Dehumanization in All Quiet on the Western Front Essay

In All Quiet on the Western Front by Enrique Maria Remarque, the reader follows Paul Baumer as he fights through World War I and discovers the trials of being a soldier. As they survive through the war with each other, Paul and the other soldiers began to understand certain realities of life. Going into the battlefield teenagers, the soldiers come out as old men, burdened with their experiences. The war, meant to glorify Germany and turn its men into heroes, deadens and dehumanizes Paul and the other soldiers until they can’t recognize themselves. As soldiers, Paul and his friends are treated with little care. Their superiors act as if they are animals, replaceable and expendable because there are so many of them, and they hold so little power by themselves. Although only teenagers, these soldiers have had to grow up quickly in order to fight for their apparently insignificant lives. It is said that â€Å"[they] are the Iron Youth† (21). By describing the soldiers as â€Å"Iron,† Paul expresses how much the war has changed them. Iron, which can be interpreted both literally and figuratively, is a strong metal that covers a lot of the Earth as well as residing in its core. Therefore, with the soldiers described as â€Å"iron†, they are referred to as replaceable, expendable, and abundant in numbers. Also, â€Å"iron† can be used to describe someone who is determined, tough, and strong, showing how much these 19 year old soldiers have had to grow up in order to stay alive in the war. They lost their childhood, aging into old men because of the devastation and experiences they’ve encountered. And slowly, as their childhood goes, their humanity and liveliness leaves as well. The more the soldiers are treated like cattle, disposable and soulless, the faster they regress. Remarque often uses beast imagery to describe the soldiers at war, showing their relapse into animals while on the battlefield. We have become wild beasts. We do not fight, we defend ourselves against annihilation. It is not against men that we fling our bombs, what we do know of men in this moment in which death is hunting us down†¦ we can destroy and kill, to save ourselves, to save ourselves and be revenged (73). By using beast imagery, Remarque shows how the emotions of he soldiers are stripped away until they are only left with the instinct to do anything to stay alive. They fight not against other men, but other beasts as well, for deep down, all soldiers are the same, fighting for their comrades and for themselves instead of for their country. Just as men do beasts, Death â€Å"hunts† the soldiers on the battlefield, chasing after them as they become animals: replaceable, expendable, and superfluous. While the individual soldier is extraneous, many men make up the armies that fight wars. Most often, Remarque describes how these many soldiers change mentally because of the war; by describing how these men physically come together to form a fighting company, Remarque shows just how much the war has changed them. Farther on, the mist ends. Here the heads become figures; coats, trousers, and boots appear out of mist as from a milky pool. They become a column†¦. individuals are no longer recognizable†¦. a column – not men at all (57). The â€Å"column† that Remarque uses to describe the soldiers shows how they are the support that holds the military up. Without the columns of soldiers, the lieutenants, generals, and other leaders in the army would be insignificant because they would have no inferiors and not enough men to fight a war. The â€Å"individual† soldier is irrelevant, too. He has no power on his own, because men do not fight wars. Armies do. When one soldier falls, another takes his place without second thought, as if an automaton or a well-trained dog. They follow orders without questions, and eventually the soldier can no longer comprehend the man he used to be before the war, because they have lost all personality and individuality. They have become blank, same, and dehumanized, more beastly with every day at the front. By the end of the war, the soldiers that returned to Germany are unrecognizable. They have fought like animals, run from Death, and seen so many horrors. While they went to war to be heroes, to fight for their country, the soldiers came back broken and empty, only shells of their former selves. They have regressed slowly, losing the will to live, and changing until they can’t recognize themselves.

Organizational Change Plan Essay

The proposal discussed is Electronic Health records. There are numerous advantages to using Electronic Medical health Records however, there are disadvantages as well. I believe that the Electronic Health Records process needs to be improved. Staff are having major difficulty using EHR‘s and this detrimental to the use because the staff feel uncomfortable therefore avoiding using EHRs. In order to change how the health care providers feel towards using EHRs, management must communicate adequately the need for the change and the great benefits of it. The next step would be for management to educate the staff by using evidence based processes. In this stage, management must make use of EHRs simple for staff to follow and provide enthusiasm in using EHRs correctly. An organizational boundary would be lack of deadlines, lack of funding, and lastly lack of participation from staff. Lack of deadlines leave staff to make their own deadline according to how necessary they feel the chan ge is. Usually, new processes get put off because they’re used to the then existing habit and feel that the new process would require more time and energy. Despite the fact that actually using EHRs require a lot of training the primary benefit of EHRs is that it doesn’t require an unnecessary amount of effort. One could save time and make other staff’s tasks much easier resulting in faster outcomes and more time to focus on more issues. Another organizational boundary would be lack of funding. EHRs need computers, trainers/ End users, training manuals, subject matter experts, and time which could be rather costly. If an organization does not have the funds to provide training manuals, subject matter experts, or any of the other matters reported then the use of EHRs will not be possible. Lastly, lack of participation from staff is an enormous regulatory barrier. Without the use of EHRs by the staff the employees won’t see the benefits of using EHRs and they will continue to use the old and less productive way. Individual barriers include problems comprehending the new information, fear of changing, and computer illit eracy. All the problem stated are rather large personal barriers and are interconnected. One may fear or feel that they don’t want to change to EHRs because they are computer illiterate and can’t comprehend how to use a computer. When using EHRs one must have basic  computer knowledge and be proficient in using all the necessary tools and software’s on a computer and without this knowledge then a person would feel overwhelmed in trying to use EHRs. There are both good and bad factors that may influence my proposed change. An example of a negative factor would be poor performing computers. Positive factors include good communication. Negative factors such as poor performing computes could negatively impact the use of EHRs significantly. The purpose of using EHRs are to save on time resulting in an increase of productivity but if working on a poor performing computer one may be result in going back to writing out information on health records. The main decisive factor i n using EHRs is the increase of communication. With the use of EHRs not only all the staff will be able to access a patient’s information but another organization like a hospital or insurance company will be able to see and use the record. Using EHRs inside an organization will allow for all the staff to view the same information and to be updated. Lewin’s model relates to the change proposed because the process needed to change the process of EHRs which require Lewin’s three steps unfreezing, changing and refreezing Spector (2010). Unfreezing would be getting the staff to realize that they need to make a change. It is said that communication is essential in this step because it is needed to convey the urgency and specific outcome wanted (Change Management In Ehr Implementation, 2013). However in this scenario the change wouldn’t be to implement EHRs it would be to get the staff to use go from avoiding the use of EHRs to become the new norm. The second step of the Lewin’s model is change. Change is moving from old habits or behaviors to the new and efficient implementations. Learning new habits and processes are what happens during this changing phase. Also, resistance is often seen in this stage, usually employees are set in their ways and view the new change as difficult or more challenging therefore they will resist the change Spector (2010). This is where the main problem occurs in the use of EHRs especially at my place of employment. The staff was introduced to a new method in recording health records however the staff still had doubts and felt intimidated towards using EHRs. In order to change or prevent the negative attitude towards the change, managers should let the employees know that the new change is necessary and that it contains more benefits than the last process. This is a problem within our organization. Usually providers state  to the workers that a change is going to be made then they train employees immediately and then they leave it up to the employees to continue to use the new process. In addition, managers and other employers sh ould make themselves available to the staff in assisting them with the new change. The last step discussed in Lewin’s model is freezing. The step freezing ensures that the new process is set in place and will continue to be the new norm. The employees at my workplace were not able to complete the final phase freezing because they resisted the change and reverted back to the old process. Internal resources available to support the change initiatives are using consultants or using expert help or allowing staff to take leadership roles in implementing the use of EHRs. Using expert help specialists allow the trainees to learn more about EHRs and how to prevent and correct problems with EHRs. Allowing staff to implement the use of EHRs through leadership is a very rewarding internal resource (Change Management In Ehr Implementation, 2013). The staff feels good about the change their making and the staff will use EHRs instead of writing this will provide them as well as the viewer with information about a patient and give them a better overview on what is happening with a patient. External resources available to support change initiatives are journals or using sites and articles. External resources would be journals, articles or websites on the subject matter of EHRs. These resources allow one to see anything from the purpose of EHRs, the history of EHRs, as well as how to resolve technical issues with EHRs. I believe that increased efficiency in EHRs will reduce the time it takes to access medical records. The pros outweigh the cons. Depending on whether or not staff has basic computer knowledge the education will be minimal as well as time. The advantages include better time management, more efficient communication, and less space taken up by papers and files. References Change Management in EHR Implementation. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/nlc_changemanagementprimer.pdf Spector, B. (2010). Implementing Organizational Change: Theory Into Practice (2nd ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix Ebook Collection database.

Cataracts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Cataracts - Research Paper Example This therefore means that the lens must be very clear for the retina to be able to receive an image that is sharp. If however the lens is cloudy from the formation of cataract, the image seen will be blurred (Caldwell, 1988). The functioning of the eye is just like that of a camera. Thus there is passage of light rays in the eye through the cornea first and then the aqueous humor (which is a fluid that is transparent in front of the eye), and then via the pupil and finally into the lens. The light rays are then bent onto the retina which lines the back of one’s eye. From this point, the image then passes via the retinal cells, and onto the optic nerve, and eventually onto the back of the brain which finally processes the image. Cataracts will therefore occur when there is protein buildup in the lens which makes it appear cloudy. This leads to the prevention of light from passing clearly via the lens, thus leading to loss of an individual’s vision. There is formation of new lens cells outside the lens, leading to the compacting of all the older cells at the middle of the lens, which results into a cataract (WebMD Medical Reference).Most cataracts start developing when an injury or age causes a change into the tissue that forms the lens of a person’s eye. Under normal circumstances, the lens is usually positioned behind the pupil and the iris and works just like the lens of a camera. Its main function is to focus light onto the retina and at the eye’s back, where the recording of an image takes place. The lens is also responsible for the adjustment of the eye’s focus, making sure that we are able to see things clearly, both those that are far away and upclose.The lens is composed of protein and water. The protein is naturally arranged precisely in a manner that always keeps the lens in a clear form and allows passage of light through it. Old age may however cause the clumping together

Markting 3000 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Markting 3000 - Essay Example For example, IPhone functions depend on the mobile network such as GSM, GPRS, EDGE, 3G, Call, SMS etc. Without these features there is not much use of IPhone and hence by distributing IPhone through AT & T, Apple is enhancing the value and use of IPhone for consumers. Similarly, the value chain for customers buying online is that segment of market which resides outside the USA. Hence, they cannot use AT & T in their country, so it much feasible for them to buy IPhone online and use it in their country on their choice of mobile network. The value they get from buying online is cheaper product as compared to if it bought from AT & T. The return value channel will be reselling IPhone back to Apple, which will refurbish them and then sell them again in the market at a higher price. The reverse value will be that when people buy refurbish sets they will know that the product is being checked by Apple itself and hence it will be more reliable than other second hand IPhones available in the market. This will result in refurbished IPhones selling at a higher price as result of reverse

Small Business Success Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Small Business Success - Essay Example are believed to be driving forces to the success of small businesses and what business starters ought to do to increase likelihood of their businesses success. Most successful small businesses takes adequate time to set goals that give them clarity on the direction to take and how they need to carry out their activities in order to succeed. They are driven by their goals and objective despite the challenges encountered along the way such as stiff competition and lack of adequate finance (Bider and Johannesson 2005, p.627). Success can therefore be elusive especially if a small enterprise does not have a clear goal. Successful enterprises always provide room for alternative process and ideas if the initial one fails to deliver desired results. This ensures that activities are carried on as usual after occurrence of setbacks because alternative solutions complement the initial approach (Olivo 2001, p.45). For example, when workers in a small business resist changes, management can decide to bargain with them until they reach at a neutral position on how to embrace the new changes. They can also decide to abandon introducing new changes especially if they are likely to adversely affect workers morale which, possibly could results to poor performance. Setbacks are almost common in a business set up and they may require skilful approach to handle them. A business should acknowledge challenges and formulate various policies to help bouncing back to the initial position before occurrence of a certain challenge. A firm with determination on what it expects to achieve will always bounce back to the right track even after suffering huge losses because their aim is to hit their target. This is a very important trait among small businesses as it ensures that a business handle their own issues without much ado. The ability of making independent decision puts a business at a higher competitive notch since they do not have to consult others thus enhancing quick decision

Analysis of Abortion Theme in Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis of Abortion Theme in Literature - Essay Example For instance, there are a lot of disputes with pro and con arguments concerning the legalization of marihuana, the animal deaths for the sake of scientific experiments, the problem of corruption or possible methods to reduce alcohol dependence and others. Within entire variety of such ‘everlasting’ matters there is also one that causes considerable interest from the point of view of morality, ethics, social aspect and medicine simultaneously. Its level of development is able to affect demography and living standards of any country dramatically. This pressing issue manages to bring sometimes undesirable changes to people’s lives. And finally, present query deals with human health condition, which can be damaged irreparably if required preventive measures are not used in time. The problem which the present paper is dedicated to is the matter of abortions in modern society. Statistical data The world statistics shows that the biggest percentage of women who are prone to obtain abortions goes to the group of girls under twenty five years old. Over 60% of all medical procedures are done on women who have never been married (Henshaw and Kost 11). Moreover, only 7% of abortions happen due to rape or health problems, meanwhile about 93% of all abortions are committed because of social reasons, when a woman deliberately and consciously desires to get rid of unwanted baby. Today the question about whether abortion is ethically right or wrong action still quite controversial issue. Hence, in some states of the USA authorities provide financial assistance to insolvent women for enabling them to obtain mentioned medical procedure. However, in some countries, such as Brazil, Peru, Bangladesh, Colombia and Mexico, abortion has official status of illegal deed. Philosophic and religious attitude The matter of abortions from the view of ethics has been always a disputable notion among numerous philosophers. Jane English differentiates own visions concerning m entioned issue due to the stages of pregnancy. Hence, she believes that in the early months of pregnancy a baby in a womb should not be considered as a person, this means that a fetus has no any rights and moral status yet and abortion may take place. However, if there are late months of pregnancy then abortion should occur only if labor may cause damage to woman’s health condition (qtd. in Hillar and Prahl 133). By contrast with English, Mary Ann Warren concludes that no matter what period of pregnancy is a fetus should be considered as an inseparable part of woman’s body, therefore she has a full right to make a decision. It should be mentioned that different religions also have own visions to the problem of interrupted pregnancy. For example, the Orthodox Church objects to abortions, while Jewish faith claims that â€Å"a fetus is hot considered a full human being and has no juridical personality of its own† (Zwerin and Shapiro 31). Reasons of abortion It is well known that a decision to give a birth to a baby is a serious and essential step that requires prolong and weighted reflections. There is no harder and more crucial issue for a woman than to make up own mind concerning the possibility of her potential child’s future life. Feeling a burden of huge responsibility, a lot of women are prone to find courage for interrupting pregnancy artificially. This happens because of several reasons, the major of which are the following: childbirth may damage

3M Company Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

3M Company Analysis - Research Paper Example It is a multinational corporation headquartered in Minnesota, United States. It was founded by five businessmen in the year 1902. The company had an annual sale of $ 29.6 billion in the year 2012. It employs more than 84000 employees all throughout the world. The company produces more than 55000 products which include adhesives, laminates, abrasives, dental products, fire protection, medical products, electronic materials, car care products, electronic circuits, optical films etc. The company operates in 65 countries. Its products are available in approximately 196 countries through retailers and distributors. Many products are also available online and can be purchased directly by ordering on the company’s website. 3M’s Brand and its message to the customers Brand is the term, name, symbol, design or some other feature which helps in the identification of a company’s products or services. Branding is a strategy adopted by the companies for differentiating their products from the competitors through a distinctive symbol. The brand is the most valuable and useful asset of a company. 3M is a new appearance for the Best Global brands in the year 2010 mostly because of a series of vast acquisitions which have provided the company a new and innovative brand identity system (3M, â€Å"3M Makes Interbrand’s List of Best Global Brands 2013†). This new brand identity has helped the company in unifying its diversified business. It has boosted the brand awareness of the company. Defining as well as strengthening of the 3M brand lying within the fragmented market area and increasing portfolio of global acquisitions has been very challenging. The goal of the company from the perspective of strengthening its position and brand in the market lies in two steps (3M, â€Å"Reinvigorating the Brand, Driving Growth†). The first step is by making the company an industry leader and the second step is by communicating to the customers about t he company’s ability to become end to end security provider. The brand identity system of the company have been enhanced recently for delivering the brand essence in more appropriate manner and positioning the brand and its value propositions throughout the world (3M, â€Å"Brand Identity in Action†). This new brand identity strategy has helped the company in differentiating 3M from its competitors and communicating a consistent and strong message to the key audiences. Logo and slogan Logo and slogan are the key elements of the brand positioning strategy. An effective brand positioning strategy always includes a visual identity i.e. logo and a tagline or a positioning statement i.e. the slogan. 3M’s logo is unique and communicates an appealing identity to the targeted audiences. The 3M Red Logo of the company is vertically as well as horizontally centred and covers almost 1/3rd of the total width of the screen. The background of the logo is white for enabling ma ximum readability (â€Å"3M Logo Animation and Soundmark†). The company has launched an animated video of the company’s logo where a sound mark is also available so that it can be used in pertinent applications (for example- online spots, television spots, videos etc.). 3M’s slogan is a short and impressive catch phrase, motto or tagline which has helped in identifying its products in advertisements. The business slogan which is most associated with the company is ‘Innovation’. The mission statement of the company is to be committed in active contribution to a

MANAGING INTERNATIONAL TRADE Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

MANAGING INTERNATIONAL TRADE - Coursework Example History has shown that developing nations have substantially progressed with the essence of open market operations in international trade. It is not possible for a firm to gain competitive advantage and lead the market competition without the help of internationalization of business. However, it should be analyzed that without the help of strategic planning in business, it is not possible for firms to expand in the competitive international markets. Effective strategies, framed through strategic management principles, help a firm to progress in the long run. This project would consider ways in which the Indian (developing country) consumer goods firm of Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL) would export or initiate its trade in the competitive market of Paris in France (European country) (Godrej, 2013). Research on the Assignment Topic The economy of France, unlike India, is highly developed. Almost all the business segments of the country have progressed (David, 1986). The majorit y of the business segments of the country are privatized, which reasons out the strong competition in the market of France between the companies. The per capita income level of the country has increased from $35900 to $36100 from 2010 to 2012 (CIA, 2013). The high and increasing level of per person income is responsible for the high standard of living in the country. The aggregate demand created by the domestic individuals in the nation, regarding consumer goods services, is high in France. This is because consumer care products are sort of comfort or luxury goods that have a positive income effect. With the rising income of the consumers, the demand for such goods would also increase. High demand in the market has increased the degree of competition of FMCG companies in France. The consumer goods firms already exhibit monopolistic competition with each other in the country. Thus, when the Indian company would formulate its export strategies, it has to clearly understand the busines s market of France. The Indian company should realize that the population of France is 61 million as recorded in 2012 (CIA, 2013). Thus, if it becomes successful in exporting its products in the affluent market of France, then it would enjoy a wide base of customers. Rather, the trade barriers in France are also few as the company’s public authorities impose less restrictions on trade. The government of the country always encourages higher degree of privatization and international trade to augment its level of social welfare. Approximately $577.7 billion worth of goods and services are imported in France (CIA, 2013). This proves that the government of the country is very lenient towards foreign investments. The country has a high international reputation. However, Godrej must realize that the first language of the country is French, so it must have trading employees who are well-versed in French. The rate of taxation imposed by the French government is approximately close to 20% (CIA, 2013). Thus, on the whole, it can be concluded that the French market is a highly competitive, rich and liberal market. The strategic decision adopted by the company, for exports in France, must consider the market conditions of the same explained above. Background Among all the sectors in an economy, the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) sector is one

Casein micelle structure Models and muddles Assignment

Casein micelle structure Models and muddles - Assignment Example All models that are proposed and should be working should be constructed in a way that it can imitate the behaviors of the represented structure. From the article, we can say that both models being used for representations are muddles. Both models are seen to be reaching their ends. It is imperative to note that milk composition do vary greatly in and in the total concentration of proteins, as well as their relative proportion. From this idea, we can summarize that in every model formed to explain the casein and casein micelle properties, the model cannot be specific to the species from which the milk comes from. Nonetheless, the model should be looking forward to recognizing that all milk from all mammals share same characteristic in that they all contain casein micelles (Horne 2006, pp. 148-153). There are various models put across by scholars. All the scholars have been speculating and striving to come up with a clear model. Each model do possesses its own weaknesses and strengths. The researchers have to come up with the restrictions and any raised requirements prior to choosing the best applicable model. In addition, the micelle system is exposed to advanced physical and technological environment to dig out their properties. The properties and the composition of milk molecules vary. The phosphoproteins are the casein proteins, and they are divided majorly into two groups. These two groups are responsible for the casein properties in mixtures where it prevents calcium from precipitating the groups that are calcium-sensitive. Two more groups that are considered to analogs of the two major groups have also been identified. This makes the total molecules of caseins to be four in total. Through research, it noted that most of the mammalian milk contains the four molecules that include k- casein, alpha â€Å"s1†, alpha â€Å"s2† and beta

Evolution of the Use of Wool and History of the Plow Term Paper

Evolution of the Use of Wool and History of the Plow - Term Paper Example The discovery of the plow also helped man in his activities such as farming. Science and technology has enhanced the improvisation of wool over the years thus keeping wool in the forefront of the rest of the fabrics. Wool has thus adapted to the modern standards in spite maintaining its previous features. It also takes a large part in the history of Britain. During the cradle of humankind around 1900 BC, weaving of wool into cloth became the main activity practiced. Domestication of sheep in the other areas started earlier (Lewis and John 1). Man soon realized that sheep produced milk and during the milking process, sheep shed its fleece, which made its acquisition easy and woven into cloth. Man discovered the several benefits he got from the sheep and thus decided to domesticate and rear it. Soon after domesticating sheep, man devised a way of getting cloth from fleece. He invented weaving and spinning the fleece into clothing. Man continued with the production of wool until it reached time where wool became the major export (Lewis and John 13). With time, the wool industry expanded a great deal. Exporting of wool increased and so did the manufacturing of wool fabrics and thus it became localized and specialized. Countries such as East Anglia and districts of Pennine had soft water, which makes the fabric more firm and compact surface. The Huguenot refugee weavers who sort refuge in France in the sixteenth century brought their weaving techniques with them and thus England surpassed Flanders in the wool manufacturing company and it stimulated the export rate. Introduction of machinery and mechanization in the industry of wool raised the standard of production of wool (Holsaert 105). This resulted into introduction of several other types of wool, which includes shape-Leeds, Bradford, Udders field, Halifax, and Wakefield. The sheep industry has greatly increased in the world. The natural coat of the sheep needed

Teacher’s Day Essay Example for Free

Teacher’s Day Essay On this very special occasion of Teacher’s Day, I would like to express my personal greetings and best wishes to all teachers and my fellow colleagues. Also, I would like to thank the parents who believe in us and send their children to Krista Kindergarten. I have been in the position of the school Principal for over 9 years and I must say I feel very happy to have lovely, sociable, and confident students in school. The students’ happiness in our school encourages and reminds the teaching staff to fulfill their educating responsibility, to devote themselves to their students. The teaching staff of our school always performs their best to deserve your trust for Krista Kindergarten. Every teacher feels like giving more enthusiasm to love our school and to our students Teachers mold the lives that they influence. Lessons learned from teachers remain with their students throughout life. Teachers that break down barriers and reach into the souls of the students that they are responsible for do not get the recognition or gratitude they have earned. Many teachers are exhausted from their workload and responsibilities. They have their own families, financial and life stresses that challenge them along with everyone else. Thus, we should always respect our teachers. I have received many beautiful fresh flowers and best wishes from my students, colleagues, and parents. Once again, I would like to thank all representatives, teachers, parents, and students. I respectfully wish you health, happiness, and success. Happy Teacher’s Day! Thank you.

Effects of the financial crisis on various UK industries

Effects of the financial crisis on various UK industries Economic Report The above graph shows the FTSE 100 index in the 5 years to the 14th October 2010.   The index value at any particular time is based on the share prices of the top one hundred by value with each organisation being weighted in proportion to its total market value (Pike, Neale, p.38 2009).   Despite this index only being a small percentage of the total companies in the United Kingdom it generally reflects the performance of much of the market. Prior to the financial crisis of 2008 leading to the crash in the markets-shown in the first quarter of 2009-investment in government debt was regarded as relatively risk free.   It is a sign of the fragile economy situation globally that investors no longer view such investments as a sure thing (Oakley, 2010).   This credit crisis has prompted investors to proceed with caution and despite initial positive trends the principles which underpinned investments in the past have been shattered resulting in large scale political reforms throughout much of the Western World (Future of investing, FT).   The suggestion of an unsteady recovery is reinforced by a recent article in the Economist which states that,   Big asset busts are usually followed by years of weakness as the over-borrowed repair their balance-sheets.   Experience suggests that several years of slow growth lie ahead.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Oct. 7th 2010 It goes on to state that the reactive measures will be the biggest synchronised fiscal tightening on record.   Governments worldwide have had their hand forced in to budget cuts and other measures to sustain growth out of the crisis.   Whilst this statement points to and assures uncertainty should be highlighted that growth albeit at a slow pace is thought to be likely. The current economic situation, specifically in the United Kingdom, is underlined by the massive growth in unemployment.   Gilmore comments that the number of workless households has increased to 3.9 million over the last two years an increase of 389,000 (2010, p 39).   Furthermore, high profile cutbacks remain prevalent with Boots and Hewlett-Packard announcing combined cuts of 2,200 workers in the UK alone (Clark, 2010; Felsted 2010).   Whilst over the past two years there has been an overall escalation in unemployment there are some signs of improvement.   The three months to July 2010 witnessed the number out of employment fall to 2.47 million (Gilmore, 2010). It can be said that the current times are very uncertain and on that account the correct investment strategy will be vaguer than ever before.   For that reason, the general investment strategy which will be employed is buy and hold.   Not all investments will be made in this manner, however, for the most part this logic will be applied.   The buy and hold approach can be justified by looking at the market trend since the FTSE 100 began in 1984: It can be seen that after a dip such as in 1987 and in 2000 that the market tends to recover so despite the fragile economic situation a recovery, albeit a slow one as mentioned previously, can be envisaged. Sector Reviews Sector: Power The power sector is one of the main constituents of the FTSE 100. Utilities and Oil Gas alone make up 14 of the 104 constituents which complete the index, together counting for nearly a quarter of the net market capitalisation for all the industries included. It can therefore be deduced that any reasonable change in the power sector as a whole has a great influence on the performance of the top one hundred FTSE listed companies (FTSE Fact Sheet, 2010). For consideration, the sector has been split in to three main sub-sectors: mining, water utilities and oil gas. All three sub-sectors witnessed their three year minimum around 2009 and have recovered strongly since with one exception to be covered in more detail: oil gas. Mining The recovery can be expected to continue in the mining sector as commodity prices continue to rise. One of the major mined commodities, gold, has seen prices soar in recent times increasing nearly six fold since 2001 (Post1, 2010) to its current levels of $1361.20 per ounce. The market expects this price will continue to rise amid speculation that the United States government will commence quantitative easing once more (Murchie, 2010). Barrick Gold and Anglo Gold Ashanti have recently raised equity to eliminate bad hedges and does not expect to return to hedging at any price (Yahoo! Finance, 2010). Thus, both organisations expect the price of gold to continue to rise therefore gold companies with proven reserves are likely to increase in value. This theory is reinforced by a Goldman Sachs analyst, writes Alistair Dawber, who predicts that Gold will hit $1,650 within a year (Independent, 2010). Water and Utilities Water and Utilities in the United Kingdom show a strong recovery after the first quarter of 2009 also receiving boosts from an exceptionally cold winter. Profits of ScottishPower rose 7.9% last year due to the bitterly cold winter and Britains biggest supplier of gas and electricity witnessed profits soar 46% to  £554 million (Macallister, 2010). The Met office commented that it had been the coldest winter in thirty years (2010). Long term forecasts predict that this winter will be colder than average with more precipitation than would be the norm. Should this hold true then share prices will increase on the back of higher demand for gas and electricity which eludes to the sector share prices to trend upwards. Oil and Gas The first graphic representation shows the FTSE 350 index for Oil and Gas producers. A sustained recovery from the low in late 2009 was seen until Q2 of 2010 which observed a sharp decline. This deterioration is largely due to the Deepwater Horizon disaster and its effects are clear. BP (formerly British Petroleum) are the second largest company in the FTSE 100 index (FTSE Fact Sheet, 2010) so any change in share price will have a large influence on both the sector and the whole economy. The second graph shows the correlation between the BP share price and the FTSE 350 Oil and Gas. The cost to BP, who are regarded as being ultimately responsible for the disaster, amounts to a pre-tax charge of $32,192 million. This amount relates to all costs sustained in relation to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the commitment to cover any future costs which BP feel they can estimate reliably (BP, 2010). As the cost of the disaster has already been absorbed by the company and the markets, assumi ng there is no further outfall, it can be expected that the market will continue to trend upwards and back towards its previous average. On this basis, the sector can be considered as a relatively safe investment. There is potential for very large returns within this sector however they arise with considerable risk. Those with a higher risk appetite may seek to invest in the companies partaking in the oil exploration taking place in the Falkland Islands. Investment Due to the positive nature of all three sectors in this uncertain economic period it has been decided that all three sub-sectors outlined will provide investment opportunities. This facilitates potential for excellent gains but at the same time it utilises one of the main strategies for managing risk, diversification (Jaeger, 2002, p.235). Sector: Transport and Leisure Transport and leisure is a broad ranging sector including companies such as Babcock International Group who specialise in a wide range of areas including defence to organisations such as First Group who are a leading transport operator in the UK and North America (First Group). As it is such a broad sector transport and travel and leisure will be combined due to the similar nature of the two sub-sectors. Food Beverages has been discounted for ethical reasons. Aerospace and Defence As much of this sub-sectors revenue comes from government spending, Aerospace Defence at first appeared to be a wise choice for investment although on closer inspection this was proved not to be the case.   This sector was eventually discounted largely due to the expected cuts in government spending in the United Kingdom and abroad which will have an influence on companies which rely on this spending to maintain profitability and current share price levels.   For example, Babcock International Groups revenues are 80% U.K based (Hoyos, 2010) which in the current climate is too much exposure to a single market.   The FTSE 350 index Aerospace and Defence shows the volatility across the sector throughout 2010. Automobiles and Parts Outside of the main organisations in this sector there is only comparatively small amount of information available outside of the major companies. Where the majors are concerned, a case could be constructed for investment however these are outweighed by the potential risks. In recent times there has been many disrupting events which have an effect on the volatility of share prices within the sub-sector. Three major car manufacturers, including one trading in the UK-Toyota, have announced large scale recalls. Toyota was forced to recall 10.9 million cars in the US and Canada (Simon, 2010) whilst both BMW and Dailmler AG have recalled a combined 698,800 vehicles. (Sky News, 2010)(WSJ, 2010). As well as the turbulent recalls demand for new cars in the UK has fallen and it is not expected that they will return to peak levels. Between 2007 and 2009 the amount of new cars purchased fell from 2.4 million to 1.9 million-of which 285,000 were purchased at a heavily discounted level under the Governments scrappage scheme (Sky News, 2010). The article goes on to state that sales figures are not expected to increase above 2 million for the next three years which would allude to a levelling of share prices at current levels. Food and Beverage The low which the FTSE 350 Food and Beverage experienced in March 2009 coincided with the bottom of the FTSE100, however, the dip was not as severe and the immediate recovery was swift and strong.   Whilst these are promising signs there has been a stagnation.   In Q2 and Q3 of 2010 the index has   fallen from its high of 541.81 in mid April to a its current level of 528.69 (Yahoo finance, 18th October).   In the same period the FTSE 100 after suffering from an initial drop recovered strongly and is now showing a positive growth curve in the short term.   It can be concluded that the performance of the sector as a whole is not matching that of other sectors which are performing well. An example of a poor performer in this sector would be Punch Taverns which is one of the largest pub companies in the United Kingdom (Punch Taverns, 2010). Shares in Punch Taverns are down over 15% in the last 52 weeks (Interactive Investor Trading, 2010). Travel Leisure A graph of the FTSE 350 index over the previous 5 years is shown. It can be seen that from its peak in 2007 there has been a huge loss in market capitalisation across the travel and leisure sector however this was met with a strong recovery from mid 2009 onwards and this trend looks to continue. The upwards movement of this index is underpinned by growth in many of the major companies in the sector such as British Airways, Ryanair Holdings and Easyjet. This shows growing investor confidence in one of the most troubled industries of the past 10 years. Investment It is this confidence and steady sustained growth within sub-sector four that makes the Travel and Leisure sub-sector the advised choice for investment however the other sectors will provide some potential for investment should an appropriate company be identified. Retailers UK retail sector employees around 3 million people. It is the 3rd largest in the world after USA and Japan. On a whole the retail sector generates around 8% of the UK GDP. 1 in 10 of the people in employment currently works in the retail sector. Shops account for more than a third of consumer spending; due to this the retail sector is very important to how the economy on a whole performs. Usually if there is a drop in retail, the GDP of the economy would be affected greatly as well. The year 2007 marked the beginning of the credit crisis which resulted in the UK facing an economic downturn. This affected many companies, including Woolworths. Woolworths before the credit crisis was one of the major companies in the retail sector. Due to the crisis, which lasted from 2007-2009, Woolworths went into administration on the 26th November 2008. During late 2009 market the end of the period of the recession, which allowed the retail sector to improve its growth, as shown in the graph below. Investment The retail sector is ideal because of its high growth before the credit crisis, this sector is now quickly recovering and should be expected to be at a high growth as before the credit crisis. There should be high growth especially during the Christmas period. The House leisure Personal Goods sector would be an inappropriate option in my opinion because it involves lots of manual and material costs. This sector will also gain lower growth unlike the retail sector, which should have higher growth. Telecommunications The telecommunication sector offers a wide variety of jobs and is an important sector for the economy. The UK is one of the leading locations for telecommunication in Europe. In recent times, the competition between telecommunication companies has sharply risen since the early 1990s. This is due to the rapidly increasing use of phone lines, internet and mobiles etc. This sector also was affected with the credit crisis during late 2007 as shown below on diagram. One of the largest companies in the telecommunications sector BT faced their third-quarter profits had been reduced to 81 per cent. This was due to the poor performance from the BTs IT network division. BT had also had to write off a lot of its contracts which resulted in a loss of  £336 million. But it should be considered that this was due to the credit crisis, now that the crisis is finished, most companies should start to develop more growth in the telecommunication sector. Investment Telecommunications is constantly developing through mobile devices, video calling and other services. Todays technology has an impact on the telecommunication sector, such as Apple, that supplies innovative telecommunication service through its Iphone. There telecommunication service offers many new services, which suggest this sector would be ideal for strong growth The Tech Hardware sector involves lots of constant research that includes innovation and development, which could involve lots of costs in this sector. The Electronic Electronic Equipment sector involves large costs of investment because of the development and material costs involved, you must take into consideration of the current competiveness in the market today. This sector makes up for 4 per cent of the Europeans municipal waste, which is growing three times faster than any other waste management system, as discussed by Waste online website. It would not be recommended to invest in the Media sector because of the competiveness in this market. Current organisations in the media sector are losing out from customers, due to the vastly availability of free media available online. Pharmaceuticals Biotechnology Sector: Chemicals General The pharmaceuticals and biotechnology sector is a massive industry, there are many companies involved with the field. The value of the global pharmaceutical market is expected to grow 5-7 percent in 2011, to $880 billion, compared with a 4-5 percent pace this year, according to IMS Health. The sector divides itself into two sub-sectors. Pharmaceutical companies: Develop and manufacture prescription and over-the-counter drugs (aspirin, cold remedies, birth control pills), as well as vaccines. Biotechnology companies: Create new biological substances for use in drugs and diagnosing tools through research and development. The sector is mainly occupied by small, extremely specialised, research firms. As these companies dont have a normal income flow, but rely more upon new discoveries to help fund future research any breakthroughs or licensing arrangements. As this can lead to large revenues which may help fund even further research. On the other hand due to the small size of the businesses any delays in acquiring funding may cause cash flow problems. Along with this trading can be very irregular as new discoveries can cause share prices to rocket. There has been a trend in the pharmaceutical industry whereby small biotechnology companies are carrying out the premature work on new discoveries, before selling their work to the industry leaders, which is quite similar to an outsourcing model. The end result allows the product to be sold in large quantities to a global market. The industry has seen very drastic changes over the past few quarters, since performance was affected by factors such as generic competition. The next 5 years suggest a major change between the introduction of new products and patent loses. One of the main reasons why the global pharmaceutical market growth, will be limited to 5-8% through 2014 is because over the next five years. Products that generate sales upwards of $142 billion will eventually face competition from generic products. Also upcoming products are not likely to reach the same amount of sales, as products lose their patent protection. Fig 1. The above graph shows the FTSE-350 of the Pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector over a period of 4 years. You can see the affects of the credit crisis in the first quarter of 2008, after this there is a slight increase in the market however the market crashes in the first quarter of 2009. Overall the sector produced total revenues of $615.1billion in 2008. One of the most profitable sectors of the market in 2008 was cardiovascular which was worth 19.8% of the markets total value. That is equivalent to $121.7 billion. Forecasts suggest that the growth of the market is set to shrink with a likely CAGR of 3.6% fro, 2008-2013. This should cause the value of the market to increase to $734 by the end of 2013. Top ten companies top 10 pharma bio.jpg Emerging Markets Other recent trends include focusing on emerging markets such as the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). This is due to sales in emerging markets that have been growing at faster rate than sales in the established markets (IMS, 2010). Within the next five years these emerging markets will generate as much revenue as the traditional markets such as the U.S. market (largest pharmaceutical market) along with Europe and Japan. Source: IMS health Construction Materials Sector: Industrials materials This sector includes companies that are involved with discovering, developing and processing raw materials and mining/refining of metals, chemicals and forestry. Due to this sector supplying materials for construction, it heavily relies on a strong economy. This sector can also be very unpredictable as it is vulnerable to supply and demand due to prices of raw materials such as gold. In general construction activity declined rapidly by 10.5% in 2009. Estimates backed by fragile private sector housing, industrial and commercial property activity suggest a further fall of 1.6% in 2010. The most profitable in the sector over the past year was infrastructure and public non-housing (such as schools) which increased by 10% and 25% Recent data shows slight signs of recovery in the private sector, particularly in new housing. This is backed up by survey evidence which shows a slight increase in housing activity in the final quarter of 2009 construction2.jpg In 2010, private sector housing activity is expected to show further signs of a gradual recovery, but recent signs of increased investor confidence in commercial property may not translate into stronger activity until 2011. This is shown in the graph below. contruction 1.jpg Review Public housing: Weak activity in the private sector has caused output in this sector to have fallen in 2009. However due to the governments drive to help increase affordable housing there are signs of increase in the second half of 2009. Public housing is expected to rise around 6-7% within the next two years. Private housing: Output for private housing was forecasted to drop by nearly 30% last year. Forecasts suggest the recovery period will be gradual. Housing indicators also show recovery in house prices and mortgage approvals. Output in this sector is set to rise to 1% this year pushing it to 10% in 2011 Infrastructure and public non-housing: This sector is continuously growing over the past year this has been due to a number of high- profile projects such as road and rail projects across the UK, the schools building programme and the 2012 Olympics Private commercial and industrial: Over 25% of output has plunged since last year in this sector according to forecasts. Even though there has been interest to investors in this specific sector. Output will likely increase again in 2010, as the commercial sector underperformed industrial, before it returns to normal growth. Repair maintenance: As the current economic situation is slowly recovering, maintenance and private repair are expected to stabilise and eventually grow in 2011. However its different story for public repair and maintenance as its easier to push back spending on this area than make a cut in new high- profile investments Chemicals General including:- Support Services Tobacco Industrials Materials including:- Industrial Transportation Industrial General Industrial Engineering Sector: Chemicals General Sub Sector 1: Chemicals The chemical industry is very crucial to UK manufacturing as it provides the essential compounds for the manufacturing processes and the also the large number of jobs it creates. The industry is equivalent to 1.5%GDP. UKs manufacturing industry total sales of  £62.62bn over the period of 2005 to 2009. However when the economy fell into recession one of the key sectors to be hit by this was manufacturing which the chemical industry is a key supplier of. This sector is highly competitive which has lead to a great deal of mergers and acquisitions. Majority of the major companies in the UK industry are global players which are focused on core ` activities which involve specialised synthesis or final formulation of products. Before the economic recession growth was steady and would have increased over a period of time, however due to the sluggish growth of the UK economy and also globally. Growth will stay reasonably restrained in 2011-2012. Along with the dire state of the governments finance which will eventually lead to tax rises and spending cuts. Therefore this subsector will not be a profitable investment. However export markets in emerging economies are more likely to successful. Sub Sector 2: Health Care Equipment Services The Healthcare industry is broken down into smaller groups such as medical devices, laboratory equipment, system and technology and associated services such as management, training and education. The majority of companies that operate in the UK are foreign-owned mostly American. This sector exports up to  £4bn worth of products and services annually into the global market. Overall this sector is growing extremely fast as there are so many countries working to improve their health care services and facilities. The main reason to the UKs growing presence in the global market is down to the positive relationship between the government, the industry, NHS and private sectors. Along with the well developed health care infrastructure. One of the main themes of the healthcare industry has become cost reduction this is due to the difficult economic times. It is very crucial that the organisations look for new ways to help decrease costs. Therefore this sub sector will not be a profitable investment.

Budgeted Airlines In The Airline Industry Management Essay

Budgeted Airlines In The Airline Industry Management Essay This report in-depth analyzes the European airline Industry and reports the challenges the budgeted airline faces in the industry and especially for Ryanair. Here it shows how structure, system, leadership, culture environment focus in order to see Ryanairs position and growth in the low cost market. It clearly states the Ryanairs current strategy and identifying its long term strategy. The Business Plan ranges from an industry analysis to an internal financial capability. An integrate understanding of the functioning of the company in terms of human and technical operations, leadership, customer relationship and financial structure. This material critically analyses the internal functioning to create viable strategic positioning and discus any approach changes of Ryanair for its improved sustainability. It refers its capability, structure, system, leadership, culture, people and environment in the low cost European market. The analysis has been done by using some major theories such as 7s matrix, balance score card, double loop learning of Ryanair, ansoff matrix and culture web. Accordingly, this material primarily analyses the current business strategies of Ryanair to understand the nature of their operations. Subsequently, conducts a PESTEL analysis, Porters five forces and value chain analysis to understand the environment of Ryanair, drivers of profit in the industry at present and the future and financial analysis. In addition to balance score card analysis also has been done to understand finance situation in the context of Ryanair and to evaluate its performance. Finally, this report will recommend the recommendations where its applicable. The analysis of this report was complete with the support of the case information provided and through industry related information from academic books, journals, websites and other publicly available secondary data sources. Introduction Ryanair is an Irish airline started its operation in 1985 competing in European budgeted airline industry in the recent years. Ryanair is one of the most profitable and key players in the European budgeted airline market. (Refer Appendix 1) Low cost business model was intruded by the US biased southwest in early 1070s. In 1992 Ryanair was the first to introduce low-cost business model in European market. Easyjet is the main low-cost business model competitor for Ryanair in European market, The reduction of the cost is the center point for low-cost business model. Some of the innovative choice made by Ryanair to maintain low-cost, no-frills service are eliminating traditional in-flight catering and by that reducing labour-related cost, use of on-line booking system, connecting point to point network using secondary airport, comfortable but not spacious seats by that increasing seating capacity, use of similar fleets. This report carries out detail study of Ryanait by analyzing Ryanairs current strategy and the management of the strategy. It recognizes how the business functions and operations are affecting the customer and leadership with their overall strategy. Critical success factor of Ryanair Currently Ryanair is facing lot if problems especially in cost strategy but it overcome from these problems by adding new strategies and grow up in market place. It uses different strategies to have Ryanair alive and to competitive with competitors. It gets a positive competitive advantage from competitors. Ryanair become the first largest low cost airline industry in Europe. Recently Ryanair is awarded for punctuality. It keep up times when flies through countries. Ryanair adopt new strategies to grow in market place and use tactics to keep low cost for flying and remain to get profits. Ryan airs goal is to meet the need of travelling places in low cost. Critical success factor are low cost, customer satisfaction with pricing, reliable and comfort service for customers. Ryanairs main critical success factor is to provide low cost. For that it eliminates in flight services. Seats adjustment and drinks but for their target market they prefer on time facilities, frequent departure and seat reservation. Low cost carrier business model The Low cost airline concept first was used in America by Pacific Southwest Airline in 1949. Southwest is now grown to become one of the largest profitable airlines in the United States. European history low cost airline model started in late 1990s. Low cost airline business model could be defined by the following three key elements. (Refer Appendix 2) Simple product: No in-flight catering and catering on request with extra payment. Plane with beiger capacity with narrow seat. Only single class without any seat allocation. Positioning: Price-conscious business passengers. High frequency point-to-point traffic using secondary airport. Aggressive marketing and competition with all transport carriers (Refer Assignment 1 appendix 6, p.25 and Appendix 10, p. 29) Low operating cost: Uniform fleet low maintenance cost, reduced crews training cost, low airport fees. Low wages, high usage of recourses and productivity, simple boarding process reduces ground waiting, high percentage of internet advance reservation, reduced clearing time and no hub service. Ryanairs current strategy Ryanair is an Irish airline competing in the low cost European airline industry. They are the most profitable and key players in the market. Ryanairs main objective to establish leading low-fare schedule passenger airline in the European market through continued improvements and expanded efficient low cost service. Low fare: Ryanairs low price policy increases price-conscious leisure and business travelers otherwise they would have used other mode of transport such as train, couch and cars. Ryanair sell one way air ticket for the schedule service by eliminating minimum stay requirement. Customer satisfaction: Ryanair achieved grater customer satisfaction by reduced cancellation and few lost baggage compare to other airlines. Achieve better punctuality by using less congested secondary airport. Regular point-to-point flights on short-haul routs: Ryanair provides regular point-to-point flights on short-haul routes around major populated centers by connecting secondary airport. This benefited higher rate of on time departure and faster turn around tine. Point-to-point non stop flying benefited Ryanair by way of cost of providing service for connecting passengers, baggage transfer and cost associated with transit passenger. Market segment: Early entrance in France, Italy, Scandinavian low cost airline market creates more profit brand recognition in the Europe budgeted airline industry. The success of the company is being able to attract more passengers at the both ends of their routes. This creates a name for Ryanair stating that Europe first number one no frills airline. Ryanair identify it maket growth through ansoff matrix (Refer Appendix 10) Competitive advantage: The main competitors for Ryanair in the low cost market are carriers including easyJet, FlyBe and ThomsonFly. All they try to attract potential customers by lowering the ticket price. In early stage favorable relationship with airport operators helped Ryanairs aggressive pricing until EU commission ruling in 2004 (Refer. Assignment 1, Appendix 11, and page number 30). Dispute with EU commission gives free publicity across the Europe continent. (Refer Appendix 7) Business functioning: Internal resources of the business and its functioning are extremely important for the business to prosper. Ryanairs important function and how this will affect business decision explained in SWOT analysis (Refer Appendix 15, Assignment 1- Appendix 9.p 28) Employees and Technical operations. Human resources are one of the most important functions in an organization. Ryanair keep their staff more happy and motivated. This they do by introducing incentive scheme for all operational employees and share option scheme which allow employees to participate for the success of overall company. Customer relation. Ryanair continues to offer no frills low fare service to keep the ticket rate at minimum level. Also Ryanair uses regional airports instead of national airport in order to keep the ticket price at lowest level and helped them for their punctuality due to less congested in the airport. Customers are looking for cheapest way of travelling; hence any bad publicity does not affect sales figures. Profitability. Ryanair have consistently year by year increased its profitability with customer satisfaction by keeping low cost ticket pricing and comfort service to the customers. Ryanair announced profitability despite bad year for airline industry such as gulf war and an outbreak of SARS. (Refer Appendix 6) financial statement published in Ryanairs annual report and also profit in euro for the period 2005 2008 and projection for 2009, passenger numbers and average fare for 2007 Less operating costs: Ryanairs operating cost is the lowest compare to other European airlines. It control major schedule airline operating cost such as aircraft equipment cost, personal productivity cost, customer service cost and airport handling and access cost Aircraft equipment cost Ryanairs aircraft acquisition strategy is to purchase single type aircraft. In 1998 Ryanair has taken a decision to purchase Boeings latest generation aircraft Boeing 737-800 replacing Boeing 737-200A and starts to use from 2005 onwards. Purchase of aircraft from single manufacture benefited Ryanairs barraging power for the new aircraft and cost advantages from personal training, maintenance and purchase and storage of spare parts. Also it has greater flexibility in terms of scheduling crews and equipment. Personal productivity Ryanair control their labor cost by continuously increasing its productivity with highly competitive work force. Ryanair pay productive-based incentives for employees including flight attendants for in-flight product sales and payments based on number of sectors and ours flown by pilots and cabin crews with limit of industry standard of maximum number of hours. Ryanair average salary per employee is high compare to its competitor easyjet, Lufthansa, British airways, Lberia and Acer Lingus. Customer service cost Ryanair has entered into competitive log term third party agreement for certain airport passenger, aircraft handling and ticketing and other services. Approximately 96% of the ticket sales through Ryanairs website and telephone and by this eliminating travel agent commission cost. Airport access charges Ryanairs constantly high volume of passenger traffic many of the airports benefit them to favorable contracts with those airport for access their facilities. Booking Advantage on internet The Ryanairs internet booking system Skylight reservation system allows internet users to access Ryanair host reservation system to make a reservation and to pay the confirmed reservation in real time. The company advertises heavily about reservation system though newspaper, radio and television As a result 94% of the reservation comes through the companys reservation system. Safety and quality maintenance Ryanairs management fully committed for the safety and quality maintenance to the aircrafts. The company operates latest Boeing 737-800 with additional safety features inbuilt in it. Also the company committed to hire and training pilots, cabin crews and maintenance staffs in accordance with highest European airline industry standards. In past 24 years Ryanairs operating history, it does not had any major incident injuring pilots or cabin crews or passengers. Although Ryanair aggressively practice low cost model, it gives high importance for the aircraft safety, maintenance, training and quality assurance. Increasing operating results through ancillary services Ryanair provides various ancillary passenger services connected to its main air passenger service such as in-flight sale of food, beverage and merchandise and also it provides through telephone reservation officers and Ryanairs internet system accommodation service, travel insurance and car rentals. Ryanairs corporate strategy The Ryanairs corporate strategy (Appendix 3) has been defined much advance and its main objective developed before it commence. Emerge of Ryanairs corporate strategy is the final objective is developed during the course its life. Ryanairs business visor, mission, main objective please. (Refer Assignment 1, Appendix 1 and p. 16-17) Ryanairs business strategy Ryanairs business strategy is to offer very competitive affordable fare for the airline users to reach their destination in the European market. Ryanairs long term marketing plane and its position: Ryanairs long term marketing plans please refer Appendix 2 and its position please refer (Assignment 1 and p. 8 Appendix 6.p 25) Porters competitive strategy model for low cost carrier Porters (1980) competitive strategy model (Appendix 5) describes that there are three types of strategies are used by business for their long term survival. They are cost leadership, differentiation strategy, and market share and market segmentation strategy. These strategies are measured along with business strategic scope and strategic strength. Stuck in the middle OVERROLL LOW COST LEADERSHIP FOCUSSED DIFFERENTIATION COST FOCUS BROAD DIFFERENTIATION Differentiation Narrow Market Cost Low cost Broad Ryanairs business strategic scope Ryanairs business strategic scope is to become number one low cost airline in the European market for cost conscious business and leisure travelers. Ryanairs business strategic scope Ryanairs business strategic scope is to become number one low cost airline in the European market for cost conscious business and leisure travelers. Ryanairs business strategic strength. Ryanair was first Europe discount airline capitalized by the EU decision to deregulate the airline industry stating that any European airline can operate anywhere in the Europe Its aggressive pricing and grater customer satisfaction for the punctuality, reduced cancellation and few lost baggage compare to other airline. In 2005 it became market leader in the low cost airline market. Cost leadership Use of secondary airport: Ryanair did not fly to the major hub airport bur instead it uses secondary airport some distance away from the main airport for low airport access charges. Rapid turnaround: Ryanair maximize use of aircraft by turning around the aircraft within 25 minutes Point-to-point routing: Ryanair fly point-to-point and it avoid cost connected with passenger and baggage transfer Boeing aircraft: Single aircraft family the being 737. It palace big being aircraft order just after September 11 2001 benefiting purchases price advantage. Aviation fuel: Major portion of fuel porches hedged hence increase in fuel price not affected to the company. In-flight service: No free in-flight service such as free drink or snacks. No refund for no-shows. Staffs and overhead: Ryanair staffs are non-union and pilots and cabin crews get low salary but compensated with other benefits. Differentiation strategy: Ryanairs operation provided several positive features for the passengers towards its punctuality, reduced cancellation, few lost baggage compare with other carriers. Passengers always were assured to reach their designation on time with their baggage. Many other revenue generating service such as travel insurance, car hire, couch and train ticket. Market share and market segmentation strategy: Ryanair has taken grater market share in the low cost airline business in the European continent and it became market leader in that sector. (Ryanairs route map in Europe Refer appendix 8) Organizational Structure DIRECTOR Paolo Pietrogrnde CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD David Bonder man DIRECTOR James Osborne DIRECTOR Klaus Kirchberger DIRECTOR Michael Horgan DIRECTOR Emmanuel Faber DIRECTOR Kyran McLaughlin FLIGHT OPERATIONS David O Brien COMMERCIAL REVENUE SF HUMAN RESOURCE EW PILOT RC ENGINEERING Michael Hickey CUSTOMER SERVICE Caroline Green LEGAL SECURITY JK COO Michael Cawley CFO Howard Millar CEO (Source www.ryanair.com, last update February 14th 2010) This diagram shows the organizational structure for Ryanair. The airline is operated with the name of Ryanair Ltd. Subsidiary for this Darley Investment Ltd. In this organization all international dealing are done by Ryanair.com. Nature of this business is aircraft trading. These boards of directors are responsible for the strategic view and functions which are in Ryanair Ltd. Chairman is Michael OLeary and other directors responsible other activities such as audit, executive, remuneration, nomination and the air safety committee. Leadership. Ryanair fight for its survival in early 1990s. In 1992 Ryanair introduced low cost no frills business model in Europe market under the leadership of Mr. Michael O Leary. Despite huge success Mr. Michael O Leary has come under both praise and criticism about his leadership and management style. Financial Times Magazine Mr. Tim Jeans argue that Mr. Michael O Leary genius in his ability motivate people with single-handedly transforming European air transport. Mr. O Leary leader ship style doses not fit rigidly into one style. His characteristic highly task oriented controlling cost, aircraft acquisition, and rout development. Also at the same time he is highly people oriented both with customers and people. His outspokenness has made him to expose into public-eye. EU commissioner for Belgium describes him in the Financial Times as irritating and arrogant Creaton (2004). But former and present staffs prized his leadership style in an interview with Financial Times Magazine. (Refer Append ix 4) There are three main characteristic of leaders in an organization Finley (2000). They are Leader should have strong held vision Mr. Michael O Leary took the leadership of Ryanair with very clear vision to the model the carrier on Southwest Airline and to create low fare no frills carrier in Europe. Leader should be able to communicate the vision External communication concern Ryanair was well recognizing one of the first budgeted airline in Europe. Internal communication concern he motivated and created incredible energy among the people to achieve the desired objective. Leader should be able to convert the vision into reality. Certainly the vision has turned into reality Ryanair grown and created a record profit low cost no frills airline in the European market. Culture The culture web describes the paradigm of an organization and physical manifestations of an organizational culture. (Johnson and schools, exploring corporate strategy, p.230) culture basically explained the organizational behaviors. Culture will include stories, symbols, system, structure, routines and rituals. (Refer appendix 11) Ryanairs pricing strategy Ryanairs cost leadership is the backbone for its lower piecing strategy. Ryanair is the lowest cost in Europe and its 40% low compare to closet competitor in Europe. (Refer Appendix 6) Implementation of gap Strategic implementation is complex and time consuming but success of an organization lies on this stage. However good the business or corporate strategy is, it is off little value unless implemented (Hubbard R.C, 2008, pg 349). Therefore, during this phase, strategy makers should consider the question of who implements that strategy, what must be done and how the strategy is implemented (Fletcher, 2001, p.2). Hence, 7S framework has been applied to Ryanair to identify gaps the issues that should be addressed during implementation phase (Refer appendix diagram 9) Recommendation Ryanair continues to attract customers with heavy advertisement stating that they are not going to charge furl surcharge with the aim to keep the fare low. Davey (2006) states that the figures release by the Ryanair shows that its low cost formula is continue to work. Ryanair in order to increase the business travelers who needs punctuality, the carrier reduce the turnaround time from 30 minutes to 25 minutes by dropping there cargo service even they new that they are going to lose à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 500,000 per year However budgeted airlines continues to enjoy its boom with low cost and opening new routes in the European market. If there is drop in demand Ryanair would certainly suffer and they might have to change their strategy by offering drink vouchers and making alliances with hotel groups in order to offer complete package and attract more people to its carrier. Also Ryanair should pay attention technology changes happening such as on line check in and would able them to cut their cost. Ryanairs innovating action creates future sustainability. In future if they found new routes reach places quick it will bring more tradition of getting more passengers for Ryanair. Ryanair for low cost uses secondary airport it will cause inconvenient for some customers to reach their place so they have to consider this point to get a solution for customers to reach their place easier. Conclusion Overall RYANAIR is in good position when compared to other players. The strategies implemented seem to be more effective since they have helped to match RYANAIR with its external environment. The adoptability flexibility of RYANAIR to the environmental changes have contributed to the success of RYANAIR. Ryanair seems to be using their strategy sensibly which work for them. They aware the environment and understand the importance of monitoring and they are the first to come into low-cost market in Europe. However they constantly monitor the environment and any change they should be ready to change their strategy. The flexibility adoptability to environmental changes was possible especially because of the value adding factors RYANAIR has focused. The value chain of RYANAIR has been designed to deliver the low cost concept by emphasizing only in value adding activities and by eliminating non value adding activities such as eliminating catering. In my point of view I believe RYANAIR was successful in managing the strategic management process by matching itself to its external environment. However, it does not have a major market share as the leader though it has beaten the market leader in many areas. Therefore, I suggest following recommendations for RYANAIR to achieve its potential improve its market share. References Cavendish, Camilla, A policy that pretends we can all fly on the cheap is a policy that wont fly, The Times, 5 January 2006 Doganis, R., 2001, The Airlines Business in the Twenty-first Century, Routledge, London Fletcher J (2003) .Strategic management Study guide and plan Edith Cowan University Perth Australia Hubbard, G. Rice, J. Beamish, P. [2008] Strategic management Thinking analysis action 3rd edition Pearson education Australia Lynch, Richard (2000), Corporate Strategy 2nd Ed. Pearson Education Ltd, ISBN 0- 273-64303-7 Miller A, (1998), Strategic Management, McGraw Hill, 3rd Edition. New York. Study Guide: Strategic Management Ryanair industry details retrieved on the 21st may 2010 from www.ryanair.com Viljoen, J. Dann, S. 4th edition (2003). Strategic Management, Frenchs Forest, New South Wales: Pearson Education Pty Ltd. Appendix Appendix 1 Ryanairs Introduction Ryanair started its operation in 1985. In the first year more than 5,000 passengers traveled between South Eastern Ireland and London. The company expanded continuously and 600, 000 passengers traveled per year in 14 aircrafts by 1989.Past four years the cost increased substantially and ends up with loss of  £20 million. In 1990 the current CEO Mr. Michael OLeary took over the management and conducted major changes in the company. Ryanair followed the low cost-low frills concept and reduces the routes from 19 to 5 by 1991. The company increased the fleet to 21 over the next 6 years and remarkable increase in passenger traveled in Ryanair due to its low pricing policy. European regulation restricted Ryanair to take advantage to implement low pricing policy. Ryanair took full advantage in 1997 open new routes in Continental Europe due to deregulation of European Union air transportation regulation. Ryanair established 160 routes by 2001 and hubs established around the continent in London, Glasgow, Brussels, Frankfort, Milan, Now Ryanair is the most profitable and key players in the European budget airline market. Appendix 2 Low cost carrier business model (Source MERCER management consulting 2002) Appendix 3 COPORATE STRETEGY. Corporate Parenting Parenting strategy Portfolio Analysis BCG Matrix Directional Strategy Growth Stability Retrenchment Corporate strategy basically explains about the direction of the firm. It go through in three ways. They are as follows: Directional strategy This strategy includes three points which are growth, stability and retrenchment. Growth explains expansion and growth of the company. Here we are going to look at the growth perspective of Ryanair. Stability explains ryanairs did not change its current activities. Retrenchment explains strategies reduce the companys level of activities. Portfolio Ill explain about the BCG Matrix. BCG Matrix is a best analysis part to analyzing and managing the performance of a business unit within the organization. It developed to identify the growth rate of an industry by classifying its business unit. This BCG matrix relies on lifecycle and experience curve Relative market Share Low High DOGS CASH COWS PROBLEM CHILDREN STARS Industry Growth Rate% High Low This BCG Matrix growth strategy explains the growth of the company. If we looked at this case study Ryanair is in stars position that means high industry growth rate and having high relative market share. COPORATE LEVEL Low High Cost reduce Need for local responsiveness High Low Global strategy Export strategy Multi domestic strategy Transactional strategy Ryanair is moving from export strategy to transactional strategy. Export strategy which explains products are standard but can varied, market is usually main market, operation location done in home market, and strategy control is done by home. Here coordination level and local responsiveness is low. Transactional strategy explains the product are same as export strategy, market means all markets, operation location done in two way organizational structure, strategy control varies with a product are within global framework and coordination level as well as local responsive level is high. Ryanair moves from export strategy to transactional strategy to adopt more strategies to survive in the world. Ryanair evaluate on No Frills segment, low fare cost leadership, ancillary revenue into focus differentiation and adopting transactional strategy and no fares relationship. Appendix 4 Leadership vs. Management Leadership and management are two terms used to define a group behavior in a professional setting. Leadership and management are inter-connected and inter-dependent concepts. Leadership Management Setting up new goals, vision or planning a new strategy Contorting the organizing to achieve realistic goals and objectives Managing the group properly Help the leaders to achieve the goals on collective vision of the group Seeks effectiveness do the right thing Seeks efficiency do things right Provides direction to the group Enforces control Thrives on opportunity Lives for the job well done Make people go down in history as great men to inspire generations. Only behavioral aspects that alter with environment and requirements Leaders are made, not born According to Great Man theory, Leaders are born and not made. In my point of view leader are made and some or all of the following helps them to become a great leader, their background, education, knowledge and experience, and their career path. If we further explain leadership as anyone in a position whose success requires the support of others can play the role of a leader. Leaders have ability to discuss, communicate, influence, and control others to do things is absolutely indispensable to everything you achieve in life. Of course, everyone you meet has different values, opinions, attitudes, beliefs, cultural values, work habits, goals, ambitions, and dreams. Successful leader should have leadership traits. When you become capable in your job or skill, then you become skillful at understanding the motivations and behaviors of other people. Michael OLeary deeply believes leaders are made not born. Mr. Herb Kelleher is the one born with leadership quality the founder of original budgeted airline, Southwest Airline in the United States Mr. Michael OLeary is made leader who flowed budgeted Southwest Airline model in the European market Leadership Skills Getting and giving information Getting and giving information is probably number one competency required from leaders. Leaders should be communicating effectively and must be able to exchange information effectively and accurately. In Ryanair Michael OLeary is the leader who gives decision to others to do. He has the charismatic power to control all its staff and work under him. Understanding the needs and characteristics of the Group As the group plans and carries out activities, Michael OLeary learns more about the individuals needs and characteristics. Knowing and understanding the resources of the Group Knowing group peoples skills, attitudes, backgrounds and experience and to use an effective technique for bring a group together and creating commitment to common goals. Controlling the Group A group exists for a purpose. As a leader exerts control, he needs to balances to get the jo

Autism Essay examples -- essays research papers

   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are several reasons why I chose the topic of Autism. First, autism is intriguing because it is very hard to understand. Medical science is at a loss to explain why and how it occurs. Second, I have had occasion to develop a personal relationship with children who are afflicted with autism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At The Children’s Institute, where I volunteer, I sit and play with many kids, two of whom are very hard to play with. Even though they are five and six years old, they avoid making eye contact with others, and often refuse to play with the other kids. Also, once they start watching something, like television, it is very hard to get them to look somewhere else. They are focused, almost mesmerized by the television, especially if there are flashing lights or colors. One child rocks back and forth, sometimes slowly and sometimes faster. An older child makes noises a lot, hums and randomly laughs for no reason. My observations prompted me to do some research into autism and I found that these were traits which others had also observed in patients afflicted with autism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Autism has mystified scientists and doctors for more than a century. So, what do we know about it now? It is a complex developmental disability that usually appears during the first three years of life, and it arises from a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain. The brainstem of a person with autism is shorter than a normal brainstem, lacks a structure known as the superior olive and has a smaller than normal structure known as the facial nucleus. Scientists who have observed the brainstems of autistic patients have reported that it is though a band of tissue is missing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The symptoms of autism vary from one person to another. Some people can be affected greatly by one symptom, while other may be affected more strongly by a different symptom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This developmental disability impacts normal development of the brain in areas such as social interaction and communication skills. Children with autism cannot interpret the emotional states of others, they don’t recognize anger, sorrow or manipulative intent. Their language skills are limited and they will often fail to initiate and sustain conversations.   Ã‚   ... ...ng.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A child with autism is normal in appearance to the untrained eye. But scientists have identified a few physical anomalies. The corners of the mouth are low compared with the center of the upper lip, and the tops of the ears flop over. Also, the ears are a bit lower than normal and have almost a square shape.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the information I have gathered, we see both how similarly affected the victims of autism are and how much the effects of autism vary from one person to another. New scientific discoveries have served to dispel some of the mystery of this complex developmental disability. Of course, it is frustrating for anyone who has a family member or is a family friend of an autistic person because there is still no explanation for why autism strikes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a volunteer who works with autistic children, I believe it is important to increase awareness and understanding of this affliction. We can and should reach out to autistic children and help them live lives that are as meaningful and productive as possible. In doing so, I have found that we can enrich not just their lives but our own as well.

The Twenties :: essays research papers

Area One-Politics and Government-The Harding Scandals and the Bonus Bill veto   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The presidency of Harding was filled with continuous scandal. Many compare the Harding to Grant has both being postwar presidents marked by scandals and corruption. Having appointed several excellent officials, Harding also appointed a number of incompetent and dishonest men to fill important positions, including the Secretary of Interior, Albert B. Fall and Attorney General Harry M. Daugherty.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Secretary of Interior, Albert B. Fall, in 1921, secured the transfer of several naval oil reserves to his jurisdiction. In 1922, Fall secretly leased reserves at Teapot Dome in Wyoming to Harry F. Sinclair of Monmouth Oil and at Elk Hills in California to Edward Doheny of Pan-American Petroleum. A Senate investigation later revealed that Sinclair had given Fall $305,000 in cash and bonds and a herd of cattle, while Doheny had given him a $100,000 unsecured loans. Sinclair and Doheny were acquitted in 1927 of charges of defrauding the government, but in 1929 Fall was convicted, fined, and imprisoned for bribery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another scandal involved Charles R. Forbes, appointed by Harding to head the new Veteran’s Bureau. He seemed energetic and efficient in operating the new hospitals and services for veterans. It was later estimated that he had stolen or squandered about $250 million in Bureau funds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Scandal also tainted Attorney General Daugherty who, through his intimate friend Jessie Smith, took bribes from bootleggers, income tax evaders, and others in return for protection from prosecution. When the scandal became to come to light, Smith committed suicide in Daugherty’s Washington apartment in May 1923. There was also evidence that Daugherty received money for using his influence in returning the American Metal Company, seized by the government during the war, to its German owners. Area Two-Economics-Prosperity and Innovation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Though overall the economy was strong between 1922 and 1929, certain segments of the economy, especially agriculture, did not share in the nation’s general prosperity. Improved industrial efficiency, which resulted in lower prices for goods, was primarily responsible. Manufacturing output increased about 65%, and productivity, or output per hour increased by about 45%. The numbers of industrial workers actually decreased from 9 million to 8.8 million during the decade. The increased productivity resulted from improved machinery, which in turn came about for several reasons. Industry changed from steam to electric power, allowing the design of more intricate machines and replaced the work of human hands. By 1929, 70% of industrial power came from electricity.

Olympics Essay -- essays research papers

The Olympics The Olympics are a huge sporting event that contains many different sports and consists of many different countries from around the world. Back in ancient Greece is where the ancient Olympics originated. It was primarily a part of a religious festival in honor of Zeus the father of Greek Gods and Goddesses. The Olympics where held at the sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia, which is in Western Peloponnesos. From 776 BC, the games took place at Olympia every 4 years for almost 12 centuries. In 776 BC the only event was the Stadion Race that was a foot race 600 feet long, Koroibos, a cook from Elis, won it. Additional athletic events were gradually added until; by the 5th century BC it was a 5-day program that consisted of three foot races, the pentathlon, boxing, wrestling, pankration, and the hoplitodromos. The Greeks that came to the Sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia shared the same religious beliefs and spoke the same language. There where no females in the Olympics at this time so all the athletes where males who came from every corner of the Greek world, as far as Iberia in the West and the Black Sea in the East. Although the ancient games where staged in Olympia, from 776 BC through 393 AD, it took 1503 years for the Olympics to return. The first modern Olympic games took place in Athens Greece in 1896. The man responsible for the rebirth was a Frenchman named Baron Pierre De Coubertin, who presented the idea in 1894. His original idea was to present the modern games in 1900 in his hometown Paris. But others were so enthusiastic with the idea that they convinced him to move it to 1896 and have Athens host it. There were many great athletes throughout the history of the Olympics, But where some of the athletes worthy of earning a prize worth a hefty amount of money. This question has came about a numerous amount of times. But the word Athlete is a Greek word that means â€Å"one who competes for a prize† and is also related to the Greek words athlos meaning â€Å"contest† and athlon meaning â€Å"prize†. According to the Roman author Plutarch, an Olympic victor who was a citizen of Athens could expect to receive in the year 600 BC a cash reward of 500 drachmai, a literal fortune. Later in Hellenistic periods, pensions for athletes became more formalized and could actually be bought and sold. But were the ancient Olympics just for men? Along with the athletic conte... .... Summer Winter 1896-Athens 1924-Chamonix 1900-Paris 1928-St.Moritz 1904-St.Louis 1932-Lake Placid 1908-London 1936-Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1912-Stockholm 1948-St.Moritz 1920-Antwerp 1952-Oslo 1924-Paris 1956-Cortina d’Ampezzo 1928-Amsterdam 1960-Squaw Valley 1932-Los Angeles 1964-Innsbruck 1936-Berlin 1968- Grenoble 1948-London 1972-Sapporo 1952-Helsinki 1976-Innsbruck 1956-Melbourne 1980-Lake Placid 1960-Rome 1984-Sarajevo 1964-Tokyo 1988-Calgary 1968-Mexico City 1992-Albertville 1972-Munich 1994-Lillehammer 1976-Montreal 1998-Nagano 1980-Moscow 2002-Salt Lake City 1984-Los Angeles 1988-Seoul 1992-Barcelona 1996-Atlanta 2000-Sydney 2004-Athens   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is also statues up that are there to commemorate those who had been caught cheating or Bribing at the Olympic games. These were set up on the walkway leading from the heart of the altis to the vault that leads to the stadion, not by accident the path that leads to the entrance of the athletic competition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Olympics are a great tradition and they will last a very long time just like its done in the past.

Lost Names

True Identity There cornes a point In time In an Individual's life In which their name truly becomes a part of their identity. A name is more than just a title to differentiate people; It Is d part of the person. In Lost Names: Scenes from d Korean Boyhood by Richard E. Kim, names play a major role on the characters identities. The absence and importance of the names in the story make the story rich with detail and identity through something as simple as the name of a character. Names are a slgnlflcant actor affecting the story and the characters throughout the novel Lost Names.When the Koreans are forced to change their family names to Japanese ones, their Korean identity is weakened. Going through this traumatizing experience is extremely hard for the Korean people because their family name is everything to them. To the Koreans, the family name Is â€Å"the only legacy we hand down to the next generation and the next and the next' (113). Taking away their family name takes away th eir culture and attempts to convert them to the Japanese way of living, The family does ot react well to the situation, as their true names must be erased forever.The day that this takes place Is known as a day of mourning among all of the Koreans. They maln characters experiences this loss first had with his grandfather and father both grieving. â€Å"Lowering their faces, their tears flowing now unchecked, their foreheads and snow-covered hair touching the snow on the ground. l, too, let my face fall and touch the snow' (1 11). The family name is a big deal in the Korean culture, and being forced to change this completely devastates the entire family.A name gives people so much about themselves, and being stripped ot It can cause many Issues. Similarly, not even having a name can suggest some comparable issues. The way that the characters do not have any names suggests that they are â€Å"lost†. Richard Kim refers to the characters as Student-of-the-Day, Teacher-of-the-Day , Japanese teacher, Principal, and many more titles throughout the entire novel. He defines each character by their position. Calling a character by their position suggests that that is the only thing ot importance related to them.The way that they are not given specific names shows their Importance and Identity. â€Å"l call the names of one of my friends You take charge while I am gone† (130). â€Å"The principal tells the policeman who I am, the son of (130). Kim does not specifically refer to d person In the class, Instead any â€Å"one†, He refuses to write out the tathers name. The main character's name is never given either. Not giving specific names to each and every character of the story makes the reader wonder what the most essential part of a story missing really means.Each character is portrayed as a general position and nothing more. All of these characters must have the same general or stereotypical personality ds the rest of their â€Å"group† i n which they are categorized. The importance ot a name is the underlying identity ot the character. Along with unidentified characters. the title of this novel also portrays the Importance of names. The title of this book relates to many aspects of the story. Lost Names alludes to the fact that the names of the characters in the story are lost.It corresponds to the Identity crisis that most of the characters In the story go that are forced under the Japanese occupation. The conservation of the main character's name makes readers ponder upon the significance of the title of the book; the lost name of this story is this lost identity of the Korean population living under tyranny. In the subtitle Scenes from a Korean Boyhood, the author does not state the novel to be his boyhood, but rather suggests a boyhood. Kim chooses to leave this pronoun out in order to prove a more generalized view of humanity.The readers ould be forced to make these characters a general idea so that a concluded common idea for them is The people of Korea are having their identity stolen. The rights of the Korean people are not being granted. Their culture is all together being stolen. A similar thing is happening in America today. The National Security Agency, which is a part of the United States federal government, is monitoring many United States citizens' personal matters. The agency has the power to access any information that they feel necessary including Internet searches, text messages, and hone calls.