How Do You See Ancient Greece In Today's World Essay

How Do You See Ancient Greece In Today's World - Essay Example We must, then, think of Greece as having influenced the West, and also consider that the West has influenced much of the rest of the world: to withhold talk of gods and goddesses for now, it was the Greeks who created today’s world of reason, logic, and understanding, where cause and effect are supreme, in place of a chaotic, mysterious universe, incomprehensible to humankind. We have, however, in early Greece itself, a division fundamental to Western philosophy. Platonists believe the truth is to be searched for in Plato’s well-known â€Å"world of ideas†; the Aristotelians’ belief is that truth must be deduced, induced, or otherwise gleaned from observation of the outside world. In Platos Theory of Creation, as in Timaeus, God creates from his blueprints, called the Forms, for which Matter is the receptacle. This is similar to the Indian conception of God as the masculine force and the Earth as the feminine—which, indeed, gives us one of several links between the Greek conception of the universe and the Oriental. Now here is the poet Heine: â€Å"Plato and Aristotle! These are not merely two systems, but rather two types of human nature, that stand, since time immemorial, in hostile opposition. Across the entire middle ages, to the greatest degree, and up to the present day, this battle was waged†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Heine) Seen in this light, we in the West are all Aristotelians; our marriage to technology proceeds directly from the view that the external world is to supply us with all our truths. Despite all of Aristotle’s classic mistakes, the man and his views live on: we with our machines are the proof. From Aristotle, we turn to a phenomenon called Hippocrates – the first ever physician to have considered medicine as science rather than sorcery. Hippocrates is rightly called the Father of Medicine, believing, as he did, that

Change Agent Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Change Agent - Research Paper Example I plan on becoming a change agent in my community by creating a non-profit organization to promote both recycling and alternative energy. Creating awareness starts by educating the public about the problem. Each person in the United States is currently generating 4.7 pounds of waste everyday of which 33.4% is recycled, 12.6% is burned in combustion facilities, and 54% makes it to the landfills (Recyclingfacts, 2008). The excessive amount of waste going to the landfills is hurting our environment. The government is running out of places to accumulate more trash. Some of the materials that people can recycle include paper, aluminum, plastic, and glass. The organization I will establish will gather information about all the recycling centers available within 200 miles of the community. This information will be given to every member of the community so that they can utilize the knowledge to make changes in their daily habits. People should also be aware that a lot of these recycling centers will pay people for recyclable material. Some of the basic tactics people must learn is that the different materials should be stored in separate bags. The energy crisis is hurting the pockets of all Americans. Fuel prices are rising and there seems to be no end to how high they might reach in the near future. The current price of a gallon of gasoline is $3.93 a gallon (Reuter, 2012). My organization will take the initiative of analyzing consumer reports to determine the best green cars in the market. After evaluating the alternatives I will create a list of cars that people in my community can purchase to save money on gas. The information of the cars will include the price, brand, features, technology, and most importantly fuel efficiency of each vehicle. Two of the most promising green cars in the marketplace are the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. Another important aspect of the non-profit organization will be educating the

Dominos vs. US Pizza Essay Example for Free

Dominos vs. US Pizza Essay The research report you have authorized us to write on â€Å"Dominos vs. US Pizza† is now ready and follow this letter. This report is the result of work completed at SKIPS. During our work term as other student, we were engaged to assist in related topic collection. In the course of this work we gained knowledge about this topic. It is the detailed information and data which is the subject of this report. Through the course of the term, we were given the opportunity to learn much about the strategic model of Dominos. We feel that this knowledge will be helpful in future work terms, and in our career. We would like to thank our mentor Mr. Manish Thaker for his patience and good judgement, as well as classmates who were always willing to help. Sincerely Parul Kapoor (43) Sejal Rathod (55) Table of contents Contents Executive summary Introduction Research methodology Analysis of research data Findings Conclusions Recommendation Annexure Executive Summary This report contains the detailed research about the ‘strategies of Dominos vs US Pizza’. The research was an exploratory one. The aim of the research was to find the out the strategies adopted by Dominos to attract customer towards it. The research was conducted in the period of March to April. The target population of the research was the pizza consumers. Out of this the sample size of 100 were drawn based on convenient sampling technique. The research was done by filling the questionnaire which was fully drawn on the basis of the research objectives. The conclusion for the research was almost drawn during the data collection itself. 100% of respondents like pizza. Out of sample size of 100, 68% of respondents visit more to Dominos. 35% of respondents lie in age group of 20-25 years, visit these restaurants with their friends in free hours. Respondents prefer Dominos because the quality of the food offered by Dominos is good. Awareness of preferred restaurant came from friends and T. V add. This shows that people are attracted more towards Dominos because quality of food offered by Dominos is better than Quality offered by US Pizza. INTRODUCTION Problem Definition: Both (Dominos and US Pizza), provide same kind of facility. They have huge varieties in pizza as well as other items. Us pizza has unlimited scheme packages and price of its items are also reasonable whereas Dominos doesn’t have any unlimited packages and price of all the items are also high as compare to U. S. Pizza. Still people attracted towards Dominos, more than US Pizza. Research Objectives: The key objectives of the research are identified as following: To study the strength of Dominos business model. To study the strength of US Pizza’s business model. To find out ‘why people are attracted more towards Dominos than US Pizza’ Research Design: This is an exploratory type of research. It’s a problem of general nature, numbers and statistics are used to support this research. The primary source of data is in questionnaire and short interview. Research design is the that phase where researcher has to detail a plan in which alternatives are going to be chose at each of the following stages. Selection of type of research. Selection of measures and measurement techniques. Selection of sample size and sampling techniques. Selection of methods of data analysis. Research Methodology: Primary Data: Data is collected through structured questionnaire by conducting survey. Mode of collection Online questionnaire Offline questionnaire Methods of Data Analysis The questionnaire of 22 variables (2 dependants and 18 independents) was administered through advanced data analysis of utilities of SPSS. 1. Hypothesis To achieve these objectives, the following hypotheses are formulated:- 1. H0 :- More Frequency of customer towards Dominos Pizza H1:- Frequency is more towards other restaurant 2. H0 :- All parameters are equality important H1:- At least 1 Parameter is Important 3. H0:- Customers are satisfied for all Parameter H1:- Customers are Satisfied for At least One Parameter Data analysis and interpretation: Exhibit-1 1)Like restaurants Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid YES 100 100. 0 100. 0 100. 0 Interpretation: From Exhibit -1 we can conclude that 100% people like to go to restaurant. Exhibit-2 2)Visit time Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent. Valid ONCE OR TWICE IN WEEK 23 23. 0 23. 0 23. 0 ONCE OR TWICE IN 15 DAYS 27 27. 0 27. 0 50. 0 ONCE OR TWICE IN A MONTH 37 37. 0 37. 0 87. 0 OCCATIONNALY 13 13. 0 13. 0 100. 0 Total 100 100. 0 100. 0 Interpretation:- From above chart 37% people go to restaurant once or twice in a month, 27% people go to restaurant once or twice in a 15 days, 23% people go to restaurant once or twice in a week and only 13% people like to go to restaurant occasionally. Exhibit-3 3)No. of visit Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1-5 91 91. 0 91. 0 91. 0 5-10 7 7. 0 7. 0 98. 0 MORE THAN 10 2 2. 0 2. 0 100. 0 Total 100 100. 0 100. 0 Interpretation: looking above graph 91% respondent visit restaurant 1-5 times in a month Exhibit-4 4)Prefer Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid PIZZA 59 59. 0 59. 0 59. 0 CHAT 6 6. 0 6. 0 65. 0 SANDWITCH 25 25. 0 25. 0 90. 0 OTHER 10 10. 0 10. 0 100. 0 Total 100 100. 0 100. 0 Interpretation: From above Exhibit more preference given to pizza then other snacks. Exhibit-5 5)Like pizza Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid YES 100 100. 0 100. 0 100. 0. Interpretation: Above diagram conclude that thought respondents like other snacks like sandwitch, chats etc, they also like pizza. Exhibit-6 6) Preferred rest. Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid DOMINOS 68 68. 0 68. 0 68. 0 US PIZZA 26 26. 0 26. 0 94. 0 PIZZA WORLD 2 2. 0 2. 0 96. 0 PIZZA ZONE 2 2. 0 2. 0 98. 0 OTHER 2 2. 0 2. 0 100. 0 Total 100 100. 0 100. 0 Interpretation: Respondents like to go many restaurant like dominos, us pizza, pizza world, pizza zone etc but they give more preference to dominos. Exhibit-7 7)Reason for visit Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid QUALITY IS GOOD 86 86. 0 86. 0 86. 0 PRICE IS LOW 8 8. 0 8. 0 94. 0. SERVICE IS GOOD 2 2. 0 2. 0 96. 0 4 2 2. 0 2. 0 98. 0 5 2 2. 0 2. 0 100. 0 Total 100 100. 0 100. 0 Interpretation: Above diagram conclude that people give more preference to dominos because food quality of dominos is better than other restaurant. Cross-tab Q-9 Q-10. Important factor satisfaction level 8. (a) Quality * 9. (b)Price Crosstab Count 9. (b)Price Total Satisfied least satisfied 8. (a)Quality very imp 54 46 100 Total 54 46 100 Interpretation: From above cross tab 54% respondents to whom quality is very important and they are also satisfied by the price which they are paying for the quality. 8. (a) Quality * 9. (c)Service Crosstab Count 9. (c)Service Total Satisfied 8. (a)Quality very imp 100 100 Total 100 100 Interpretation: Almost all the respondent to whom quality is very important they all satisfied by the service given by the restaurant. 8. (a) Quality * 9. (d)Ambience Crosstab Count 9. (d)Ambience Total Satisfied normal 8. (a)Quality very imp 79 21 100 Total 79 21 100 Interpretation:- Above table conclude that respondents to whom quality is very important they are also satisfied by the ambience in the restaurant. 8. (a)Quality * 9. (e)Customization Crosstab Count 9. (e)Customization. Total Satisfied normal least satisfied 8. (a)Quality very imp 77 21 2 100 Total 77 21 2 100 Interpretation: respondents who gives very important to quality also satisfied by the customization adopted by their favourite restaurant. 8. (b)Price * Satis. In Quality Crosstab Count Satis. In Quality Total very satisfied 8. (b)Price very important 46 46 IMPORTANT 23 23 least important 31 31 Total 100 100 Interpretation: In this table respondents who gives very important to the price, they are also very satisfied by the quality they are getting in that price. 8. (b)Price * 9. (b)Price Crosstab Count 9. (b)Price. Total satisfied least satisfied 8. (b)Price very important 0 46 46 IMPORTANT 23 0 23 least important 31 0 31 Total 54 46 100 Interpretation:- Respondents who gives very important to the price they are least satisfied by the price adopted by their favourite restaurant. 8. (b)Price * 9. (c)Service Crosstab Count 9. (c)Service Total satisfied 8. (b)Price very important 46 46 IMPORTANT 23 23 least important 31 31 Total 100 100 Interpretation: This table conclude that respondents to whom price is very important they also satisfied by the services delivered by restaurant. 8. (b)Price * 9. (d)Ambience Crosstab. Count 9. (d)Ambience Total satisfied normal 8. (b)Price very important 46 0 46 IMPORTANT 2 21 23 least important 31 0 31 Total 79 21 100 Interpretation: Respondents also satisfied by the ambience presents in their favourite restaurant. 8. (b)Price * 9. (e)Customization Crosstab Count 9. (e)Customization Total satisfied normal least satisfied 8. (b)Price very important 46 0 0 46 IMPORTANT 0 21 2 23 least important 31 0 0 31 Total 77 21 2 100 Interpretation:- Respondents to whom price are very important they also satisfied by the customization. 8. (c)Service * Satis. In Quality Crosstab Count Satis. In Quality Total very satisfied 8. (c)Service very important 52 52 important 48 48 Total 100 100 Interpretation: Respondents who give much important to the service they are also satisfied by the quality. 8. (c)Service * 9. (b)Price Crosstab Count 9. (b)Price Total satisfied least satisfied 8. (c)Service very important 52 0 52 important 2 46 48 Total 54 46 100 Interpretation: Respondents to whom service are very important they are satisfied by the price which they are paying. 8. (c)Service * 9. (c)Service Crosstab Count 9. (c)Service Total satisfied 8. (c)Service very important 52 52 important 48 48 Total. 100 100 Interpretation:- Respondents to whom service is very important they also satisfied by the service offered by their favourite restaurant. 8. (c)Service * 9. (d)Ambience Crosstab Count 9. (d)Ambience Total satisfied normal 8. (c)Service very important 31 21 52 important 48 0 48 Total 79 21 100 Interpretation: respondents who gives important to the service they are also satisfied by the ambience in the restaurants. 8. (c)Service * 9. (e)Customization Crosstab Count 9. (e)Customization Total satisfied normal least satisfied 8. (c)Service very important 31 21 0 52 important 46 0 2 48 Total 77 21 2 100. Interpretation: Respondents to whom service is important they are satisfied by the customization. 8. (d)Brand * Satis. In Quality Crosstab Count Satis. In Quality Total very satisfied 8. (d)Brand very important 31 31 Important 23 23 least important 46 46 Total 100 100 8. (d)Brand * 9. (b)Price Crosstab Count 9. (b)Price Total satisfied least satisfied 8. (d)Brand very important 31 0 31 Important 23 0 23 least important 0 46 46 Total 54 46 100 8. (d)Brand * 9. (c)Service Crosstab Count 9. (c)Service Total satisfied 8. (d)Brand very important 31 31 Important 23 23 least important 46 46 Total 100 100 8. (d)Brand * 9. (d)Ambience Crosstab. Count 9. (d)Ambience Total satisfied normal 8. (d)Brand very important 31 0 31 Important 2 21 23 least important 46 0 46 Total 79 21 100 8. (d)Brand * 9. (e)Customization Crosstab Count 9. (e)Customization Total satisfied normal least satisfied 8. (d)Brand very important 31 0 0 31 Important 0 21 2 23 least important 46 0 0 46 Total 77 21 2 100 Interpretation: Respondents gives least important to the brand but they are satisfied by quality, price, service, ambience and customization delivered by their favourite restaurant. 8. (e)Ambience * Satis. In Quality Crosstab Count Satis. In Quality Total very satisfied 8. (e)Ambience important 33. 33 least important 67 67 Total 100 100 8. (e)Ambience * 9. (b)Price Crosstab Count 9. (b)Price Total satisfied least satisfied 8. (e)Ambience important 33 0 33 least important 21 46 67 Total 54 46 100 8. (e)Ambience * 9. (c)Service Crosstab Count 9. (c)Service Total satisfied 8. (e)Ambience important 33 33 least important 67 67 Total 100 100 8. (e)Ambience * 9. (d)Ambience Crosstab Count 9. (d)Ambience Total satisfied normal 8. (e)Ambience important 33 0 33 least important 46 21 67 Total 79 21 100 8. (e)Ambience * 9. (e)Customization Crosstab Count 9. (e)Customization Total satisfied normal least satisfied 8. (e)Ambience important 31 0 2 33. least important 46 21 0 67 Total 77 21 2 100 Interpretation: Respondents who gives least important to the ambience but they are satisfied by the quality, price, service ambience customization. 8. (f)Customization * Satis. In Quality Crosstab Count Satis. In Quality Total very satisfied 8. (f)Customization very important 2 2 important 98 98 Total 100 100 8. (f)Customization * 9. (b)Price Crosstab Count 9. (b)Price Total satisfied least satisfied 8. (f)Customization very important 2 0 2 important 52 46 98 Total 54 46 100 8. (f)Customization * 9. (c)Service Crosstab Count 9. (c)Service Total satisfied 8. (f)Customization very important 2 2. important 98 98 Total 100 100 8. (f)Customization * 9. (d)Ambience Crosstab Count 9. (d)Ambience Total satisfied normal 8. (f)Customization very important 2 0 2 important 77 21 98 Total 79 21 100 8. (f)Customization * 9. (e)Customization Crosstab Count 9. (e)Customization Total satisfied normal least satisfied 8. (f)Customization very important 0 0 2 2 important 77 21 0 98 Total 77 21 2 100 Interpretation: Almost all the respondents gives important to the customization and they are also satisfied by the quality, price, service, ambience, customization. 8. (g)Nearness * Satis. In Quality Crosstab Count Satis. In Quality Total very satisfied. 8. (g)Nearness very important 58 58 least important 42 42 Total 100 100 8. (g)Nearness * 9. (b)Price Crosstab Count 9. (b)Price Total satisfied least satisfied 8. (g)Nearness very important 52 6 58 least important 2 40 42 Total 54 46 100 8. (g)Nearness * 9. (c)Service Crosstab Count 9. (c)Service Total satisfied 8. (g)Nearness very important 58 58 least important 42 42 Total 100 100 8. (g)Nearness * 9. (d)Ambience Crosstab Count 9. (d)Ambience Total satisfied normal 8. (g)Nearness very important 37 21 58 least important 42 0 42 Total 79 21 100 8. (g)Nearness * 9. (e)Customization Crosstab Count 9. (e)Customization Total satisfied normal least satisfied 8. (g)Nearness very important 37 21 0 58 least important 40 0 2 42 Total 77 21 2 100 Interpretation: Almost all the respondents prefer to go to nearness restaurant and they are also satisfied by it. Exhibit-10 10)Visit with whom Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Friends 87 87. 0 87. 0 87. 0 Family 4 4. 0 4. 0 91. 0 g. f/b. f 9 9. 0 9. 0 100. 0 Total 100 100. 0 100. 0 Interpretation: respondents mostly go to the restaurant with their friends. Exhibit-11 11)Scheme Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid unlimited 65 65. 0 65. 0 65. 0 By one get one free 5 5. 0 5. 0 70. 0 Discount 11. 11. 0 11. 0 81. 0 coupons 7 7. 0 7. 0 88. 0 Other 12 12. 0 12. 0 100. 0 Total 100 100. 0 100. 0 Exhibit-12 12)Awareness Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Friends 68 68. 0 68. 0 68. 0 TV adds 17 17. 0 17. 0 85. 0 news paper adds 9 9. 0 9. 0 94. 0 Posters 4 4. 0 4. 0 98. 0 Internet 2 2. 0 2. 0 100. 0 Total 100 100. 0 100. 0 Interpretation: looking to the above diagram respondents aware about the restaurant by their friends and by TV adds. Exhibit-13 13)Frequency Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid occationally 28 28. 0 28. 0 28. 0 once or twice in a week 15 15. 0 15. 0 43. 0 once or twice in a month. 57 57. 0 57. 0 100. 0 Total 100 100. 0 100. 0 Intr Interpretation: respondents visit dominos once or twice in a month. Exhibit: 14 14)Visit reason Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid In your free hours 66 66. 0 66. 0 66. 0 For meetings 6 6. 0 6. 0 72. 0 For parties 21 21. 0 21. 0 93. 0 For someone parties 7 7. 0 7. 0 100. 0 Total 100 100. 0 100. 0 Interpretation: Respondents mostly like to go to Dominos in their free time for Parties. Exhibit-15 15)Freq. visit reason Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid Quality of food is good 53 53. 0 53. 0 53. 0 Has good friendly atmosphere. 32 32. 0 32. 0 85. 0 It is near your house 10 10. 0 10. 0 95. 0 Other 5 5. 0 5. 0 100. 0 Total 100 100. 0 100. 0 Interpretation: Above diagram conclude that respondents like to go to Dominos because the quality of the food offer by dominos is better. Exhibit-17 17) age Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 20-25 35 35. 0 35. 0 35. 0 25-30 17 17. 0 17. 0 52. 0 30-40 29 29. 0 29. 0 81. 0 above 40 19 19. 0 19. 0 100. 0 Total 100 100. 0 100. 0 Interpretation: looking to the above exhibit mostly young generation, who come under the age of 20-25 preferred to go to the Dominos. Findings conclusions. 1) From above analysis we can conclude that 68% respondents prefer to go to the Dominos then other restaurants. 2) Respondents prefer to go to the Dominos because the quality of the food is good over there. 3) People give very important to the quality, price and services. They give important to the customization but they give least important to the brand ambience. But comparison to all factor more preference given to quality price. They are satisfied by the quality in their favourite restaurant but they are least satisfied by the price. 4) Out of the respondents most number of respondents visits dominos with their friends family. 5) Respondents also aware about Dominos by their friends and TV adds. 6) Out of respondents mostly they prefer to visit Dominos once or twice in a month in their free time and for parties so we can conclude that they are regular customer. 7) Dominos attracts all kind of generation like those who come in age 20-25, 25-30, and above 30 also. But more attracted by 20-25 years old people. Conclusion 1) People gives more important to price and they also least satisfied by the price in dominos but they are attracted to Dominos because they are satisfied by the quality offered by the Dominos and for that they are not paying high price. 2) People are not attracted towards Dominos because it is an international brand. People are not giving important to the brand but they are giving important to the quality and price. 3) Mostly people go to Dominos with their friends and family. But people go to there with family rarely because of the price factor. They prefer to go U. S. Pizza with family because it offer unlimited scheme which is enable them to spend less. 4) People also aware about the Dominos by their friend and TV adds also by the banners. 5) Dominos attracted all kind of generation like youngster adult. Strategies Following are the strategies adopted by Dominos to attract the customer towards it. 1) They maintain the quality of the food same in every store because there quality is main factor to influence the customer. 2) They maintain same taste in every store. 3) They also maintain hygiene level. 4) They have monopoly in 5 types of pizza which is thin crust, hand toast, cheese burst, deep dish, 3 cheese. 5) They come up with new product every 3-4 months. 6) They contacted their customer and ask about their choice taste and they launch new product according to customer preference. 7) People give more preference to the nearness restaurant so they open their branches in 15 areas. 8) They give free delivery in just 30 minute. If it is not delivered in 30 minute they give pizza free of cost. 9) Mostly college going student and working people go to Dominos so they open there branches in 2. 5km 3 km near to the college and office area. Recommendation 1) People give more important to the price if dominos reduce their price then people they can capture almost all market share. 2) If dominos don’t want to reduce the price than it can also offer some discount or unlimited scheme. People attracted towards US pizza because of it unlimited scheme. Here people already satisfied by quality if they offer some scheme then they can attract more people who go restaurant with their family. 3) They also offer salads or other customization product. Annexure Dominos vs us Pizza Questionnaire Respected Sir/ Madam We, 1st year PGDM student from St Kabir Institute of Professional Studies , conducting a research on ‘Dominos vs US Pizza’. We want to know your views about these restaurants. The information provided by you is purely for research purpose and will be strictly kept confidential. Top of Form. 1) Do you like to go Restaurants? Yes No 2) When do you go to Restaurants? Once or Twice a week Once or Twice in 15 days Once or twice in a month Occasionally 3) How many times in previous month did you visit the restaurant? 0 1-5 5-10 More than 10 4) What do you prefer in snacks? Pizza Chat Sandwich Others 5) Do you like Pizza? Yes No 6) Where do you like the most to go for Pizza? Dominos US Pizza Pizza world Pizza zone Others 7) Why you like to go in above mention Pizza restaurant? Quality is good Price is low Service is good Others 8) How much importance do you give to the following factors when you go for eating pizza? Very Important Important Least Important Not at all Important Quality Price Service Brand Ambience Customization Nearness 9) How much are you satisfied with the following factors in your preferred pizza restaurant? Very satisfied Satisfied Normal least Satisfied Not Satisfied Quality Price Service Ambience Customization 10) With whom you like to go in this restaurant? Friends Colleague Family G. F/ B. F Others 11) Is there any scheme in above pizza restaurant? Unlimited By one get one free Discount Price Coupon Others No scheme s 12) How did you know above restaurant? Friends T. V Add. Newspaper adds. poster. Internet Other 13) How frequently you go to this restaurant? Occationally Once or twice in week Once or twice in month rarely 14) When you prefer to go? In your free hours For meetings For parties For someone’s parties 15) What is the main reason you frequently go a particular restaurant? Quality of food is good Has a good friendly atmosphere your family children like it It is near your house Other 16) Name 17) Age 15-20 20-25 25-30 30-40 above 40 18) Area where you belong: 19) Contact No 20) Gender Male Female 21) Occupation Student Job Business Other 22) You’re monthly Income? 20000 Bottom of Form.

Virgin Blue Holdings Limited SWOT Analysis

Virgin Blue Holdings Limited SWOT Analysis About the company Virgin Blue Holdings Limited, an Australia-based company, is involved in the airline industry. The companys segments include long and short hauls. The company owns a fleet comprising of 68 Boeing 737-700 800 series along with Embraer E-170 and E-190 aircrafts. Virgin Blue Airlines functions approx 2100 flights per week to 24 national cities and centers and 8 international places including ports in Figi, New Zealand, Tonga, Vanuatu, the Cook Island and Samoa. Virgin Blue had been established in the year 2000 as wholly owned subsidiary of Virgin Group. In 2002 Virgin, along with Partrick invested in the airline field. In the year 2008, Virgin Blue Holdings Limited came into existence and floated on the exchange for selling the holdings of Virgin Group. Virgin Blue Holdings main operation is in the airline business in Australia, while it operates in air transportation and schedule sector also. SWOT Analysis Of Virgin Blue Holding Limited (S)trengths: Motivated management: The management of the Virgin Blue Holding Limited is highly motivated and continuously involved in value improvement process. A motivated team ensures giving its best to earn super profits. Innovation: The corporate level strategy of this company is innovation. This helps the company in preparing the niche segment for itself. Also helps the company in having a upper hand over competitor. Young staff: Strength of Virgin Holding Limited lies in their staff which is comprised of young people. This will increase their work efficiency and productivity, and thus lead to superior profit making. (W)eaknesses: Capital Intensive Business Lines: Virgin Blue Holdings business is highly a capital intensive business thus requiring managing of heavy investment and maintenance cost. The point to reach breakeven too is thus, longer than otherwise. Low return on investment: The airline industry is highly volatile and cyclical in nature and usually have low return on investment. (O)pportunities: Niche market: Instead of targeting the masses to fly economy and certain business class crowd, the company targets the student and this segment has high growth opportunities. Less competitive market: Another opportunity for the company is that this market is less competitive market and has high growth scope, and thus it would enable them to get the movers advantage and becoming market leader thereby earning super profit. Richard Branson: Richard Branson passion for aircraft also helps in expansion of business. (T)hreats: Existing player: Existing competitor can act as a threat for Virgin Blue and impact their market share. Also there is a threat from the entry of new player. Air flight safety: Another concern for airline industry is safety. This is the most common sector for terrorist attack and any such event can damage their business and brand to a greater extent. Key audit risks: Mainly the audit risks are of three types: Inherent Risks Control Risks Detection Risks The following are the key Audit risks- Revenue Recognition: (Detection Risk) Identifying important ratios such as Accounts receivables/Sales or Inventory/Cost of Goods Sold is important are these are predictive of negative events. Account affected: Profitability Ratios. Expense Recognition: (Detection Risk) Deferred long-term expense and exaggerated depreciation often distorts balance sheet. Checking of these ratios such as Selling GA Expenses to Operating Expenses YoY basis and also comparing them with industry standards. Account affected: Profitability Ratios. Asset-Liability Valuation: (Detection Risk) Liquidity, Asset Turnover, Net Income/Equity, Leverage, Goodwill, etc may be comparable with peer group and previous years. Account affected: Asset Turnover Ratios and Liquidity Ratios. Directors holding position of Officers: (Control Risk) As directors have fiduciary responsibilities towards the shareholders, they should not have positions that are subjected to conflict of interest. Account affected: Dividend payments and other policies related to shareholders. The CEO and Chairman are separate: (Control Risk) The roles of the CEO and Chairman are performed by separate people as the chairman would then be able to represent the shareholders interest better. Account affected: Dividend payments and other policies related to shareholders. Stepping down of Virgins long term CEO Brett Godfrey: Earlier in 2010 virgin long term CEO Brett Godfrey stepped down and was replaced by John Brochette. Due to change in CEO, the auditors need to properly emphasize or assess the following points: Change in corporate governance: Stepping down of the existing CEO can lead to corporate governance issues in organization. If the new CEO is not as effective, then it leads to bureaucracy and account manipulation issues in an organization. The auditor needs to evaluate this area carefully. Accountability of board of director: The auditor should make sure that same practices of accountability and displace is maintained in organization. There should not be any misappropriation or misuse of funds available. Analysis of share holding pattern change: The auditor needs to analyze if there is any change in the shareholding pattern due to stepping down of the CEO. This will help in evaluating the existing funding structure of the company and help in evaluating welfare of shareholder by maximization shareholders wealth. The auditor should properly investigate where the funds are being divested. Current Financial Information of Virgin Blue Holding Limited: Net profit after income tax for 6 month period, ended 31/12/2009 was $62.5 million and that reflects $163.9 million more compared to the corresponding 6 month term ended 31/12/2008. The net profit of the period is made up of: In these 6 months to 31/12/2009, the underlying OPs profit before tax went up by 34% and got profit of $80.1million. Basic EPS for the 6 months period ended 31/12/2009 had a profit of 3.3cents/share. Business segments Virgin Group has 2 segments, described below that are Groups business segment. The business segment offers different services and products, and managed separately as they need different types of aircraft. For each business segment, the internal management reports are reviewed on monthly by the board. The summary describes operations in each segment: Short haul Operations using short haul fleet by Boeing 737 aircraft Embraer 190 and 170 aircraft. This includes Australian, New Zealand, Trans-Tasman and Pacific Island flying. Long haul Operations that use Boeing 777 fleet. This predominantly comprises of Trans-Pacific flying. Partnerships of Virgin Blue Holdings Limited: Etihad signed a partnership with Virgin Blue Holdings Limited: All Virgin Holding services will now be available also to the Etihad customers, by opening up of 44 destinations in Asia, Australia, Pacific Islands, New Zealand, and Los Angles.ÂÂ   The code share agreement will come to effect right from October. As result of this deal, Virgin Australia is to become as first Australian carrier operator to operate at the Middle East since 1991. Together with V Australia and Eithad Virgin Blue will be able to fly twenty seven flights in between Abu Dhabi Australia which will include the services between Abu Dhabi-Sydney, Melbourne Brisbane. Etihad management said that Australia is a very important market place for us we are happy that after this collaboration we will be able to serve our purpose better. We currently fly about 450,000 people a year to Australasia, we think this deal will add about 100,000 to that figure. With this collaboration we will be in a position to serve the USA Europe trips better from Australia, that will give us a distinct advantage over the other competitors, improves the sustainability comfort of travel. The agreement would joing the Blue Group and Etihad frequent flier programs, thus allowing the customers to earn burn miles in all of these airlines that are involved in deal. Partnership of Virgin Blue V Australia with Virgin America for Frequent Fly: Virgin Blue with its long-haul airline, V Australia has partnered with Virgin America to give benefits to loyalty customers to get some points when they take flight on sister airlines. This simply means that people travelling through any of these 3 flights will earn some credit that will be deducted under frequent travelling program. This partnership has applied from April, 2010. This exchange agreement will enable Virgin Blue or V Australias Velocity customer to earn Velocity points vice-versa through any of the 3 flights. Virgin Blue is presenting this as benefits to its guests a act of Customer relationship management. Virgin Blue team says that their motto is that people from whole USA other parts of the world plan their tours with our developing airline family. Virgin blue is famous for its customer service, product innovation, great design high level of facilities. Virgin Blue has got Best National Airline for 3rd consecutive year at the Australian National Travel Industry Awards.

An Analysis of Selected Stanzas From Book II, Canto VII of Spenser’s Faerie Queene 1 :: Faerie Queene

An Analysis of Selected Stanzas From Book II, Canto VII of Spenser’s Faerie Queene 1 I Her face right wondrous faire did seeme to bee That her broad beauties beam great brightness threw Through the dim shade, that all men might it see: Yet was not that same her owne native hew, But wrought by art and counterfetted shew, Thereby more lovers unto her to call; Nath’lesse most heavenly faire in deed and vew She by creation was, till that she did fall; Thenceforth she sought for help, to cloke her crime withall. Philotime, at first glance, seems an aristocratic Acrasia. Both employ art to improve upon their natural beauty; captivate men with their looks—in every sense of the word; and lounge in luxury and ease. We also see a common insatiability: â€Å"Thereby more lovers unto her to call† (my italics), though Philotime’s desires never descend—or at least are never seen to descend— into the sexual realm of Acrasia’s. But here the similarities end. Philotime, like Acrasia, is—to coin a word—bedecked with seemingness. She sits â€Å"as in glistering glory†; and â€Å"wondrous faire did seem to bee,† (my italics). Clearly she is not all as she would seem2 and is making use of ornament to augment her beauty; but where Acrasia was possessed of only a surface beauty, Spenser, most importantly, brings a decided grandeur to Philotime, by tracing the source of her fairness to â€Å"creation.† Indeed, to further strengthen this allusion, Philotime seems to possess many of the qualities of Eve. Her beauty, though artificially maintained, for it vanished with her Luciferian â€Å"fall,† was nevertheless divinely ordained. Any artificiality we see in Philotime is used to help satisfy a greed and a vanity that feeds upon the attention of men. Accordingly, as we have said, her artfulness brings not simply lovers but â€Å"more† lovers. Like Mammon, the god of riches, it is quantity that counts, not quality. Notice, also, that Philotime lives in â€Å"dim shade.† Indeed, dimmer than dim: she lives in a cave. The light her looks beam, strangely, unnaturally, throw light not on others, but on herself. Here then is another indication of the unquestionable vanity of Philotime. If we might turn for a moment to Sir Guyon, still standing in the wings, and doubtless still feasting his eyes. We should remember that our noble knight represents no narrow Temperance, but a universal Temperance, one which addresses all temptations—and not only those of the senses.

global information :: essays research papers

The global information society has transformed the way we do business. One of the most widespread changes is the use of the Internet to develop more efficient communications between suppliers and users of goods and services. This process is called intermediation. In this module we will look at how new Internet-based technologies have revolutionized business communications. First we will define intermediation. Then we will examine how technology has affected business communications. Finally, we will look at some of the online technologies that are helping businesses communicate better, faster and more cost-effectively. e-Commerce: A Guide to How Technology has Affected Business as We Know It Today! Glossary: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1. Transaction processing--Completing a transaction online—such as when a consumer uses a shopping cart to make online purchases. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2. e-Procurement--All purchasing activities plus all of the monitoring of all elements of purchase transactions 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3. Procurement--The purchase of goods for resale 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4. Snail mail--mail sent and received via the US Postal Service 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5. B2B (Business to Business)—the activities conducted online between two businesses 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6. Shopping cart—an electronic tool used by online consumers to purchase goods and services 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7. Fulfillment company—offers services to other companies such as transaction processing, providing security, etc. 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  8. HR (Human Resources): the division of a company which hires employees and takes care of all employee-related matters. 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  9. EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) — when one business transfers computer-readable data into an agreed-upon format to another business. 10.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10. ISP (Internet Service Provider)—a business that provides access to the Internet via modem, DSL, or TI. They also provide other services such as e-mail, web hosting, and web design. 11.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  11. Logistics— †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Consumer—Browsing for information from multiple sites for comparison shopping purposes †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Business—Delivery and warehousing activities that will provide the right goods in the right quantities in the right place at the right time. 12.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  12. GPS—Global Positioning System—an access mechanism which allows the tracking of vehicle location through satellite 13.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  13. Web auction—a site which provides a forum for buyers and sellers to trade items. An auction site normally charges both buyers and sellers; many web auctions sell advertising on its pages 14.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  14. Intranet—a web-based private network that hosts Internet applications on a local area network; used for security purposes E-Commerce: Changing Face of Business At the dawn of the new millennium, if we look back at the last century, we will realize the changes the world has seen. And even the changes are becoming rapid. The main reason of changes is technological innovation. The ever-changing technology has affected business as well like it has affected all other walks of life.

Differences between family and friends Essay

Throughout our lives we interact in many and varied relationships. These can range from intense emotional and physical interactions, to casual acquaintances. Our ability to bond, congregate and network within these relationships is not restricted to the family or kin from whom we are born; many are the result of friendships formed within our societal settings. We develop friendship relationships within the work place, sporting activities and shared community interests. The commonality of interest can be in residential status, class, race, gender and religious beliefs. The formation of relationships can have a multitude of meanings and importance to the individual, whether formed with family or friends. So how do the importance of relationships between family and friends differ? According to Baker (2001, p.1) â€Å"Our ‘personal’ decisions and lifestyle ‘choices’ are influenced in a myriad, often hidden, ways by what happens in the wider world†. This suggests that as individuals we need the influence of the outside world to assist in our decision-making processes. However, both family and friendship relationships offer a range of external (social) and internal (private) life networks from which the individual or group can access personal and social knowledge, resources and support. The difference in the level, mannerism and depth of needs attended to by both family and friendship relationships must then be discussed to access the importance of each and the role it plays in the life of the individual and society. Friendship Goerg Simmel (in G. Little, 1993, p.31) saw friendship as pure sociability. Simmell â€Å"pictured society as a web of sociability, a subtle balance of delicate exchanges† †¦ â€Å"it was only the name given to the comings and going of human beings, the interchanges that simultaneously link and separate people†. Simmel further describes friends as artists, claiming â€Å"friends must  commit themselves to communicating well, putting all distraction aside†. Simmell’s description of friendship in society, describes the way in which we communicate in our external lives, separate to that of family or kin relations. The communicative commitment we put into these meetings will depend on the level of interaction desired, given our commonality and interest. Therefore, the formation of friendships is based on the attention given to conversation, how well we communicate and the manner in which we construct our communication. All other encounters are purely polite exchanges of greetings between people we meet externally. Friendly interactions can therefore become an extension of our internal family lives. A case study of social networks conducted by Lyn Richards (in Gilding, 1999, p.121-23) of a Melbourne suburb revealed how â€Å"residents constructed a wide variety of relationships with their neighbours†. The social exchange of neighbourhood residents extended to sharing equipment and getting to know each other on a more personal basis, allowing friendship relations to enter the internal domain family life by choice rather than necessity. This offers an interesting perspective to Simmell’s analysis of friendship simply being polite but attentive exchanges of our everyday external lives. It suggests that we not only form friendships externally out of politeness but also  internally to share our family relations. Richards noted however, that the association between friends and family relations are separated by the difference in time spent with family and friends. Edward Shorter (1979, p.231) writes†¦Ã¢â‚¬ in traditional society the kin group counted for relatively little in emotional terms, being primarily a reservoir of material support in emergencies†. The view here is that friendship relations are an extension of family relations, allowing additional resources to be obtained. Friendship is then seen as an important  commodity to completing our hierarchy of needs. Therefore, placing restrictions on the importance and position of family and friendship contributing factors to our family and societal needs, with the extent of these needs measured in material and emotional contexts. Demographically family structures have endured many changes to the way in which family member conduct their lives. Changes to labour market forces, socio-economics and lifestyle choices, have left many with little or no time to conduct friendship relationships within the family unit. The importance of emotional support and mental well-being is then passed onto external avenues such as social services and friendship alliances. Meaning, that whilst our physical needs are being met through income support (wages, benefits), our emotional needs are neglected over time taken to achieve our physical and material needs. Therefore, positioning friendship relations as an important aspect of our familial and societal structure. Talcott Parsons (in van Krieken et al, 2000, p.328) described the functions of the nuclear family as the â€Å"primary socialization of children and the stabilization of the adult personalities of the population of society (1955a, p.16). Parsons analysis of  socialisation and stabilisation functioning describes the family as a secure and sociable entity, capable of providing both social learning and emotional well-being. To support Parsons description Bell and Zajdow (in Jureidini and Poole, 2003, p.275-76) describe the family â€Å"as an entity where people have their emotional needs cared for by a wife or mother has displaced the household whose primary purpose was to produce goods for the material well-being of family members†. The descriptions of families given here, lead to families providing emotional support for its members, similar to that of friendship relationships. How can we determine at this point, which is more important? Family support and learning can be contained within the family, kept private and discussed with members whom share common kin ties. The emotional support of friendship risks private consultation becoming public and has no biological status. Therefore, the family as a social and emotional provider is viewed as more important. The difference and diversity of families and friendship relations as pointed out in Shorter (1979, p.231-41) may provide insight into the importance of family dynamics. Shorter describes a variety of family and kin units, their origins and values placed on human contact. The research shows that despite having sociable human contact, preference is given to remaining close to family and kin, and protecting the family unit from external intrusion. Thus, providing the family with a direct sense of purpose and well-being for the individual, a place of sanctity and security when the outside world is no longer required or available. Our experiences of the world are subjective, we engage in both physical and emotional stimulation to suffice our needs. However, the main source for supply and demand of these needs is found in our value of our family and kin relationships. Family values are found in family traits, traditions and familiarity of its members and Family and Friends 5 its stability in a demographically changing social world. In this sense, friendships may come and go; however, family values will always remain, placing an emphasis on the importance of families. Where do families achieve their stability and security? The structural functionalism of families can assist in maintaining stability and security, through its ability to â€Å"provide individuals with the opportunity for  emotional support, companionship, sexual expression, reproduction and the socialisation of children†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ They maintain social order and control through disciplining their children and other members† (Baker, 2001, p.73). The ability of families to maintain social and familial control provides members with a sense of self-control over ones life. A setting to which they can return to safe in the knowledge that emotional, physical and material guidance and support can be sought. Therefore, positioning the family as a place belonging and familiarity. Conclusion There appears to be little doubt that both family and friends play and important role in ones life. To measure to importance we cannot ignore the difference and diversity of both family and friendship relationships. For some the relationship of friends is extremely important, for others it is the relationship of the family. To assess why friendship relationships appear to be more important, it is essential to recognise the demographic changes that have occurred in the past and the rate at which changes occur in the present. Family dynamics now share a variety of different relationship structures such as, defacto, stepfamilies, same sex partners,  adoption and foster parenting. All of which have their own unique set of values, social and cultural traits. The apparent multitude of difference and diversity of both family and friendship arrangements, in an ever-changing world, may embrace the need for external relations outside the family. Friendship relationships can become symbolic of demographic changes, be non-compliant with family traditions and have the flexibility to endure future change. Thus, placing an importance on the need and value of friendship relationships.