Impact of Slavery on a Child

Impact of Slavery on a Child Life of a Slave Child It is hard to imagine growing up in the slave era. With the luxuries that even the poorest of children have in current times, makes the life a slave child even more unbelievable to say the least. A child that grew up as a slave suffered a very brutal, harsh childhood on a number of different levels. Not only was the suffering physical it was also psychological. The psychological far outweighing the physical, in my opinion. From birth to the end of many slaves lives, they often felt powerless, inferior, shame, and perhaps the most damaging psychological effect was the sense of not having family ties and fearing separation from family. Physically, slave children suffered from physical labor at young ages, poor nutrition and sanitation. Often times this conditions lead to many serious if not fatal diseases. Slave children were valued assets to slave owners and were given a monetary value and while some young toddler aged children lived in the masters homes, there lives were far from lux urious. Toddler aged children were often held responsible for taking care of infant children of the master. As they got older, they were responsible for domestic chores, such as, housekeeping, fanning their masters, cooking, etc. and eventually were sent to the fields to work as young teenagers. Growing up in the 1990s and early 2000s this world seems so far from what I ever knew as a child. During play, slave children would create games that would help them deal with their surroundings. They wanted to feel they had some control over the things that were going on around them and teach them how to be adults. Games such as Hide the Switch and Auction were just a couple of the games slave children played to prepare them for the actual beating or selling of a family member. They also did not have manufactured toys. They would create balls to play with out of yarn and old socks. Games also were used as learning tools for slave children that were deprived of education. For example, Hide and Seek was used to learn to count. Several other games were used to enhance verbal usage and ring games were a way of release of emotions a child may be feeling by allowing them to make rhythms. Slave children often hunted and fished as competitive sports, which also allowed them to make their families a little better off, they tended to stay away from games that required someone to lose. Old er children would be on watch to notify the younger children that a master was approaching by singing a song. This is also something children in modern times do, they look out for someone of authority coming but the roles are reversed, the younger children are usually the one watching out. Slave children looked forward to being able to work in the fields. They were at that time allowed to receive some of the same benefits as the adults, such as rations of food and more clothing. This usually happened at around the age twelve. Again, it is hard to image as a child of twelve that I had to go work to receive a full meal or clothes. At twelve, my parents made sure that I had better clothes than them and was never denied food when I was hungry. Not only was it hard being a child during the slave era, it was as equally hard, if not harder, being a parent. While in todays world becoming a parent, regardless of age, is one of the best moments of your life that was not the case with slave parents. Slave parents would deliver their children with bitter sweet emotion as they knew what suffrage lay in wait of their children. This was especially the case with female children. Female children were sexually exploited starting as a very young age. The sexual assaults physically were brutal, not to mention the emotional and mental effects sexual assaults had on female slaves. Children that were conceived in the manner of sexual assault by slave masters and considered mulatto were mistreated on an entirely different level than other slave children and were most likely separated from their mothers because the mistress of the plantation didnt want them around. Fathers had a hard time dealing with being able to protect their families from the harshness surrounding them. When a father did attempt to protect his children, they or he was sold to a different plantation, so in an effort to keep his family together he would stand by and watch injustices done to his family. In my opinion, being able to keep his composure in certain situations made him a better father than by not keeping his composure. Slave owners in justification of working pregnant women in the field and lowering their rations of food where in fact one of the biggest reason that the slave child morality rate was so high. I do not believe that slave owners actually thought that working the fields actually made delivery of a child easier nor do I believe they thought not feeding the mother would lower birth weight of the child. It has often been said that children were resilient and this is proven over and over again with slave children. Children born into slavery learned to deal with there conditions on away no other child has ever had to do. They rose above these transgressions by learning how to read and write, learning racial etiquette, taking personal responsibility for themselves and looking to a higher power to end their suffering. At the onset of the Civil War, women and children slaves sought refuge with the Union while boys as young as ten joined the military to fight in the war. Others such as Frederick Douglas escaped slavery, became educated, and fought for rights of slaves on a national level. The hate slavery generated between black slaves and white slave owners over 150 years ago was so I posit that even after 150 years have passed it is still one of the causes of racial tension in the world today.

Possessions of Character in The Things They Carried by Tim OBrien :: The Things They Carried Vietnam War Essays

Possessions of Character in The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien "The Things They Carried," by Tim O'Brien, contains many references to "possessions of character." Many things Lt. Cross carries were carried by all, including: military equipment, stationery, photographs, diseases, food, the land of Vietnam itself, their lives, and even more. O'Brien highlights these along with special things that Lt. Jimmy Cross carries. He, thus, reveals something of what Cross values. Belongings reflect his character and thoughts. "Grief, terror, love, longing--these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight." Lt. Jimmy Cross carries letters and a pebble from Martha, a girl whom he cares about greatly, but she does not share the same emotions for him. He carries these things to remind him of her, of his feelings for her. At the end of every day he ritually unwraps them and reads them. These letters are light in weight, only ten ounces, but prove to be a heavy burden. Above all, he carries the responsibility for the lives of his men. He is dreaming when Lavender is shot, and so he blames himself for it. Lavender's death was something which "He would have to carry like a stone in his stomach for the rest of the war." He does not always pay attention to what is most important, his men. Lt. Jimmy Cross burns all of Martha's letters at the end of the story, trying to forget her, to erase the memory. Still, he carries her in his mind along with the haunting memory that she was not involved. Martha is just a part of the technicalities now, he bids her farewell in his mind and decides to rid himself of the pebble. He is past his days of dreaming and hoping. Everything that Lt. Cross carries has more physical weight than those letters, but none were more of a burden to him.

Education: Encouraging Lives Essay -- Education Careers Teaching Teach

Education: Encouraging Lives My desire to become a teacher goes beyond a professional aspiration; it is also a personal commitment to self-growth and societal advancement. Since the time I was in school I have had the opportunity and pleasure to work with young people and listen to their problems in school and in their lives on a level where I’m neither a peer nor an authority figure. During this time I have decided to devote myself to these young people; I want to know that I can make a difference in their lives. With my teaching certificate, I will fulfill personal goals, make a change in student’s lives, and inspire younger generations to look for horizons as of yet unconceivable to them. I am now old enough to know what is truly important to me. My life is enriched by improving the quality of others’ lives. Only through exposure, only through learning, can anyone aspire to reach his or her greatest potential. In essence, how can we dream of greater possibilities if we do not know they exist? As in the Biblical parable, I want to teach men to fish and feed them for a lifetime. From my personal experience I believe some teachers have forgotten what a critical role they play in not only the futures of the students who sit before them, but in the future of all our lives collectively. I do not want anyone to look back on their life and see me as one of these teachers but as a teacher that inspired them to be something they never dreamed possible. Teaching involves a multi-level commitment to each and every student, including teaching styles, respect, counseling, and inspiration. Psychologists recognize that individuals have a variety of comprehension and learning abilities. Some people learn through audio and visual stimul... ...e to understand by using real-world experiences. I believe as Jean Piaget did, a constructivist, "to understand is to discover, or reconstruct by rediscovery, and such conditions must be complied with if in the future individuals are to be formed who are capable of production and creativity and not simply repetition" as mentioned in his book, To Understand Is to Invent. I do believe people need to learn with Great Books, but comparing things with the real world helps the understanding of these books. In conclusion, my desire to teach is only impeded by the next few years of education that I need to acquire my degree. I understand this will change the role I play in youth’s lives from my current position to an authority figure, but I do believe it will be a change for the best. Teachers wear big shoes and I am committed to filling those to the best of my ability.

George Frederic Handel :: essays research papers

George Frideric Handel   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George Frideric Handel was one of the greatest composers of the late baroque period (1700-1750) and, during his lifetime, perhaps the most internationally famous of all musicians. Handel was born February 24, 1685, in Halle, Germany, to a family of no musical background. His own musical talent, however, began to show before his tenth birthday. He received lessons from a local organist, the only musical instruction he would ever have. His first job was as church organist in Halle. In 1703 he traveled to Hamburg, Germany. It was here, in 1704, he composed his first opera, Almira. After achieving great success he soon felt the urge to move on to Italy, the birthplace of operatic style. He first stopped at Florence in the fall of 1706. Later on in the spring and summer of 1707 and 1708 he went to Rome, and in the late spring of 1707 he made a trip to Naples. In Italy Handel composed operas, oratorios, and many secular cantatas; he ended his Italian trip with the spectacular success of his fifth opera, Agrippina (1709), in Venice. Other Composers of George Frideric Handel’s Time Bach was a German organist and composer of the baroque era, one of the greatest and most productive geniuses in the history of Western music. In 1756 Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria. One of the greatest composers in Western music tradition, Mozart began composing at age five. By the time he was 13, he had written sonatas, operettas, and symphonies. His works include The Marriage of Figaro , Don Giovanni, and The Magic Flute. Beethoven was one of the world's greatest composers was born in Bonn, Germany, in 1770, Beethoven began to lose his hearing in 1802. By 1817 he was totally deaf. Beethoven wrote classical pieces greater than anyone else of his time like his third Symphony, Eroica and his Ninth Symphony. The Ninth Symphony, composed in 1824, begins with â€Å"void music† which may have originated in the silence and gloom of Beethoven's own deafness, but the symphony then explodes with a wonderful array of sounds. One of the most beautiful pieces of music ever composed. Arts and Architecture The Taj Mahal in India was completed in 1648.

Ethical Dilemmas Essay

There are three situations presented in the simulation which poses different ethical dilemmas on the part of the decision-maker. The symptoms of the respective dilemmas and their root causes shall be discussed individually because â€Å"analysis would be proper if they are able to locate the root cause of the conflict† (Lee). The Indiscreet Relationship The first situation presented was an indiscreet relationship between a boss and his secretary. The boss took the secretary along with him during business trips at the expense of the company. He even promoted the secretary to junior account executive. This problem created a stir within the company and corridor talks went around saying that the way to make it through the ladder of success in the company was through less than ethical means. This has caused an unrest among the employees of the organization that an ethical stand should be taken. However, the decision-maker had an ethical dilemma in making his decision. The boss, Patrick, is his former friend and colleague who was the one instrumental in landing him his job. Patrick also helped him during his early days with the company in getting hold of the ropes of the business of the company. On the other hand, company morale is going down because the employees think he is an unethical leader for allowing Patrick have his way in maintaining an indiscreet relations with his subordinate and in spending company resources in the process. This is what defines the ethical dilemma here. Sniffdog The second situation presented by the simulation which involved an ethical dilemma is the decision to represent SilverPill and their Sniffdog account. Sniffdog is a computer program which could sneak into the user’s hardware and retrieve many confidential data without the user’s knowledge. The ethical dilemma comes in when taking the account means allowance of the intrusion of privacy while not taking the account will make the company lose a lot of money by losing the account. The fact that compounds these all is that SilverPill informed the company that they will give all their accounts to McKinley should they choose to endorse Sniffdog. The ethics rulebook of McKinley states that the employees will maintain impeachable integrity in all its business dealings. Allowing Sniffdog to push through will not reflect well of this ethical rule. On its face, the business being dealt with here is plainly business and nothing will be objectionable about it. McKinley will just seek to endorse the Sniffdog program. However, when the program has capabilities of sneaking into private information, an ethical issue arises for McKinley will be signing itself to be part of such intrusion. Although SilverPill promised not to use any information that may be gathered for any illegal or extralegal use nor to sell it to a third party, the fact alone that there will be intrusion into the private lives of the users of the program will already present a grave ethical issue. Thus, the root cause of the problem here is whether or not to be a part of a project which can intrude into the private lives of clients by collecting confidential information from them without their knowledge. Think Eddie  And the third situation with an ethical dilemma presented by the simulation is whether or not to reveal certain information about the program Sniffdog to Think Eddie which is a competitor of SilverPill. At this point, SilverPill is no longer associated with McKinley and has moved on to another PR company. Think Eddie has entered the picture and wants McKinley to represent them for a computer program which has the same features as that of SilverPill’s Sniffdog. Think Eddie is a big client. And now it wants information about the Sniffdog program without, however, threats of any sanctions given to McKinley in case of non-compliance. The ethical dilemma here is whether to reveal the requested information to Think Eddie or not. Though Think Eddie did not give any threats for non-disclosure, surely there was an unwritten statement accompanying the request that non-disclosure might strain the relationship between the two companies. On the other hand, the ethics rule book of McKinley prescribes them not to hold conflicting interests. SilverPill, though a former client, still has the right that every information given by it to McKinley be kept confidential by the latter. Because of the mentioned rule, McKinley is duty-bound not to divulge confidential client information, especially in this case where the revelation will be made to a competitor. The root cause of the problem, therefore, is whether or not to reveal information obtained from a former engagement in order to establish a better business relationship with a new engagement even though the two have conflicting interests and the former engagement has already been severed. In all, the ethical dilemmas arise not because of the ethics rule books established by company but mostly because of moral grounds. â€Å"If doing what is right produces something bad, or if doing what is wrong produces something good, the force of moral obligation may seem balanced by the reality of the good end. We can have the satisfaction of being right, regardless of the damage done; or we can aim for what seems to be the best outcome, regardless of what wrongs must be committed† (Ross, 2007). Thus, the root of these dilemmas is simply because there are moral standards to which, companies as well as persons, must adhere.

Coming of Age in Mississippi-Book Report

â€Å"Coming of Age in Mississippi† by Anne Moody is an autobiographical account of a black woman living in South struggling against the centuries old racial discrimination by the white. She passed through almost identical incidences like other members of her race bearing humiliation and disgraceful treatment from the upper white class. Anne Moody narrates the story of herself growing up in Mississippi when racial discrimination against the blacks was the peak.In her account, Anne Moody describes the adversities of living in the â€Å"south† where the black population had just started their struggle for equal rights. The life was pathetic for the Negroes with little hopes for emancipation. The details are well described in an easy language and style moving the reader by the depth and emotional appeal it contains. The sentence structure is not so good for Moody not being a professional writer. Anne Moody tells the incredible events of her early childhood living in a hous ehold of divorced parents and extreme poverty.She provides a glance over the several death warnings and intentional massacre of her family members and friends by the powerful whites. She developed a consequent hatred not only for the whites for her own race too as she writes in the book, â€Å"I was 15 years old when I began to hate people†¦ I hated all the whites who were responsible for the countless murders†¦ But I also hated Negroes. I hated them for not standing up and doing something about the murders† (129).The life for her and other blacks was no different from that in the slavery days of pre-Civil War period. She tells about a society in which no one wanted to live in peace and tranquility. Anne Moody’s narrative includes events comparable to both Martin Luther King’s and Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Rights tactics, Anne was highly influenced by King. Her book is written in into four parts covering different stages of her life; childhood , high school years, college years and participation in the civil rights movement.These stages greatly resemble King’s four point program of gathering facts, self-purification, negotiation, and direct action (King 290). â€Å"Black Boy† by Richard Wright is another account similar to Anne’s. an autobiography initially published in 1945, focus on the many hardships African Americans faced as individuals and families. Similar to Anne’s, Richard's father his family when he was very young. They were left with their mother making her to be devastated by and ending up with a stroke.Richard had to start working at a prime age to look after his mother and siblings. The two narratives are only different being penned by and from a male and female perspective. Anne’s book is about the inner struggle within her and about the conflicts she had with society and her own fellow blacks. The title of the book, â€Å"Coming of Age in Mississippi† clearly talks of the subject matter inside. It is a story of growing up or coming of age, getting mature in a highly divided society in the state of Mississippi undergoing a struggle and change.It provides an insight and understanding of historical importance of the events taking place in the years of Civil Rights Movement. The book gives a good evaluation of the sufferings of the black population and their hard struggle for getting petty and basic rights. Works Cited King, Martin Luther Jr. â€Å"Letter from Birmingham City Jail† from A Testament of Hope. Harper Collins, 1991 Moody, Anne. Coming of Age in Mississippi. Delta, New York, February 2004 Wright, Richard. Black Boy. Harper Perennial Modern Classics. September 1, 1998

Easy Jet

The  marketing audit  is a fundamental part of the marketing planning process. It is conducted not only at the beginning of the process, but also at a series of points during the implementation of the plan. The marketing audit considers both internal and external influences on marketing planning, as well as a review of the plan itself 1. Environmental Audict on Easy jet(the factors that can influnce the company) A)Five porter’s forces: *Threats from new entrants : When new airlines enter the market ,how they affect easy jet *Threats from subsititue products: more options to go to a destination such as buses,train.. ow these things affect easy jet *Bargaining power of suppliers: if plane manufacturer factories sell planes with a high price ,how this affect the easy jet’s finance *Bargaining power of buyers: for instance easy jet makes a contract with plane factories for 10 years with the fixed charge so the factory can’t increase the price during this time. Ba rgaining lets you buy products at a cheaper rate *Internal Rivalry: Internal competation ,easy jet fight against other airlines Threat of substitutes-this can be anything that can be a substitute to EasyJet or airline industry in general.For instance, another airline with even lower prices, consumers opting to use other modes of transport (trains for instance). When Heatrow was hit by that huge fog just before Christmas and no planes were flying, Eurostar trains were suddenly all booked. I would think, however, that for Easy Jet, there would be no big threat of substitutes. There is a threat of ever growing competition but this isn't the case of substitutes. Substitues are in other words ‘me too' products which are less likely to occur in airline industry or service industry then in FMCG. I think. Buyers-here you can list down any possible threats from buyers.This is where you look at the relationship between Easy Jet and its targeted consumers. How strong is Easy Jet brand? D o consumers believe in, and to, Easy Jet? Are they loyal to Easy Jet or do they switch to other airlines with no real or perceived risks? If yes, why? If not, why not? Do consumers have alternative to Easy Jet? If yes, and I would say they do, how does the relationship between Easy Jet and its consumers change? Who has greater leverage in this relationship, consumers or Easy Jet? Who is more dependable on whom, why and to what extent? Etc†¦ Ask as many questions as you can and you will get your answer.Talk to someone who has used Easy Jet services, ask them what they liked and disliked about it, would they use it again and why, how do they feel about Easy Jet, how did they decide to fly with Easy Jet, will they choose Easy Jet again B)Swot analysis: 4 main strenghts and the opposite ones are for weaknesses *Finance *Technology *HR Department *Reputation and image EasyJet Airline Company Limited: Strengths: * EasyJet is a leading provider of  low budget, no frills air travel  servicing many of the leading city destinations in the UK and across Europe, including Berlin, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Prague. They offer a high quality service at competitive prices and offer a number of features including ticketless travel, internet booking and assisted travel services. * They have a  highly distinctive livery  on their fleet of aircraft making them easily recognisable and distinguishing them from their competitors. * They have a  user friendly website  which fully discloses the price breakdown of the passengers planned travel. Offering a full breakdown of the price plan prevents any hidden charges when the customer confirms there booking. EasyJet offers an online promotion alert which is e-mailed to existing customers and contact on the company’s database. * Recognised as a leading brand name in the UK travel industry. * As a market leader in an industry widely seen as a leading contributor to the green house effect and global warming, EasyJet actively embrace there environmental responsibilities and continue to keep these factors as a keep priority when developing their future strategies. * EasyJet operate a fast and efficient service with an average turnaround time of 30 minutes or below.This enables them to maintain a reliable and hassle free service to their passengers. * For the case study,planes and turnaround times means to take short time on departure,use of internet,financial position The easy brand is a well known brand across the UK and  some areas of Europe. It is knownfor ‘low cost for the masses’ which is implied by their orange culture. They want to paint the worldorange, implying that they want to provide goods and services at the lowest possible price. easyJeteasyJet only offers a single fare class. Its pricing strategy is to offer ‘value for money’ and this is  doneby keeping costs to a  minimum.Unit costs are kept  low by eliminating travel agents, maintaining highaircr aft utilisation, focusing on internet sales, eliminating unnecessary service frills, operating a fleet of  similar aircraft and establishing long-term agreements with suppliers. One of the key strengths of easyJet has been the utilisation of the internet. easyJet bookings over theinternet relate to  over 92% of total sales and  is expected to increase. They see themselves as  becomingthe first internet only airline. Strengths: †¢ Cheap tickets. †¢ A simple fare structure. †¢ Image, differentiation on price andbrand. †¢Commitment to customer service. †¢ Multi-base network. †¢ Strong corporate culture. †¢ Flexibility to change bookings on theinternet. †¢ Lower costs than the  established airlines Weaknesses: * Domestic air travel is an extremely competitive industry with  EasyJet’s main competitors being Jet2, BMI Baby, Ryan Air plus a host of smaller independent competitors. These external competitive forces can restrict and shape pricing policy on some of  EasyJet’s less profitable routes as they seek to compete with their competitors. * They do not offer a free food service on longer flights of 2 hours plus. asyJet has many weaknesses but the main include the lack of service,flexibility and  business focus making  the low-cost model  unappealing to  business travellers. Businesstravellers are not included within easyJet’s business model. Since September 11 business  travellersaccount for 50% of passengers and therefore should be a target for marketing and should be included inthe business model. This can be seen as a weakness for not targeting this segment. easyJet’s business model also relies on people flying more often. However, there is a limit as to howoften people fly.The growth is not infinitive, it is possible that the low-cost market will be saturated. Itwill come to a point when the low-cost airlines will not be able to stimulate any more demand fromlow prices . (CPRE: The Future Development of Air Transport in the UK, July 2003 Weaknesses: †¢ Pilots over 65 are not allowed to fly over  France, Italy and Portugal. †¢ No guaranteed departure. †¢ No unaccompanied children under age of 16. †¢ No autopilot. †¢ Lack of service, flexibility and business focusmake the low-cost model unappealing tobusiness travellers. †¢ Focus on price and convenience is reaching itslimit.Differentiation will be difficult. †¢ Due to quick success it is difficult to recruitand train new staff. †¢ No customer retention scheme Opportunities: * Possible opening of alternative routes to major cities in Europe. A key route could be from Dublin to the UK, as this has a large potential for travellers going to soccer matches in the UK plus new links into corporate flyers to and from the UK. * Offering of free refreshments on flights with a travel time of over two and a half hours. This would offer an extra perk and comfort to pass engers making their experience with EasyJet all the more comfortable and enjoyable. Updated versions of the fly on the wall documentaries would provide the brand with more coverage and publicity. The opportunities in the industry mainly come from the Eexpansion. On the 1st of  May 2004, 10 countries will be joining the  EU. Thus, the EU’s membership will be  expanded from 15to 25 countries. The new states include former members of the Eastern Block and smaller â€Å"island†states. (bized. ac. uk) These are Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta,Poland and the Slovak Republic.Further EU expansion is expected in 2007 when Bulgaria andRomania are hoping to join the EU, while Turkey is now currently negotiating its membership. (europa. eu. int)The addition of more than 100 million people to the EU’s market of 370 million will present anopportunity for further growth  for the low-cost airline industry. easyJet has already annou nced its newroutes from Luton, Berlin and Dortmund airports to Budapest (Hungary) and from Stansted airport toLjubljana (Slovenia). (easyJet. com) Threats: * Competitors flying the same routes compete very competitively on price forcing pressure on margin on more popular flights and time slots. External market forces can have a significant impact on  EasyJet’s business, e. g. the rising cost of oil can have a significant impact on running costs putting significant pressure on the profitability of less popular routes and time slots. * Pressure from unions and employee relations committees can signifigantly impact on the day to day operations with strikes proving to be very costly to the company’s image. * Economic downturn may lead to a decrease in casual flyers and corporate travel as companies seek to curtail what they see as unnecessary expenditure and in turn make less business trips.   Financial Analysis Within the  low-cost/no-frills  airline industry in  the UK,Ryanair  is easyJet’s main  competitor. Inevaluating the  financial performance of  easyJet, it  is therefore useful to  compare its performance withthat  of Ryanair. For the purpose of  this  comparison, we will be making use of a  number of ratioswhose formulae follow that of FAME. The data used for this financial analysis are easyJet’s unauditedpreliminary results for their financial year ended 30 September 2003, which provided results for boththe year ending  30 September 2002 and  2003.Ryanair’s financial year-end however is 31  March 2004. Therefore in  order to obtain data that  would be directly comparable, it  was necessary to use data fromtheir half-year which ends 30 September 2002 and 2003, and to use figures taken from their financialyear end 31 March 2002 and 2003. This enabled us to obtain figures for a full 12 months ending 30September 2002 and 2003. For a quick overview of all ratios refer to Appendix 3 a nd details of allcalculations  are contained in  Appendix  4. All financial  reports were obtained from downloadsavailable onwww. easyjet. com  and  www. ryanair. com.The first numerical set of data to  be analysed is the Profit and Loss Account. This deals with therunning of the business, i. e. the amount of turnover, the cost of what has been sold, the expensesgenerated during the year and of course the profit that has been made, perhaps the figure that theshareholders are  most interested  in, but there  are other criteria that  could affect the profitability of thecompany PEST analysis for easyJet The following factors are likely to have an influence on the airline industry and should therefore be taken into account when formulating a Marketing Plan for easyJet.Politico-legal factors †¢ Threat of war in the Middle East †¢ The Air Miles scheme is not considered as a taxable perk by the government in the way that company cars are taxed which may cha nge to allow easyJet to compete on more equal grounds with the likes of BA. †¢ A EU east-enlargement may provide access to viable, new markets. Economic factors †¢ Likelihood of increasing fuel costs, congestion and other environmental restrictions, as well as the prospect of higher security and insurance costs to reflect the risk of terrorism. As the recession is likely to last for some more time, business travellers will keep an eye on their travel expenses. †¢ Globalisation should continue to boost traffic in the long-term. †¢ The introduction of the single currency in Europe is likely to bring more business to easyJet as Europe becomes more integrated. Socio-cultural factors †¢ To win over the French and German publics might cause problems as there appears still to be a general reluctance to use credit cards over the phone and Internet . †¢ The public are general quite friendly to the prospect of cheap flights.However they may feel begrudged where t hey see promotions found in newspapers where flight are for ? 10 only to find that the actual cost is much higher for the particular time or day they wish to fly on. Technological factors †¢ A key issue will be the extent to which technological advancements – such as the use of the Internet on distribution and cost synergies from industry consolidation – can offset upward pressures on prices and costs. †¢ easyJet has to keep track of technological developments in the field of e-commerce and aircraft manufacture in order to gain a competitive advantage. CONTINUE..The business environment is a set of political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors otherwise know as PESTLE analysis. These factors are not controlled by the business. Which means that businesses must adapt quickly as the environment changes. These macro factors have a positive or negative impact on the business. The political factor can be affected through tax policies a s Easyjet are charged with landing in different countries, employment laws, environment regulations, trade restrictions, tariffs and the government. The economic factor is forever changing with prices constantly fluctuating.For example oil prices increasing affects overall profits for the company which in return affects how much money Easyjet can invest on improving the airline or giving back to the communities. Baines, Phil and Page (2008a) explain firms are effected by environmental issues such as wage inflation, price inflation, gross domestic product and income sales and corporation taxes. From the social aspect this looks highly on safety of the airline and its staff and passengers. Which then attracts passengers to fly again after being ensured of safe and secure flights.To keep up in technology Easyjet must be internet dependant as flights are booked and checked via the internet. Therefore customers need to be satisfied with a quick and simple service. Easyjet also have a gre at career attitude which commits staff to be up to a excellent standard of service. Technology plays a huge factor within Easyjet as it has to rely hugely on the reliance of technology. Also as things improve technology becomes cheaper which means barriers to entry could be lower for competitors to join which could affect the profit of Easyjet. â€Å"Barriers to entry are designed to block potential entrants from entering a market profitably.They seek to protect the monopoly power of existing firms in an industry and therefore maintain supernormal profits in the long run. Barriers to entry have the effect of making a market less contestableâ€Å". (Tutor2u n. d) To prevent this research and development expenditure can act as an obstruction to potential entrants to industry PEST analysis PEST analysis is chosen, to look at the possible business environmental impacts that may affect theindustry and easyJet. It can be used to infer a variety of trends, patterns and projections which willinfluence easyJet’s future strategic decisions (ACCA 2004).PEST analysis was chosen over SLEPTanalysis as we found it difficult to differentiate between legal and political factors. The legal issubsumed into political. Consideration will be made to the political, economic, social and technologicalenvironments that may affect the industry and easyJet in the future. Political Environment The industry and easyJet must react to any regulations that are imposed by the political party and thecorporate governance code. The EU compensation ruling that will take affect in 2005 is currently beingchallenged by easyJet as well as other airlines.If this challenge is unsuccessful then it would meanincreases, in  legal battles, compensation payouts and  overall increases in costs. As  a result, fare  prices easyJetwill increase and demand will fall. This would make  it very difficult to see  the future for the  low-costindustry. Expansion of the UK airport system will play a major role in the future of the airlines growth model. Stansted is expected to have one additional runway and terminal, increasing UK air traffic growth to402 million by 2020, 501 million passengers by 2030 (Mintel report 2003).The government are seeingthe benefits that the aviation industry can bring to the country. The question that remains to beanswered is, for how long are the government willing to help the growth of the industry before theystart to intervene? Any intervention from the government is likely to be costly in the future to theindustry. Economic Environment The government may decide to impose taxes on  the industry. A possible introduction of  a ‘Green tax’,a tax on fuel to try and reduce the pollution that it causes, would increase the costs and as a result couldraise easyJet’s fares by more than 20% (Financial Times, 1 stNovember 2003). Also the ? 6 billionworth of subsidies that is currently received from the government may be reduced ov er time to limit thegrowth of the industry. The growth of the industry may need to be controlled to keep pollution to aminimum. As subsidies decrease there will be  an adverse affect on  fare prices causing demand to fall. This will also affect the business model as it would need to be revisited. The recent rises in the UK interest rate, which currently stand at 4%, has increased the public’sliabilities.People have less disposable income and as a result are less likely to travel abroad. Theincreases will also affect easyJets’s loan repayments on its new order of aircrafts. At present, paymentsrelating to  the purchase are not  included in the hedging  policy and therefore will affect the liabilities of  easyJet. Social and Cultural  environment The UK population as a whole are aging, people are living longer. The number of people between theage of 25 and 34 has been decreasing but the age group between 55 and 64 are expected to increasefrom 2005 (Mintel r eport 2003).The older age group tends to have more disposable income (SAGAholidays target this group) and therefore should be targeted more by easyJet. Saying this, younger  people who have less disposable income are now starting to go abroad for their holidays. This meansthat the airline industry is attracting more potential passengers because of their low fares. Technological  environment easyJeteasyJet’s use of the internet needs to be enhanced, they are aiming to become the first ‘web-only’airline.Currently 92% of their tickets are sold online and improving this figure will bring cost savingwhich in turn could  be passed on  to the consumers. This will make easyJet more competitive on price. easyJet will need to  keep track of  technical developments in e-commerce and  aircraft manufacturing inorder to compete against its rivals 2. 7ps Marketing Mix of Easyjet Product  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Easy Jet is a flight booking company located at London. The  ben efits  of Easy Jet being online and on teletext means that they are providing better margins; this is where they are dedicated to customers digitally.Place  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Not solely online but majority of sales are online so Easy Jet will concentrate on this target market. Today, technology allows us to sell more goods to fewer people, which is far more efficient than selling fewer goods to more people. This is confirmed by Peppers and Rodgers in their Marketing concept. Peppers an advertising executive and Rogers a marketing scholar, their concepts addressed â€Å"one to one marketing†and how it concentrates on providing services or products to one customer at a time. This is by identifying and then meeting their individual needs.It then aims to repeat this many times with each customer, this is so consumers feel relationships are in place when perhaps they are forged. Price  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ With Easy Jet being on the internet for such a long period it means it has cut out aspects such as â€Å"the post†, this is because tickets and boarding passes are now emailed to customers or printable online, therefore â€Å"cutting out the middle man†. Promotion  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Easy jet’s website is offered through search engines and travel/flight comparison websites, this is both advertising and selling their service.They also send members emails with promotional offers. Physical Evidence  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Although Easy Jet is based mainly online now, Easy Jet are still booked through travel agents or in the airport itself. Physically offline Easy Jet have recently in the previous few months been advertising in Sainsbury’s stores by staff (uniformed Easy Jet T-shirts), advertising there new partnership. Physical evidence online differs, they have aspects such as â€Å"security icon† and policies in place which gives consumers a sense of security when booking online.People  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ On Easy Jet’s website they have sections, such as blo gs, FAQ’s and a whole section dedicated to customer service to try and give consumers a sense that even though they are online they still have some form of contact to Easy Jet. Process  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ As mentioned above Easy Jet integrates online and offline by having customer service in the airport and online. CASE STUDY Product: Easy jet is an low cost budget airline as well as no frill. The easy brand has been extended to other products. There are now easyinternet cafes,easycar,easymoney and new easycruise products.Price: There 3 types of pricing which are Premium Pricing this is for specific segment of people for example apple targets for certain people. Low cost pricing which is for easyjet,targeting low cost price and low income people. Psycological pricing,99p instead of 1pound They use a low cost price to be competitive Place: It means Distrubition . Distrubition has manufacturer,agents,wholesalers,retailers,consumers. The more distrubition you have ,the more expensive yo ur products will be. easy jet has manufacturers and directly deals with consumers so they save money. lmost 90 percent of tickets are sold through the internet for the 10 percent agents sell so they sometimes deals with agents too. Promotion : internet People : Paperless opeartions since its launch easyjet have simplified its working practices by embracing the concept of the paperless office. they do everything online rather than people going to branches and taling face to face ,everthing can be done online so easyjet saves money for hiring less people Process : Ticketless travel passengers,instead receive an email containing their travel details and confirmation number when they book online. his helps reduce significantly the costs of issuing,distrubuting,processing and reconciling millions of tickets each year Physical Evidence: it means beauty,new planes ,comfort flights†¦ Each boeing is new 737 aircraft and has a list price in the region of 35million gbp. Therefore maximisi ng utilisation of each aircraft reduces the unit cost NOTES FROM THE CASE STUDIES MARKETING:The mutual satisfactions of both suppliers and customers. The method is the process of shaping and managing the marketing mix in a way which takes into considerition the needs of the customer and the goals of the organisation at one and the same time.Marketing is the performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from organisation to their customers. Chartered Institute of Marketing defines marketing as; The management process which identifies ,anticipates and satisfies customer requirements effciently and profitably Professor Philip Kotler 1999 states;Marketing is a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups get what they need and want through creating,offering and exchanging products of value with others. People don’t only buy what they want to ,they buy them because of the value of products they require.Marketing is concerned with cu stomers ,they are the main element in marketing not quality or products. If customers are demanding for new products features,marketing department will have to communicate these requirements to the production department to make provision for new processes and new machinery. On the other hand if the customer change their pattern of shopping or seek more information regarding the safe us of product ,the company may have to recruit new marketing executives to match up to the demand. )Using technology on easyjet One of the most important developments in the UK travel industry in the last 15 years is the growth of the ‘budget’ or ‘no frills’ airlines, easyJet and Ryanair. Both of these airlines were launched when new regulations made it easier to operate between countries within Europe and both used new technology and other methods to sell seats, rather than through traditional high street travel agents.The growth of both companies has been exceptional and the a irlines have used similar approaches in their ‘business models’ * Use of the Internet to reduce distribution costs – easyJet was one of the first airlines to see the opportunity of the Internet when it sold its first seat online in April 1998. Now approximately 95 % of all seats are sold over the internet. * Maximise the time the aircraft is being used – For both Ryanair and easyJet maximising the use of each aircraft reduces the overall cost of running the aircraft. Ticketless travel – Passengers receive an email containing their travel details and booking reference when they book online, rather than a traditional ticket. This helps to reduce significantly the cost of issuing and processing millions of tickets each year. * ‘No free lunch’ – Not offering free catering on-board reduces cost. Passengers can purchase food on-board if they choose to. * Free seating – Unlike traditional airlines, Ryanair and easyJet passengers are not assigned a seat, unless they pay extra to board first.This helps passengers to take their seats more quickly and saves time. * Efficient use of airports – By reducing turnarounds (the time between landing and take-off) to 30 minutes and below, easyJet and Ryanair maximise the use of their aircraft. Not having pre-assigned seating, like traditional airlines, helps reduce turnaround times. * Reduced fares – generally Ryanair and easyJet offer cheaper fares than traditional airlines, especilally for passengers who can book early and take advantage of the deals available. Easy Jet MANAGEMENT 100 800 WORD SUMMARY 836 WORDS EXCLUDING REFERENCES EasyJet EasyJet Airline Company Limited headquartered at London Luton Airport is the UK’s largest budget airline measured by number of passengers carried, operating domestic and international scheduled services. Easy Jet has grown through a combination of acquisitions and base openings fuelled by consumer demand for low-cost air travel. Ryanair another budget airline is currently Easyjet’s biggest competition. EasyJet has adapted cost-cutting measures such as not selling connecting flights or providing complimentary snacks on board.The key points of this business model are high aircraft utilisation, quick turnaround times, charging for extras and keeping operating costs low however EasyJet flies mainly to primary airports. EasyJet also focuses on attracting business passengers by offering convenient services such as the â€Å"Flexi fare† which allows free of charge changes to the flight within a windo w, speedy boarding and a checked in bag. General environment – International dimension According to Samson and Daft (2009), general environment is ‘layer of environment that affects the organization indirectly’. It includes external factors that are not within an organization.One of the dimensions, international dimension is referring to factors that arise from foreign countries that will affect an organization. Factor that will either be an opportunity or threat to an organization will include having to encounter competition globally. An organization will have to face international competitors where it trade on its own even though not involve in exports and operates domestically. Besides, it would be essential to learn to adapt to the changes and trend circulating around the world as technology advances as time passes and political events such as Iraq war.Apart from that, rise of economic power of China has a significant impact on the international economy due t o the massive workforce, brainpower, population dynamics and abundant natural resources that many countries rely on. The always changing worldwide environment has very large impact on organization compared to domestic environment, demanding for great control of the organization. What is a competitive advantage A competitive advantage could be defined as a unique position a firm develops in comparison with its competitors (Hyvonen 1995, 334).It is imperative for firms to understand what it’s competitive advantage is and take advantage of them as it can change rapidly (Anthony, Perrewe, Kacmar, 1996, p. 468). One of the ways to create a competitive advantage could be, through lower prices or differentiation (Woodruff 1997, 139). Lower prices is a competitive advantage when a firm is able to sell their product cheaply to consumers. Lower prices may be dependent on lower costs, however lower cost itself is not a competitive advantage as it should come along with lower prices for the advantage to be formed (Kotha, Vadlamani 1995, 76).Differentiation can be achieved through, providing superior goods and services, through the firm’s image, flexibility, total supplies and speed (Kotha, Vadlamani, 1995, p. 76; Sashi, Stern, 1995, p. 126; Helms, Ettkin, 2000, p. 1) Easy jet as a buget airlines has set its competitive advantage through lower prices. How The International Dimension Impacts Easy Jet’s Competitive Advantage There are many ways in which the International Dimension has affected Easy Jet’s Competitive Advantage. After the 9/11 attacks the airline industry suffered extensively. Passengers opted to use less of the big airlines.This allowed Easy Jet to be more successful as passengers were choosing their services over the big Airlines in Europe. When the number of people who used Easy Jet’s services increased it would have allowed the airlines to spread their fixed costs, which in turn reduces overall expenses and meant that the y were in a position to lower their prices thus impacting their competitive advantage in a positively contributing to the overall success of Easy Jet. (Easy Jets Market Structure 2012) Another factor in the International dimension that affects Easy Jet’s competitive advantage as that EU had ruled an ‘Open Skies’ agreement which meant that Easy Jet was given the choice to serve flight paths that may have been normally associated with some specific airlines. This allowed them to choose the routes that they preferred allowing them to choose routes that gave them the most benefits. (Easy Jets Market Structure 2012) Easy jet is also influenced by rising fuel prices. Increased fuel prices meant that the entire airline industry around the globe and Europe had raised their prices.However, increasing fuel prices meant that even Easy Jet had to raise the price, and this does not work well with their low cost, low price strategy. Therefore there is a negative and positive e ffect by the rise of fuel prices (Topham 2012) Conclusion In conclusion, the international dimension of the general environment represents event originating in foreign countries as well as opportunities for Easy Jet in other countries. International dimension affects competitive advantage in various way. Easy Jet has proved to be robust and competitive in a tough general environment.This is due to its large competitive advantages, which is its low cost prices. However, it is the report on the overall international dimensions which affects the competitive advantages of Easy Jet shows that Easy Jet is a highly successful company, which is expanding rapidly. Besides, by engaging with the international dimension, Easy Jet not only get more benefit from its competitive advantages but also increase it’s cash flow from operating activities throughout United Kingdom. References Anthony, William P. , Perrewe, Pamela L. nd Kacmar, Michele K. (1996): Strategic Human Resource Management, Fort Worth: Dryden Press Bamberger, Ingolf (1989): Developing Competitive Advantage in Small and Medium-Size Firms, Long Range Planning, 22 (5): 80-88. Easy Jets Market Structure. 2012. Competitive Advantage and Developing a Competitive Advantage Over Rivals. Accessed September 18, http://www. 123helpme. com/view. asp? id=122608 Helms, Marilyn M. and Ettkin, Lawrence P. 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