted their hair in the middle into his car and then raped and murdered them. Then she realized that murderer was her old friend, Ted. Talk about real horror stories! I mean, shit! Actual reader experience: Ted Bundy was imprisoned for these murders, and when I checked, I was only halfway through the book. It’s a saga. An impressive and horrible saga. SCARY BECAUSE: Ann Rule tells this story from the perspective of a close friend of one of the most prolific serial killers ever. She tries to honor their friendship because everyone else has abandoned him. That’s how charming Ted Bundy was. The Stoning of Soraya M. by  Freidoune Sahebjam The Stoning of Soraya M.  is based upon the book of the same title by French-Iranian journalist and war correspondent Freidoune Sahebjam. In the film, while stranded in a remote Iranian village, a woman tells a journalist of the death of her niece: Soraya was married to a man who wanted to divorce her and marry a 14-year-old girl. The man stopped at nothing to make his fantasy a reality, including blackmail, slander, and manipulation of antiquated adultery laws that ultimately result in a modern-day stoning. SCARY BECAUSE: Stoning. Biblical stoning. As in, stoning adulteresses, Old Testament style. AND. Even if you do everything right, your culture could turn against you just because its easier, more convenient. AND. Although the credibility of the film’s script is under some debate, the book is true enough to have been banned in Iran. Thats the end of my list, not because there arent more, awesome, true horror stories for adults who need to know all that shit so they can avoid it, but because, honestly, Im cutting you off. Like a good bartender. Like a lifeguard. Dont go over the edge. Take frequent breaks. Dont read/watch/listen to these before bed. Make sure you process with a friend. But also…dont stop reading them! Weve got even more horror for you here. Besides, what would you talk about at your next cocktail party? Its like Cormac McCarthy says in his, like, one interview ever, If it doesnt concern life and death…its not interesting. Sign up for True Story to receive nonfiction news, new releases, and must-read forthcoming titles. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.

Technology And Civil Practices Of The Middle Eastern...

War is defined by the Webster dictionary as â€Å"a state of usually open and declared armed hostile conflict between states or nations†, this definition does not apply to the current war in Afghanistan. This war has been one of the most controversial wars in United States history,with one of the biggest issues being how Afghanistan is being effected since it is not a part of the war as much as a platform where it is taking place. For all the confusion, destruction, and loss during a war there is a bright side in the unification and advancement of both technology and civil practices. This war has been no different in the fact that technology has advanced exponentially, and the world has begun to truly understand the customs and practices of the Middle Eastern States. The improvement of technology has allowed the building of better agricultural equipment, which has in turn given rise to better agricultural practices. Another thing that has changed both with a change in personne l and a change in policies is the government of Afghanistan. The main driving force for the change being seen is by the young people of Afghanistan who want the culture to evolve in a more global manor. When all of these changes are looked at as a whole instead of individually there is a clear trends that shows the growing economy of Afghanistan increasing at the highest rate in 100 years. This paper will explore all of the issues and outcomes stated above using Hofstede’s Five Dimensions of culture andShow MoreRelatedThe Middle East1661 Words   |  7 Pages18th centuries in the Middle East were periods marked by severe financial crisis, increased decentralization, and stronger external control by western nations. It was clear that members of Ottoman and Persian military and bureaucratic organizations needed to prove themselves worthy in comparison to the European nations in order to shift the global balance of power back towards the East. As a result, drastic political, ec onomic, and social reforms were implemented in the Middle East throughout the 19thRead MoreWestern Civilization: A Very Brief Overview from the Romans to the Counter-Reformation1111 Words   |  5 PagesRome’s greatest achievements was to go beyond the limited political process that of the city-states and to develop a world-state with the different nations of the Mediterranean. In the eight century, B.C., peasant communities, along with Etruscan cities south to the Greek cities were absorbed by the Romans. Throughout this century, Roman acquired architectural styles and skills in road construction, sanitation, hydraulic engineering to include underground conduits. By the sixth century, Rome evolvedRead MoreThe Persistence of Imperialism Essay1315 Words   |  6 Pagesof western Europe and the United States, from the communist â€Å"Second World†, which was primarily made up by the Soviet Union. This separation unintentionally formed yet another hierarchy, and further perpetuated imperialistic notions. While the Soviets attempted to continue political imperialism in surrounding states to form a political and economic buffer from democratic nations, which due to globalization, or the mass integration of cultural and economic practices, would have been necessary to accomplishRead MoreEssay on Israel and The Palestinians1427 Words   |  6 Pages In the Middle East region, there is a single country that stands out from the rest, a beacon of light on the very edge of civilization; that country is Israel. A country surrounded on all sides by its sworn enemies, determined to bring about its downfall. These resilient people have not only su rvived this tumultuous area but have prospered, and in this short essay paper, we will examine the reasons why this is by primarily examining their culture. We are going to do this by taking a close lookRead MoreThe Issue Of Refugees Of The United States809 Words   |  4 Pagesregarding the recent attacks in Paris, France: 129 people were killed by Middle Eastern extremists, and 433 others were rushed to the hospital, critically injured. The refugees residing in France come from countries in states of civil war, turmoil and great danger. Similar situations occur in the United States, the issue of refugees is extremely controversial. 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These â€Å"Hippies† as they were known, didn’t want to fit in with the mainstream crowd. The name â€Å"hippie† was taken from the term â€Å"hipster†. It described how the Hippies believed that we should make love, not war, their vocal opposition to the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War, and t he increasingly rocky road to shared civil rights among all Americans ledRead MoreThe Immigration Problem Of Immigration1735 Words   |  7 PagesSince the 1970’s, the distinction between criminal law and immigration law has become increasingly blurred. In many jurisdictions around the world, undocumented immigration was long considered a civil offence in which violation resulted in fines and deportation. Now, however, illegal crossings are often treated as criminal violations carrying overly punitive consequences such as incarceration in harsh detention centers. The ever-evolving assortment of laws and enforcement measures concerning immigrationRead MoreMuhammad Ali of Egypt or Mehmet Ali in Albanian838 Words   |  3 Pagesto seize power in France. It is important to note the presence of the Mamluks in Egypt. The Mamluks were people descended from slaves that seized control of Muslim states from 1250 to 1517, ruling mostly Egypt and Syria. The population still persisted afterwards, but in the beginning of the nineteenth century there was much civil unrest in Egypt with the English and French supporting either the Turkish or Circassian Mamluks. In 1805, Muhammad Ali became Pasha of Jeddah but with intense MamluksRead MoreThe Problem Of Single Sex School Essay963 Words   |  4 Pagessingle-sex school where the students are separated into boys and girls classes or schools (Cambridge). The single-sex school was common through the nineteenth century, especially during the secondary school level. Also, it practices in many countries such as Belgium, the Middle Eastern Countries, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom. Many people arguing about whether male and female should be educated separately or not. Single sex school should be forbidden because it promotes sexism, breaks

The Great War And Its Effects On World War I - 1341 Words

All people are drawn to why events occur, particularly the adversities of life. Corinthians 13:12 says, â€Å"Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.†(Holy Bible, NIV) Fortunately, even when tragedy strikes, God s sole interest is the good of his children. Therefore, we can find comfort in the chain of circumstances God has organized not only for our lives but also for the world. God deliberately envisioned each aspect of The Great War and its effects. World War I was caused by Alliances, which led to a hunger for peace and the demise of the â€Å"lost generation† due to PTSD. One primary cause of World War I was the opposing Alliances, The Central Powers and The Allies. Animosity between the nations of France and Germany began because Germany had seized land th at was previously owned by France. Germany recognized that France was ready to seek revenge. Therefore, on October of 1879, Germany and Austria-Hungary united to form a Dual Alliance declaring, â€Å"Should one of the High Contracting Parties be attacked by another Power, the other High Contracting Party binds itself hereby, not only not to support the aggressor against its high Ally, but to observe at least a benevolent neutral attitude towards its fellow Contracting Party.† (www.firstworldwar.com) Bismarck, theShow MoreRelatedThe Global Effects of Imperialism, World War I and the Great Depression1424 Words   |  6 PagesThe Global Effects of Imperialism, World War I and the Great Depression Bentley first talked about cross-cultural interactions as a way to categorize the World’s history. 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It was a chain of events that had started this was which consist of key features such as imperialism, alliances, growth of militarism, crisis, and nationalism. It was the result of these accumulating factors that had eventually evoked war. The effects on World War One includedRead MoreThe Guns Of August And All Quiet On The Western Front1633 Words   |  7 PagesFirst World War took the world by storm; no person could have imagined the horrors and detriments the â€Å"Great War† would cause. Over a span of four years, millions of soldiers and civilians died. Children lost their parents, and wives, their husbands. So unprecedented was this type of vicious warfare that the countries involved were unprepared for one of the worst wars in history. Two books, The Guns of August an d All Quiet on the Western Front address and highlight major themes of World War I. The

Costco Case Study Free Essays

Christopher Gildea Ð ¡ostco Case Study Seminar: Â  Business Policy and Strategy Professor Gregory P. Grogan Abstract ?Costco, a discount warehouse based in Issaquah, Washington, specializes in selling quality products at low prices. The company operates as a membership retailer, focusing its business on small and consumers with incomes averaging $75,000 with over 30 percent having incomes of $100,000 or more annually. We will write a custom essay sample on Costco Case Study or any similar topic only for you Order Now The wholesale club segment of retailing in 2008 was estimated to be a $120 billion business in the United States, and it was growing about 20 percent faster than retailing as a whole (Thompson, 2010). The three main competitors were Costco Wholesale, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s Wholesale. Costco has a majority of the warehouse club sales across the United States and Canada and is looking to keep its edge. ?The pricing strategy that Costco has implemented, focuses on the price-sensitivity of its consumers. The company has excelled in keeping its prices low by capping the markup on its merchandise. By keeping the markup lower than its competitors, Costco has provided its customers with deep discounts on over 4000 products within its stores. Sam’s Club, which offers the same number of products within its stores, earns half the income that Costco does at each store. Costco sales are even higher per store than BJ’s, which offers 7,300 items compared to 4,000 items at Costco and Sam’s Club. Costco has been very efficient at utilizing its floor space and generating high revenues from it products within its stores. ?Costco is trying to generate huge sales volume and quick inventory turnover by applying a business model that offers limited selections of nationally branded product in wide range of merchandise categories. Costco apply number of operating excellence such as efficient way of managing inventory and just in time inventory, efficient distribution, minimum merchandise handling, and volume purchasing to reduce the price of its product. One of the major benefits of high sales volume and rapid inventory turnover is that they can sell their inventory and receive cash that can be used to pay its vendors and take the advantage of early-payment discounts. ?Even with the low price strategy, Costco employee salaries and benefits are by far higher than its competitors. This compensation has motivated it employees and retain good workers in turn, Costco gets lower turnover and higher productivity. Combined with a smart business strategy that sells a mix of higher-margin products to more affluent customers, Costco actually keeps its labor cost lower that its competitors as a percentage of sales (Ampel, 2004). They are also retaining more employees than any of their peers. ?Costco has strong ethics within its company, developing a motivating workplace for its employees to flourish within the company. They prefer to develop their employees within the company. When doing this, they have turned down outsiders who may be able to bring in new innovations that can propel the company further ahead of its competitors. New recruits and experienced businesspeople have been overlooked. As the world becomes more globalized, the company needs to look at intelligent outsiders who can have a significant impact on the company. The strategy they have in place deters the company from accepting outside viewpoints, which could bring greater profits. ?One of the major strategic drawbacks of Costco is that they only carry a selection of 4,000 types of merchandise. This is less than most of their competitors, and may cause major problems in the future because most customers want choices. Costco has ignored many of its customers’ requests to stock certain goods in order to only sell products that will sell quickly. Though there method has been very successful, the company should increase it products that they sell in its stores. This increase could be between 1000 to 1500 products with the store brand Kirkland involved. ?Costco has some other operational level problems that in some extent hinder the overall companywide effectiveness and goals achievement. For example, they don’t accept all kinds of credit card from the customers (only American Express); though it is done to minimize the cost of overall operation. Their competitors are capitalizing on use all major card cards. Since November 10, 2006, Sam’s Club began accepting payment via MasterCard credit cards. The results with MasterCard were favorable; company officials reported that in the week following the MasterCard acceptance, the average ticker checkout at Sam’s Club was up 35 percent (Thompson, 2010). To allow their customers the use of different payment options will ultimately bring ore sales. Conclusion ?It is never acceptable to simply do business the way it has always been done because the market changes, the industry evolves, and numerous other external factors make it absolutely necessary for a business to evolve to retain or gain market share. This is particularly important in the industry Costco is in. The company needs to focus on it customer n eeds, its future hiring/company growth, and opening up to different payments. With an improved strategy in place, Costco can continue to service its customers, while satisfying the needs of its shareholders. ? Reference: Ampel, F. J. (2004, Embracing costco-ization — unlike most big-box retailers, costco’s success is based on its high-quality service and superior product mix. Residential Systems, 5, 28-28. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/200686953? accountid=9997 BJ’s Wholesalers homepage, accessed at http://bjs. com on April 8, 2013 Costco homepage, accessed at http://costco. com on April 8, 2013 Sam’s Club homepage, accessed at http://samsclub. com on April 8, 2013 Thompson, A. A. , Strickland, A. J. , Gamble, J. E. (2010). Crafting and Executing Strategy. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. 17th ed. How to cite Costco Case Study, Free Case study samples

Strategic Analysis and Evaluation of Ryan Air Essay Example

Strategic Analysis and Evaluation of Ryan Air Essay Comprehensive strategic analysis and evaluation of this business enterprise which answers the following questions 1. In-depth environmental analysis of the European Airline industry and discuss the implications for the budget sector and especially for Ryanair. 2. An integrated understanding of the functioning of a company – its human and technical operations, leadership, customer relationships and financial structure. 3. Implications of the internal functioning to create viable strategic positioning and discuss any changes to Ryanair’s approach to ensure an improved sustainability 4. Evaluate the strategic leadership style of Michael O’Leary Chloe Butler BUT02048210 BSc Multimedia Technology Business Development V Assignment 2 John Denholm Table of Contents i. Title Page ii. Table of Contents I. Introduction II. Current strategic position II. 1 II. 2 II. 3 III. Functioning III. 1 III. 2 III. 3 III. 4 III. 5 III. 6 SWOT Analysis Human and Technical Operations Customer Relationships Financial Structure Leadership Implications on strategic positioning Market Segmentation Prescriptive, Emergent or something unique Competitive Advantages IV. Environmental analysis V. Recommendations V. 1 VI. Conclusion VII. References VIII. Bibliography IX. Appendices IX. 1 IX. 2 Appendix A – PEST Analysis, Haberberg and Rieple (2001) Appendix B – Selected responses to survey on no-frills airlines – Changes to ensure sustainability Haberberg and Rieple (2001) IX. 3 Appendix C – Excerpt concerning Ryanair’s dispute with the EU Commission IX. 4 Appendix D – Financial Information I. Introduction Ryanair is an Irish airline competing in the fairly recent development of the European budget airline industry. We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Analysis and Evaluation of Ryan Air specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Analysis and Evaluation of Ryan Air specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Strategic Analysis and Evaluation of Ryan Air specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer They are one of the key players within the market, and perhaps the most profitable. This report undertakes a detailed study of Ryanair. It looks at Ryanair’s current strategy and the management of that strategy. It identifies how the business’ operations and functions impacts on the carrier’s customer relations and leaderships with regard to their overall strategy. It also gives a brief evaluation of Ryanair’s financial structure as well as an environmental analysis of the European airline industry and how this affects Ryanair. The report is mainly a case study analysis based on Eleanor O’Higgins’ review of Ryanair conducted in 2004. However, other secondary research has been analysed and used to support the arguments put forward in this document. II. Current strategic position To evaluate any organisations strategic position certain factors have to be assessed. These include those below and also the environmental analysis which follows later in the report. II. 1 Market Segmentation Ryanair lay claim to their market segment by stating they were ‘Europe’s first no frills airline’, www. yanair. com. Ryanair have made strategic decisions based on increasing their competitive edge, the main one becoming involved in attracting customers at both ends of their routes. Haberberg and Rieple (2001), support this by showing that Ryanair’s key source of revenue from as far back as a decade ago has been in enticing passengers from France, Italy and Scandinavia. This has had the a dvantage of increasing their market share as well as the added bonus of creating a well recognised brand name across Europe. II. 2 Prescriptive, Emergent or something unique? ‘A prescriptive corporate strategy is one where the objective has been defined in advance and the main elements have been developed before the strategy commences†¦. an emergent corporate strategy is one whose final objective is unclear and whose elements are developed during the course of its life, as the strategy proceeds’. Lynch (2000) As is shown above by Lynch (2000) the two recognised trategy models are extremely different, however these are the two dominant strategy approaches as stated by Dennis Foster in his lecture on Managing Strategic Change (2006). It is safe to recognise straight away that Ryanair does not sit uniformly with either strategy. However certain aspects or functions could certainly adhere to one or the other as these are sections that make up the carrier as a whole and for an organisation of Ryanair’s size different parts would have different aims and objectives underneath a main umbre lla strategy for the organisation. For example any planning undertaken by Ryanair for new routes or planes would follow the prescriptive model as the objective would have been defined beforehand and elements such as finance will have had to have been agreed before any purchasing goes ahead. On the other hand emergent strategies may be in place for things like training and development where elements can be discovered along the way for example if an issue arose where staff needed more health and safety training then the training programme could be redirected. Ryanair, as already stated, follows neither strategic approach religiously and possesses a strategy unique to their organisation, which has identified their needs and objectives. However their approach to strategic management isn’t unique in itself as the majority of organisations will tailor strategies to suit their business’ own individuality. II. 3 Competitive Advantages Their main competitors are carriers including easyJet, BMI baby, FlyBe and ThomsonFly all of who try to attract potential customers by emphasising their low cost tickets. This makes the competition in this market segment fierce as in order to offer the lowest fares, costs must also be kept to a minimum. The well discussed fact that Ryanair possesses a more than favourable relationship with airport operators has benefited the carrier in a time of industry growth and aggressive pricing. The carrier continues to pay little or no costs despite being the focus of the EU Commission in February 2004, ‘which ruled that Ryanair had been receiving illegal state subsidies for its base airport at publicly-owned Charleroi Airport’, O’Higgins (2004), see Appendix C for full details of the controversial dispute. Ryanair and the airport in question defended themselves by declaring they paid a fee for every customer and therefore complied with the EU state aid rules. O’Higgins (2004) claims that Michael O’Leary’s main argument was that the ‘state aid rules allow the Wallonian government to stimulate traffic at an unused airport facility in exactly the same way that every private airport reduces its charges it if wishes to grow its business’. However, although these decisions by the EU Commission went against Ryanair, it also made them even more of a household name across the EU. The free publicity was an added bonus, as well as the position Ryanair took, of being almost a saviour of the lesser known airports, bringing them trade and tourism and then being persecuted for it. III. Functioning A business’ functions and internal resources can be considered extremely important to an organisation. When running smoothly they ensure business operations are kept on an even keel. If any aspect is disrupted or an issue arises then the whole value chain can come apart. This section firstly provides a SWOT analysis of the company, giving a brief overview of the company then looks at some of Ryanair’s most important functions or business areas and how they might influence or affect strategic decisions III. 1 SWOT Analysis Factor Strengths Ways which factor applies to RyanAir Marketing – strong branding and reputation, aggressive price strategy. Low costing due to airport operator deals. Reputation as biggest budget airline. Lots of publicity due to O’Leary and controversial issues. Cash tied up in purchase of new planes. Entire company based on European low cost airline market. Shock profit warnings may have used cash reserves and weakened fiscal structure Refusal to back down over issues such as EU Commission Possible new routes, New planes = larger capacity. Advertising space on website and planes, more revenue Competitors – BMI baby, Easyjet, ThomsonFly. Economic recession would mean less disposable income. EU Commission could put restrictions on company if do not adhere to state aid rules Weaknesses Opportunities Threats III. Human and Technical Operations Human resources can be considered one of the most important functions of a business. The vast majority of organisations all employ staff and Ryanair is no exception especially due to their size. When the carrier was established over twenty years ago they only had fifty one members of staff on their payroll. Their staff total for last year was 2,288, www. ryanair. com. With this amount of staff they have to ensure that, in order to have operations like call centres and cabin crews running smoothly, they keep their staff happy and motivated. They do this by offering incentives and a share option scheme which allows employees to participate in the success of the company overall. Ryanair’s technical operations should mainly revolve around their aircraft as this is the core of their business. In February of last year they announced an order placed with Boeng for 70 firm aircraft as well as 70 options, www. ryanair. com. This means that between now and 2012 Ryanair will have 225 firm aircraft and options for another 220, allowing them to grow to over 70 million passengers per year. Due to this excellent deal negotiated by the carrier their growing amount of aircraft will not add huge amounts to depreciation costs as they will be depreciated over 23 years. Ryanair has always owned instead of leasing its aircraft but they plan to have a third of their fleet leased in the long term. O’Higgins (2004) argues that ‘owning rather than leasing allows maintenance costs to be capitalised on the balance sheet rather than be reflected in the variable costs’. Technical operations have to run smoothly for obvious reasons, if a plane scheduled to make a flight for technical problems, for example, then this will impact n all of Ryanair’s operations and functions and also cause disharmony amongst their passengers, possibly costing them future ticket sales. III. 3 Customer Relationships In 1999 Mintel published a report on passengers’ attitude to no frills airlines. Haberberg and Rieple (2001) have summarised this in the table found in Appendix B. This shows that passengers are willing to dispense with the usual levels of airline service and considering it has been seven years since the mentioned Mintel report, the industry has shown it is viable, has staying power and it can be said, has enjoyed a boom period due to it’s growth. Ryanair constantly offers its passengers the lowest fares in Europe, www. ryanair. com, but has developed its current no frills policy in order to keep costs to a minimum and therefore be in a position to provide cheap seats. However sometimes their no frills policy does backfire. Recently customers have claimed that the destinations offered by Ryanair are misleading as they fly to the regional airports near to the destination city advertised which can sometimes be miles away. O’Higgins (2004) reports that in ‘December 2003, the Advertising Standards Authority rebuked Ryanair and upheld a misleading advertising complaint against Ryanair for attaching ‘Lyon’ to its advertisements for offers on flights to St Etienne’. Ryanair maintains that their advertising is not misleading as Lyon is printed underneath St Etienne, however this still caused one passenger to turn up at Lyon airport only to find that her Ryanair flight left from St Etienne some 75 kilometres away. Ryanair choose to fly to the regional airports rather than the larger national airports due to the favourable cost terms they receive although they argue it is this fact which helps to keep their fares low and also has the added bonus of being less congested therefore helping their flight punctuality. Ryanair were also targeted in 2004 for charging one passenger for the use of a wheelchair. Although they argued strenuously that it was the airport’s responsibility to provide help for disabled passengers they still lost the court case brought against them and had to pay â‚ ¬2,400 in compensation. This situation worsened when Ryanair retaliated by levying 70c on all flights leaving from the four airports who do not provide free disability equipment. Things were brought to a head however later in the year when Ryanair made a group of blind and partially sighted passengers disembark their flight stating that they were not allowed to carry more than four passengers at a time. Although Ryanair insisted their disability policy exists for safety reasons, Watchdog reported at the time that no other British airline has a maximum amount of blind people they can carry, www. bc. co. uk. All this bad publicity has not helped Ryanair’s brand name but it does not seem to have affected sales figures as ultimately customers are looking for the cheapest way of travelling. Although Ryanair should remember that whilst their no frills, low budget policy has made them highly successful, they also need to keep the majority of their customers satisfied otherwise they could be setting themselv es up for a large fall from grace. III. 4 Financial Structure Since restyling the business into a budget airline, Ryanair have consistently increased in profitability. O’Higgins (2004) reports that in 2003 Chairman David Bonderman ‘pointed out what an awful year it had been for the airline industry, what with war in Iraq, and an outbreak of SARS’. Despite this Ryanair announced increased profitability, making it their 13th year of consecutive rising profits. Other factors which played parts in Ryanair’s fiscal success, as discussed by O’Higgins (2004), were: Net margin increase of 24 per cent Staff efficiency ratio up by 15 per cent Market capitalisation had grown from â‚ ¬397m in 1997 to â‚ ¬4. 3bn by 1 July 2003 Profitability seen to be unique among airlines worldwide However in 2004 they received a sharp shock when after announcing a shock profits warning and they became the second worst performer in the FTSE Eurotop 300 index up to the end of April. On top of this O’Higgins’ (2004) states that ‘O’Leary predicted that the company’s 2004 profits would decline by 10 per cent ’ therefore ending their profitable run. More recently Ryanair have enjoyed profitability once more, as shown in Appendix C, the main point being a rise in net profit last year of 18 per cent. III. 5 Leadership Ryanair’s fight for survival in the early 1990’s saw them bring in a new management team, headed up by Michael O’Leary. The success of the carrier’s restyle into a no frills airline has made him a very wealthy man, having sold shares off every year since the company was floated has earned him in the region of â‚ ¬200m but still left him with a 5. 4per cent stake, making him the largest shareholder, O’Higgins (2004). Despite the airlines huge success with Michael O’leary at the helm, he himself has come under scrutiny, resulting n both praise and criticism for both himself as a leader and his management style. O’Higgins (2004) argues that it is his publicity seeking antics which have earned him a high profile but also his outspokenness which has brought him into the public eye. This is true as O’Leary makes sure he is personally involved with the publicised events concerning Ryanair, such as the EU Commission investigations. So much so that the EU Commissioner for Belgium has described the airline chief in the Irish Times as ‘irritating’ and ‘arrogant’, Creaton (2004). O’Higgins (2004) supports this by declaring ‘he is called everything from arrogant pig to messiah’. She also discusses that ‘present and former staff have praised O’Leary’s leadership style, and in an interview with the Financial Times Magazine Tim Jeans argues that ‘Michael’s genius is his ability to motivate and energise people’ and goes on to state that the airline is ‘without peer’, Bowley (2003). This last statement is debatable however as it is O’Leary who is consistently hitting the headlines and not the rest of the management team or staff. O’Higgins also supports this point, stating ‘Ryanair is inextricably identified with its dynamic chief executive. He is credited with single-handedly transforming European air transport’. Although it should be noted that O’Leary himself disagrees with this last part declaring ‘I am not Herb Kelleher (the legendary founder of the original budget airline, Southwest Airlines in the US). He was a genius and I am not’, Bowley (2003). Finlay (2000) discusses the three main characteristics of leaders, outlined below. They must have a strongly held vision They must be able to communicate that vision They must be able to convert the vision into reality When O’Leary took over at Ryanair his vision was very clear, to model the carrier on Southwest airlines and create Europe’s first no frills carrier. As far as external communication is concerned it is well recognised that Ryanair was one of, if not the first, budget airline in Europe. Internally, Tim Jeans revealed ‘there is an incredible energy in that place. People work very hard and get a lot out of it’, Bowley (2003). Certainly the vision has turned into a reality as Ryanair has grown and the ‘public’s insatiable appetite for bargain getaways has continued to deliver record profits at Europe’s biggest no frills airline’, Davey (2006). While O’Leary possesses Finlay’s (2000) characteristics for a leader, his leadership style does not fit rigidly into a type. The below diagram, adapted from Cook et al (1977) shows the types of leaders Finlay (2000) believes to be the more dominant styles. TASK RELATED ORIENTATION LOW PEOPLE RELATED ORIENTATION LOW HIGH Laissez-Faire Human Relations HIGH Autocratic Enrolling The majority of O’Leary’s leadership style sits within the enrolling section. Ryanair is highly task orientated, concentrating on tasks such as cost cutting, aircraft acquisition and route development. They are also highly people orientated, both with customers and their staff. However, because of Michael O’Leary’s public status his leadership style varies slightly from this model. If Tim Jeans is to be believed in his interview, Bowley (2003), then he should be almost revered. On the other hand he manages to aggravate important people who could have the ability to affect Ryanair’s profits negatively. To add to this it has been discussed whether Ryanair should replace O’Leary as their CEO, McManus (2003). As Ryanair were recently pulled back from the brink of a shock profits warning perhaps it would be fair to give O’Leary the benefit of the doubt and concede that, for now, his leadership style seems to be working. However Ryanair should be wary of the fact that he does not seem to enjoy smooth sailing. O’Higgins (2004) states that when the shock profit warning was announced O’Leary was ‘irrepressible’ and declared ‘this is the most fun you can have without taking your clothes off. It is much more fun when the world is falling apart then when things are boring and going well’, Creaton (2004). While this may just be a glib statement to rebuff negative press, it could be a characteristic of the man himself, in which case could well be interpreted into his management of the company. III. 6 Implications on strategic positioning As already discussed, any part of Ryanair’s internal operations and functioning will affect the company as a whole if not running smoothly. Dennis Foster (2006) stated in his lecture on Managing Strategic Change that change is a ‘people based process’. This means that both staff and customers will have implications on Ryanair’s strategic positioning and any changes they make to it. As supported in the leadership section of the report there is a good working atmosphere and relationship between O’Leary and his employees. This will not particularly impact on Ryanair’s strategic positioning as at the moment it seems to be running smoothly, however the carrier should be aware of factors such as health and safety, equal opportunities and trade unions to ensure they are a fair employer and do not deter potential employees. Customer relationships are also generally good, with the company aiming to grow to 70 million passengers per year in a few years time, they should seek to nurture existing customers and their relationship with Ryanair flights in order not to let their position slip. Cavendish (2006) argues that ‘Ryanair’s revenues last year apparently included almost two million flights that were booked by passengers who never showed up’. While this is good for Ryanair from a financial point of view, it does not reflect will on them from a customer relations aspect and could affect their position and strategy. Ryanair’s recent trouble profit wise certainly would have had implications on their strategic positioning as they would have had to re-evaluate their strategy and fiscal management. This was obviously done well as a year on from their shock profit warning and they had turned it around. However they should be wary of something similar happening again and make allowances in their strategy to intercept this and hopefully divert any more major trouble. Ryanair are well positioned strategy wise at the moment. They are currently Europe’s biggest no frills, budget airline with big plans for expansion. They need to stay aware of any changes that may affect them and possibly give them cause to redirect their strategy and this can be achieved by keeping a close eye on their business environment. However, as long as the market demand stays high and they continue to keep their costs and therefore their ticket prices low, then with their current strategy, business outlook and leader there is no reason for them not to flourish. IV. Environmental analysis When the airlines were first deregulated it was believed they faced various strategic pressures as stated by Lynch (2000). These included airline closures, major profit falls and new competitive pressures. However, although these aspects may have affected long standing airlines such as British Airways, it also created a gap in the market which Ryanair took full advantage of. Wheelen and Hinger (1993) support this by discussing how many airlines abandoned the smaller communities to focus on the larger markets which in turn opened opportunities for new commuters, these mainly being budget customers. O’Higgins (2004) agrees and states that Ryanair’s ‘fight to survive in the early 1990’s saw the airline restyle itself to become Europe’s first low fares, no frills carrier, built on the model of Southwest Airlines, the highly successful Texas based operator’. Haberberg and Rieple (2001) also determine that part of Ryanair’s success was being ‘established at a time not only of a period of prolonged growth in its home market but also when discontent with high fares and limited or non-existent competition was increasing’. They also attribute some of Ryanair’s growth and profits to the Irish economy. As Ryanair is an Irish airline they took advantage of being based in Europe’s fastest growing economy at that time. Haberberg and Rieple (2001) argue that this benefited Ryanair as the ‘airline industry has traditionally been sensitive to economic growth cycles’. To look specifically at Ryanair’s business environment in more depth a PEST analysis was conducted in order to evaluate the following environmental factors affecting the carrier. These are: Political Economical Social Technological This analysis was based on Haberberg and Rieple’s (2001) view of this process for evaluating business environments, see Appendix A. Factor Political Ways which factor might affect RyanAir Change of government/policy Ryanair have been involved in various legal disputes with governments both in this country and the EU regarding their business deals with airports and airline regulatory bodies Political changes in countries where they have routes to (could also be affected by above point) Governments in countries they fly to may support their own flagship carrier Local councils objecting to noise and new runways being built as in past Governments looking to increase tourism might welcome Ryanair and therefore act in their favour. Potential economic recession, Ireland’s economy has already been stated as growing however this may suddenly change. Because of above main customers wouldn’t fly for business as would be cost cutting Energy and fuel costs are cause of uncertainty Economic change within countries they fly to or would hope to open new routes to, for example war with Iraq has shut off any hope of tourism there for the foreseeable future and other factors such as SARS (O’Higgins, 2004) and more recently, Bird Flu. Because of economic growth at the moment it has become normal to fly away for holidays therefore market has expanded and new opportunities for tourism have opened in previously unconsidered countries. Business trips, although Ryanair do not offer luxury they are possibly more attractive because less cost to a company means they can travel more frequently. Lower costs means attract a wider demographic of consumer Main threat to business market is video conferencing To a lesser extent VOIP Online check-in, self service check in at airport O’Higgins, (2004) discusses that Ryanair currently have a fleet of mainly Boeng 737s which are one of the best known and used commercial aircraft. ‘Thus, the company is able to obtain spares and maintenance services on favourable terms thanks to economies of scale, limit costs of staff training and offer flexibility in scheduling aircraft and crew assignments’. Economic Social Technological V. Recommendations V. 1 Changes to ensure sustainability Davey (2006) declared at the start of this year that ‘figures released yesterday show that (Ryanair’s) formula is continuing to work’. This is directed at Ryanair’s aim to keep fares low, mainly by not introducing fuel surcharges. Actions like this, which were of course highly publicised, ensure Ryanair is constantly attracting customers. Part of Ryanair’s success is made possible by the fact they are such a lean company, both in the way they operate and the services they offer. O’Higgins (2004) claims that when the carrier dropped their cargo services, although they were going to be losing â‚ ¬500,000 of revenue a year, they decreased the turnaround time of their aircraft from 30 minutes to 25 minutes to attract more business travellers who required the punctuality. Innovativeness like this has ensured Ryanair’s sustainability and will carry them forward into the future. To recommend any major changes would be to predict how the airline industry will change which ultimately cannot be foreseen. However it has been concluded that the budget airline will continue enjoying its boom, with many passengers now enjoying the short breaks away at a low price. Also the advent of new routes will bring more custom, from both departure points. If there was to be a drop in demand Ryanair would certainly suffer and subtle shifts in their strategy could be appropriate. For example offering drinks vouchers onboard for the customer’s next Ryanair flight might entice more people back, or making alliances with hotel groups in order to offer a complete package, rather than just selling advertising space on their website. Ryanair should also pay attention to the technological changes happening in their industry, such as online check in; this could save them out sourcing check in staff at their airports which would enable them to cut their costs down. VI. Conclusion On the whole Ryanair seem to be following a strategy which works for them. They are obviously aware of their business environment and understand the importance of monitoring it as they took advantage of the opening in the market when they restyled themselves over a decade ago. However they need to be aware that this environment is constantly shifting and evolving and therefore maintaining a close eye on it and being ready to adapt to any changes should be a fundamental part of their strategy. Davey (2006) sums up Ryanair’s current position and future opportunities succinctly by stating ‘at 16 times forward earnings, the share price does not look too demanding given that this is a genuine growth story. It will take some time before the wings of this â€Å"Tesco of the skies† are clipped’. VII. References www. bbc. co. uk Bowley, Graham, ‘How low can you go? ’ Financial Times Magazine, no. , 21 June 2003 Cavendish, Camilla, ‘A policy that pretends we can all fly on the cheap is a policy that won’t fly’, The Times, 5 January 2006 Creaton, Siobhan, ‘Turbulent times for Ryanair’s high-flier’, Irish Times, 31 January 2004 Davey, Jenny, ‘Ryanair has earned its wings – inv estors should set autopilot’, The Times, 6 January 2006 Finlay, Paul (2000), Strategic Management. An Introduction to Business and Corporate Strategy. Pearson Education. ISBN 0 201 39827 3 Haberberg, Adrian Rieple, Alison (2001), The Strategic Management of Organisations. Pearson Education Ltd, ISBN 0 130 21971 1 Lynch, Richard (2000), Corporate Strategy 2nd Ed. Pearson Education Ltd, ISBN 0273-64303-7 McManus, John, ‘Maybe it’s time for Ryanair to jettison O’Leary’, Irish Times, 11 August 2003 O’Higgins, Eleanor, (2004), Ryanair www. ryanair. com http://web. tic. ac. uk/staff/fosterd Wheelen, Thomas L Hinger, David, J (1993), Cases in Strategic Management 4th Ed. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company Inc. ISBN 0-201-568659 VIII. Bibliography Mintzberg et al (2003), The Strategy Process, Concepts, Contexts and Cases. Pearson Education Ltd. ISBN 0-273-65120X Morden, Tony (1999), An Introduction to Business Strategy 2nd Ed. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-709451-4 Stacey, Ralph D (2000), Strategic Management and Organisational Dynamics. Pearson Education Ltd. ISBN 0-273-64212-X Thompson, John L (1990), Strategic Management, Awareness Change. Chapman Hall. ISBN 0-412-37500-1 IX. Appendices IX. 1 Appendix A – PEST Analysis, Haberberg and Rieple (2001) Analysing the macro-environment Political Political and legal factors encompass actions by local and national administration and political parties, and by international bodies such as the European Commission, the UN and the World Trade Organisation. Economic Consumer spending power is a major factor in the prosperity of any industry. In most developed and a number of developing countries, personal disposable income has been steadily increasing for the past three decades. Social Consumer tastes ultimately determine where demand is directed. Sometimes these tastes are manifested in what consumers themselves actually buy. In other cases they are expressed through voting, lobbying and other political processes, which influence the decisions of politicians and civil servants. Technological Many major transformations in the ways firms compete can be traced to technological change. Sometimes these changes span the boundaries of many industries and trigger changes in society itself. IX. 2 Appendix B – Selected responses to survey on no-frills airlines – Haberberg and Rieple (2001), (source: No frills/low cost airlines, Mintel (February 1999)) All (%) Not bothered about the lack of in-flight 34 Experienced nofrill travel (%) 55 Intend to travel on no-frill (%) 66 atering Would not fly long haul on a no-frills carrier Good that no travel agent is required No ticket to worry about If a no-frills airline flew to my destination, I would consider it first 29 19 16 37 35 22 40 46 29 21 34 49 IX. 3 Appendix C – Excerpt concerning Ryanair’s dispute with the EU Commission, O’Higgins (2004) The subject of the EU decision was based on non-discrimination legislation preventing airports from offering differential deals to different airli ne operators, and by an embargo on state subsidies to airlines. Incited by Ryanair rivals such as Air France, Virgin Express and easyJet, Ryanair’s deals with regional airports had caught the eye of the EU Transport Commissioner, Loyola de Palacio. An EU investigation was launched in late 2002 as to whether Ryanair had been in receipt of illegal state subsidies since its year 2000 establishment of a base at Charleroi. Apparently, the EU Commission had been shocked by alleged offers of a 50 per cent landing fee discount to â‚ ¬1 per landing passenger and an even larger handling fee discount to â‚ ¬1 instead of â‚ ¬8 to â‚ ¬13 charged to other airlines, pushing the fee below cost. The airport also provided a contribution of â‚ ¬4 per passenger for promotional activities for 15 years. This was on top of initial incentives of â‚ ¬1. 92m for opening new routes, â‚ ¬768,000 in reimbursements for pilot training and â‚ ¬250,000 for hotel acc