Analysing the Internal Environment Of Ryanair

Analysing the Internal Environment Of Ryanair Ryanair entered the airline market in 1985 and since then has enjoyed success not only in the European market but also globally as well. Ryanair revolutionised the airline industry by offering passenger the lowest fares thereby positioning itself as a dominant player by gaining a huge market and becoming an intensive competitor for traditional airlines like British Airways, Lufthansa etc. (Eleanor OHiggins,2007) Strengths The cost reduction strategy adopted by Ryanair can be regarded as a key factor for it success and distinguishing itself in the industry. According to (Lawton, 2002, cited in FrederikBoesk, 2005) analysis of Ryanair the company adopts a low cost model to curb their expenses e.g. it reduces catering and cleaning costs by adopting the no frills . Opting to land in secondary airports helps in paying low landing charges and cheaper parking due to less presence of traffic. (Barrett 2004 cited in Fredrick 2005, p8).By providing online ticket purchase and check in facilities Ryanair eliminates the need for staff and travel desks thereby investing the funds on marketing and promotion (Eleanor OHiggins, 2007). Ryanair beats its competitors with regard to passenger service .Apart from provides cheap fares and fewer lost bags Ryanair flights are punctual (88% flights arrive on time) and the company received fewer complaints and response to 99% of the complaints within a period of 7 days. The company was also recognised as Europes greenest, cleanest airline. This explains the reason that Ryanair is the worlds favourite airline and why over 73m passenger choose to fly them. (Ryanair Annual Report 2010) Ryanair has a very strong operational capacity its currently operating 1400 flights per day from 44 bases and 1100 plus low fare routes across 27 countries. It shows why customers choose Ryanair making it the largest and most successful European airline (Ryanair 2010) Weaknesses One of the weakness of Ryanair is bad publicity.IN 2006 a documentary called Ryanair caught napping highlighted issues like aircraft unhygienic ways, poor staff moral and not conducting security procedures properly. The Guardian.co.uk (2010) cites that Ryanair plans to introduce coin operated toilets and standing area for passengers on its flight but safety officials say it will not come into effect for at least two years. With majority of customers being price sensitive the above issues taken up by Ryanair will cause concern and affect their customers buying decisions and losing them to other competitors or full service airlines. Relationship between the staff and the airline has also experienced sore notes. According to ft.com (2010) Michael OLeary plans to cut expenses by removing co-pilots since the computer does most of the flying now. This resulted in employers approaching the media and challenging the company to replace Michael OLeary by junior flight attendant to save more cost. The axing of co-pilots has raised safety concerns among travellers. Value Chain Analysis Of Ryanair Michael Porters Value Chain helps in analysing the primary and supporting activities along with Ryanairs operational strategy which are responsible for creating and delivering its services. With reference to the Value Chain Analysis at Appendix A conducted shows that the company is able to create robust revenues despite selling low cost fares this is attributed to Ryanair ability to sustain its costs to a minimum level such as online and ticketless bookings, flying to secondary airports, usage of only Airbus 737-800s resulting in investing less in staff training and maintenance costs. It can be clear identified that the companys main core competences is efficient cost management. Financial Analysis Of Ryanair with Aer Lingus The financial performance of Ryanair was able to generate revenues despite the financial crisis that had a severe impact on other airline carriers leading to closures or declaring bankruptcy. The company reported a Net Profit of Euro 318.8M for 2010 which was an increase of 280% from 2009s Euro 104.9M .With Ryanairs cost efficient ways ,increase passenger traffic and operating new routes along with competitive prices Ryanair is able to maintain its position as the Number one carrier in the world. In order to analysis the financial strength of Ryanair a comparison has been made between Aer Lingus in which Ryanair owns 26.2% shares. Financial Analysis Ryanair Vs Aer Lingus Key Performance Indicators 1) Return On Capital Employed ryanair-logo aer lingus With growth of net profitability of Ryanair dropping from 16.2% to -6.1% from 2008-09 as a result of high fuel prices which affected 45% operating profit and due to collapse of Aer Lingus shares that written down Ryanair investment to Euro 79.7M in 2009.This resulted in Ryanair ROCE dropping from 11.3% to 1.9%. In 2010 ROCE rose to 6.7% with increasing operations however with the termination of Ryanairs contract with Boeing the capital expenditure is likely to decrease in further since Ryanair plans not to invest in aircraft for the next 3 years. Ryanair also has strong capital employed ranging from Euro 4770.6M to Euro 6013.8M indication the companys high level of operations. The net profitability of Air Lingus reduced from 9.7% to -12.9% for 2007-2009.Air Lingus experienced operating loss of Euro93M due to cancellation in flights, restricting costs etc. Capital employed by the company ranges from Euro 1364M to Euro 1272 indicating small operations to Ryanair. 2) Current Ratio aer lingusryanair-logo Ryanair is more liquid is comparison to Aer Lingus thus enabling the company to fund capital expenditure as well as pay shareholders with the strong cash flow Ryanair generates from revenues and companys operations. The companys current assets are more than current liabilities thereby proving Ryanair has strong financial strength. 3) Interest Coverage ryanair-logoaer lingus Ryanair interest coverage is sufficient since the company is able to generate revenue to satisfy interest expense .In 2009 due to Air Lingus share drop ( Ryanair having 29.8% share )revenues was affected greatly to a huge extend thereby effecting its ability to pay its debtors in 2009.Aer Lingus performance over the past years suffered losses which resulted in the company having insufficient funds for their interest expense. Primary Activities Inbound logistics Ryanair has a contract agreement since 1998 with Boeing which provides large aircrafts such as the Boeing 737-800s and have a seating capacity of 189 passengers and is able to fly for longer hours without refuelling and is equipped with the latest aviation technology. The new aircraft is complaisant with the 2002 EU regulation Chapter 3 noise reduction requirements. But in 2009 news.bbc.co.uk (2009) reported that Ryanair ended its contracted with Boeing over the purchase of 200 aircrafts .The company plans to increase its cash flow by not investing into aircraft purchases and use its existing aircraft till 2015.Inorder to escape from the high fuel prices Ryanair has entered into fuel hedging to escape the rising fuel charges. By doing so Ryanair is able not to impose these charges onto the passengers travel fares. Operations Services Ryanair operates on a large scale with flying to 1,100 routes and operating 1,300 flights per day. With such heavy operations and its low fare policy Ryanair is able to make profit and dominate the market .This is due to Ryanair being able to lower its operation cost and adopting the no frills policy. Ryanair uses only Boeing 737-800s aircrafts thereby reducing the cost for training, maintenance, purchase and storage of spare parts. With internet booking facility and online check in the company eliminates the need for staff and systems to a great extend. Outbound Logistics Choosing secondary airports not only is Ryanair able to reduce landing charges and escape heavy traffic from primary airports which has enable it to achieve faster turnover time, fewer terminal delays and lower handling cost. Marketing And Sales Ryanair marketing strategy is used to promote its low cost and competitive prices to its customer. Newspapers, internet and press conferences are the marketing mediums used by the company. The companys website accounts for a huge share in the firms profit. Michael O Leary Ryanairs chief executive unusual public antics such as dressing up as the Pope or St Patrick and outspokenness has helped in promoting the image of Ryanair to the public. Support Activities Procurement As mentioned earlier Ryanair contract with Boeing has enabled the company to reduce its costs due to purchase and usage of only Boeing 737-800s aircrafts. Technology Developments Ryanair utilizes the internet extensively by launching its internet reservation system for customer to purchase and check in online. The Ryanair website accounts for 99% of the companys annual sales. Human Resource Management With all the cost reduction strategies adopted by Ryanair the presence of crew and staff is limited and as a result company can invest less on the training and management of its staff. Infrastructure Ryanair has its corporate headquarters based in the republic of Ireland.

The Deeper Meaning of Frost’s Tuft of Flowers Essay -- Frost Tuft of F

The Deeper Meaning of Frost’s Tuft of Flowers  Ã‚  Ã‚     Robert Lee Frost published his first book of poems entitled A Boy's Will in 1913. From this collection come one of several poems that critics and anthologists alike highly regard as both lyrical and autobiographical in nature. One such critic, James L. Potter, in his book entitled [The] Robert Frost Handbook, explains "[that] Frost wore a mask in public much of the time, concealing his personal problems and complexities from his reading and listening audiences" (Potter 48). Through "The Tuft of Flowers," a kind of lyrical soliloquy, Frost "half-intentionally" reveals his personal views on the theme of fellowship (Potter 48). In the first of three transitions the speaker, most likely a farmer, comes out to a field just after dawn to turn the freshly mown grass to dry in the sun. The farmer then searches for the mower, but finds he is all alone. Here, the reader senses the loneliness of the scene. Frost's use of figurative language such as the "leveled scene" and "an isle of trees" gives evidence to the speaker's mood of pessimism and loneliness as the speaker implies he must be "as he had been--alone" (4-5, 8). Potter writes that Frost "was often riddled with doubts aboutÃâ€"his role in relation to his family and friends, and even his poetic powers" (Potter 47). We, too, get the sense the speaker (Frost) is suggesting that throughout his life he feels alone quite often and longs for the kinship of his fellow human being.    While the speaker yields to this pessimistic train of thought, a "bewildered butterfly" passes by "on noiseless wing" and ushers in the second transition of the poem (12). Frost uses the scene with the butterfly in the next several couplets to su... ..., Potter writes: The shared happiness represented here... seem to be more than simply a personal relationship between two [farmers]; rather it is a general benevolence which... makes for a good world. [This] feeling is shared by the two mowers in "The Tuft of Flowers." The speaker, finding a tuft of flowers left deliberately by a previous mower, senses "a spirit kindred to [his] own" and concludes that "men work together... / Whether they work together or apart."(Potter 89) Upon closer reflection, we the reader could generalize the poem's meaning to indicate humanity's need to be a part of society outwardly, and inwardly keep the fields of our hearts free from the things that would choke out "The Tuft of Flowers." Work Cited Frost, Robert. "The Tuft of Flowers." Robert Frost Handbook. Ed. James L. Potter. University Park: Penn State UP, 1980.   

Phenomenology and the Eucharistic Mass Essay

In the study of communications, reaching a common consensus on how to apply a shared and common understanding of communications seems to be a near impossible task. After being introduced to the seven traditions of communications by Craig in his essay â€Å"Communication Theory as a Field†, I choose to explore the tradition he categorizes as Phenomenology. My initial understanding on the study of communications were quite limited to the transmission view, dominated by a sender and receiver framework. Interestingly, the transmission model in it’s origin was culturally rooted in religion, and used as a tool for the dissemination of Euro centric religious values and practices globally. With advancement in technology, especially in the 1920’s, the North American perspective on communication shifted the transmission model from religion to science to reflect a multidisciplinary approach in to the study of communications. As a practitioner of what was once the transmission view, the Catholic Church had experienced tremendous religious propagation of its message through forcible transmission all over the world. Based on Craig’s essay, the Catholic Church of today then embodies traits of a ritual view of communication, and is aligned with religious communication, and expression such as fellowship, participation, community, communion, and common faith. The phenomenological model of communication shares characteristics with the ritual view that I will be exploring through the Roman Catholic Eucharistic liturgy. The phenomenological tradition described by Craig, â€Å"†¦ conceptualizes communication as dialogue or the experience of otherness† (p. 217). Communication in this tradition is not rooted in verbal transmission but instead a shared experience on plains that extend beyond tradition verbal or textual communication. For the purpose of this paper phenomenological tradition can be seen as a form of communication expressed metaphysically as well. Gadamer’s’ theory from â€Å"Truth and Method†, focus on tradition and language as a primary form of communication. His ideology is that: we are only able to make sense of ourselves and the world around us because our consciousness has been shaped by history and traditions in ways we are largely unaware of†¦ wareness expands our understanding of the tradition. His description of an I-Thou relationship as the question-answer logic that underlies hermeneutic experience creates communication by identifying, hermeneutics, â€Å"that lead to a dialectical process of interpretation and growth of understanding. As a phenomenological practitioner, this theory has very intrinsic value. Communication in this practice provides a very meaningful and existential experience that I am to able to engage in with my Creator, in the absence of any other person. As a Roman Catholic, I have had many questions about the way we participate in mass. My parents grew up on the island of Trinidad, in a devout Catholic community. The Spanish, that had at one time colonized Trinidad, were very committed to their mission of converting the indigenous people of the island. The spread Catholicism throughout the country was profuse, with community churches everywhere, (even building one across the street from my mother’s house), and adding a monastery and seminary college a mile further up the mountainside where my father lived. Catholicism was not just a religion in our community, it was a part of the culture, and employed many of the villagers as they worked for the seminary. My grandparents were in fact Hindu, and converted to Catholicism because of the strong influence and presence it had within the community. As a Roman Catholic child, I had been told to repeat, chant, and act with humility, adoration and reverence during mass. I did not understand what we were doing or what the intention was. I became harder and harder to find meaning in going to church. In my late teens I stopped attending mass because there was no intrinsic connection for me in my faith practice. I remained a spiritual and deeply rooted faith based person, but I could not come to terms with many of the teachings of my church. I stayed out of church for many years. At some point, I became curious about what it meant. I was not looking for a theological understanding per se, but instead, what did â€Å"it† mean? The chanting, the collective response in unison, the prayers itself. What was I blindly repeating every Sunday? I chose to study the teachings of the Catholic Church in university at Newman Theological College to gain a scholarly perspective. Many things became clear, although I did acquiesce on some ideological points, (my own hermeneutical experience). Inspired by my academic insights, I returned to church as a knowledgeable participant of the mass, understanding that as part of the community, I would belong to the collective voice of the fellowship of Christ. The Catholic mass is deeply enriched with both Phenomenological Theory as well as Semiotic Tradition. In some regard you must look at the semiotics in order to fully understand what is being communicated during certain points in the eucharistic liturgy. For the purpose of this paper I will focus on the phenomenological aspects. The Eucharistic liturgy is a two century old tradition, considered the real presence of Christ at the last supper carried out each Sunday, and is considered an integral part of Catholic worship. As Catholics we believe Jesus began a significant new fellowship meal that we observe to this day. It causes us to collectively and intrinsically share in the experience of his sacrifice through his death and resurrection. The description of the liturgy I’m presenting here reflects a very basic summation of the ritual. At the start of the liturgy we are asked to offer ourselves up, and surrender to God. As we participate in the Eucharistic Prayer we are in the act of giving thanks. The congregation is humbled as Christ is transubstantiated from man into the elements of bread and wine. We collectively mourn as Jesus is offered to the Father in sacrifice for the sins of man. We participate in the Lords Prayer, and a prayer for peace. The Holy Spirit is invited to come down upon us and unite the community of worshipers into one body as we prepare to accept the communion, and offer each other a sign of peace. As a community we should be considered one body, ready to receive Christ as a single body in the form of the host. Prior to accepting the communion we collectively humble ourselves stating our unworthiness and asking for compassion and forgiveness for our transgressions. As members of the congregation travel to the the altar, it represents a pilgrimage in this life from a journey of birth to death, and to the heavenly Father. Once each individual receives the host, we communally belong to the larger body of Christ. An aspect of the phenomenological theory of communication as seen by Buber can be practically applied in this example. The I-Thou relationship is present when looking at the relationship each individual member of the ongregation has with their Creator, or even Catholicism itself. The act of worshiping communally creates an experience and awareness of each other that reflects dialogue in Gadamer’s model of phenomenology. Prayer itself is a great example of the I-Thou relationship the Buber describes. Although it contradicts Gadamers â€Å"parallel concept of conversation emphasiz[ing] the object or subject matter of conversation that brings people together in dialogue† (p. 219). Buber also notes that, â€Å"dialogue can be entirely wordless, yet deeply meaningful† (p. 19), and talks about how sacred silence itself can be on page 227, which is evident throughout the moments of the liturgy in which individuals respond on an emotional level through reverence, humility, sorrow, or repentance. Burber’s theory of a person living life with an open mind, open to experience and in essence living the life of dialogue is what resonates most for me. My critical exploration into understanding the Catholic mass has supported my dialogue in prayer with my creator, as well as my participation as a member of the Catholic church. It would be assumed that since developing a clearer understanding of the mass, that I would be regularly attending. That is not the case. What I grew to understand is that I cannot effectively belong to the congregation if I am not intrinsically communicating through action, intention and prayer when I attend. For that reason, I go to church when I have a deeper calling to do so. My I-Thou relationship within my faith is not compromised as I connect to my creator in conversation and prayer every day, however, my I-Thou relationship with the other church goers would be compromised and lacking authenticity if I attend mass out of obligation.

Movie Review Chinatown And The Girl With The Dragon

â€Å"Chinatown† and â€Å"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo† Noir (noir means black in French) is a style which was frequently seen in 1940-1950s film mostly consisting of crime, sex and fiction. Modern motion pictures use the same genre, but updated visual, theme and content. Neo-noir, Greek term neo means new, making term new black. Noir movies are very popular among the audiences. Chinatown (1974) directed by Roman Polanski, starring Jack Nicholson (Protagonist) as Jake Gittes, Faye Dunaway (Co-actor) as Eve Mulwray and John Huston (Antagonist) as Noah cross is a successful Academy award winning popular neo-noir movie of 1970s. On the other hand The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009) directed by Niels Arden Oplev starring Michael Nyqvist (Protagonist) as Mikael Blomkvist, Noomi Rapace (Co-actor) as Lisbeth Salander and Peter Haber (Antagonist) as Martin Vanger, was also a commercial success at the box office. Even though these two neo-noir movies were released 35 years apart, they are parallel in the movie elements, common background histor y of female character and psychological situation of the main protagonist. The Two movies share common visual element and audio elements like camera focus, the angle of the camera and thrilling soundtrack. In both movies the actress has past abused history being raped and taken advantage of. Protagonist in both movies shares similar behavior and state of mind throughout the scene. A successful movie is always comprised ofShow MoreRelatedFlower Drum Song By O. Y. Lee1468 Words   |  6 Pagesheart attack following liver disease on Feb. 3, 1961. And for historical context, this movie was produced in 1961, four years before the Hart-Cellar Act, which lifted the national quota on Asian immigrants. Portrayals of Femininity: What Exactly Does â€Å"Being a Girl† Entail? In the film Flower Drum Song, Rodgers and Hammerstein provide two female characters in stereotypical orientalized Asian American roles–the Dragon Lady in the form of Linda Low, and the Butterfly as Mei Li.   These two characters exhibit