European Tour Operators Essay

Introduction: The macro-environment looks at broad trends shaping the national and international environment. An analysis of the macro environment is crucial in determining the factors which have a direct impact and/or might influence the strategic direction of an organisation. The macro-environment is difficult for organisations to influence and changes can be far-reaching. The media is usually rich source of both information and speculation and as such cannot be a reliable source of reference. There are available tools for analysing the macro-environment in an attempt to identify those factors, which might have an impact upon the organisation, both in terms of being a threat or an opportunity and these include: * The PESTEL framework * Key drivers * Scenarios The PESTEL framework: categorises environmental influences into six main types: * Political * Economic * Social * Technological * Environmental * Legal The PESTEL analysis evaluates the broad societal trends that affect many industries. It identifies current and future developments that will shape the micro-environments of each industry sector. Key drivers for change: are environmental factors that are likely to have a high impact on the success or failure of a business strategy. Scenarios: are detailed and plausible views of how the business environment of an organisation might develop in the future based on key drivers for change about which there is a high level of uncertainty. Question 1: Key drivers of change Using the PESTEL framework, which helps us understand the key drivers of change and external influences on the organization, we can identify the underlying forces in the macro-environment driving the competitive forces as follows; 1.1) POLITICAL: Terrorist attacks that resulted in tight security measures and strict immigration laws. Following these attacks many countries put some destination off-limits, travel insurers would refuse to cover tourists if they went there despite the government ban or warnings against such travels. Tourism also suffered when prolonged tourist abductions began to affect tourist perceptions. 1.2) ECONOMICAL: the economic crisis can positively and negatively impact tourism industry. Economic crisis became the major threat which results in the collapse of some major players in the industry, for example the closing down of ‘XL Leisure Group’. Given that the UNWTO’s Tourism 2020 Vision had forecast that international arrivals are expected to reach nearly 1.6 billion by the year 2020; this implied that more opportunities and more competition was to be expected in the coming years. Hence the assertion that recession can have positive impacts. It therefore was an opportunity for the survivors as they get more market space and more consumers to absorb in. Moreover, a post-recession boom could be expected and taking into consideration that tourism contributes 10.6% of world GDP they always get their stake from the disposable income. 1.3) TECHNOLOGICAL: Customers relying on internet and online sales were increasing. Statistics show a mere 72% of UK households had access to internet in 2008 and is increasing compared to previous years. Even though online sales make it easier for customers and cut costs by reducing staff and intermediaries, it also possesses a threat to companies. Internet has a low barrier for entry (Porter, 2001) and newcomers can easily pop into the competition. Question 2: Porter’s analysis structure: Michael Porter (HBR, 1989) says awareness of the five forces â€Å"can help a company understand the structure of its industry and stake out a position that is more profitable and less vulnerable to attack†. Five force framework helps identifies the sources of competition in the industry (Johnson et al., 2005). Five forces which are not independent of  each other, draws a connection between competitive forces and the key drivers in the macro-environment. The forces reveal the most significant aspects of the competitive environment. They also provide a baseline for sizing up a company’s strengths and weaknesses: Where does the company stand versus buyers, suppliers, entrants, rivals, and substitutes? Most importantly, an understanding of industry structure guides managers toward fruitful possibilities for strategic action, which may include any or all of the following: positioning the company to better cope with the current competitive forces; anticipating and exploiting shifts in the forces; and shaping the balance of forces to create a new industry structure that is more favourable to the company. The best strategies exploit more than one of these possibilities. 2.1Competitive rivalry: There is a moderate competitive rivalry in the industry. High fixed cost largely favours the incumbents. And there is a significant 5% difference in market share between the top two market leaders (TUI 18.6% and Thomas Cook 13.9% in 2008). These huge variations of market shares of incumbents lessen the competition in the industry. 2.2The threats of substitutes: Even though TV, games or other social activities can act as substitutes, they will never be same as travelling. Moreover, there is a low differentiation of products and together there is low threat of substitutes. 2.3 The bargaining power of buyers: There is a low switching cost to buyers with the emergence of internet and online sales. But the low differentiation of products and lesser number of substitutes limits the bargaining power of buyers to low. 2.4The bargaining power of suppliers: Suppliers have high negotiation powers against the companies having a low share in the market. But in a market where the top 5 market leaders covering more than 43.1% of market and possessing a threat of backward integration, there will be a power balance.  This implies only a moderate bargaining power for the suppliers. 2.5The threats of new entrants: High Capital Requirement creates a high barrier of entry for newcomers. And more than 70 % of market share is controlled by the top leaders and this reduces the price retaliation and keeps the economies of scale high. Brand Recognition also acts as a barrier to new entrants. Hence, the threat of new entrants is low. 3. Five forces and the future Porter (1987) said a company can maintain its leadership in the market only by establishing a difference that it can preserve and by keeping its structure attractive. TUI is the leading company in the concentrated market of tour operators in Europe with a staggering 21% of the market share. TUI operates in over 180 countries worldwide serving more than 30 million customers offering a wide range of leisure travel experiences. They also operate around 240 hotels of which majority are in the 4- or 5- star category. The strengths of TUI will help them to maintain their leadership in the tourism industry. Backward Vertical Integration of TUI helped them to spread out through the value chain. This made them deliver a higher value when compared to their competitors at a cheaper price. Being their own suppliers (Airlines, Hotels etc.) helped them to attain cost leadership. Their investments on direct distribution channels act as a key driver reducing the distribution cost and increasing the margin. Their multi-channel distribution focusing on online sales made them capable of retaining their customers and gaining new customers. Stable and management friendly shareholders supported them to incorporate better customer service along with their excellent operating service, and thus extend their presence in the value chain. Moreover, TUI had better liquidity and financial situation following the sale of Hapag-Lloyd. The acquisition of companies varying from tourism, airlines, hotels, cruises etc. all over the world help them attains differentiation. They claim their differentiated products are integral part of their customer retention, brand building and uniqueness and thus gained them the competitive advantage in the market (Annual Report, 2008).TUI always seek to create value for their customers, investors and employees. As the number of short-haul travels increases, TUI will gain from concentrating a bit more on supporting this (can enter in road transportation facilities). Alike other leaders in tourism industry, TUI will also have to tackle their consolidated fixed assets. The level of success achieved by TUI holds some important lessons and some much needed inspiration to a business world; that could use a little of both. However; according to the World Market Travel Industry Report (2010) the travel and tourism industry fear the long-term impact the global downturn will have on the industry, believing it will struggle to return to pre-downturn demand levels and profitability until 2016. More than half of the industry (52%) believes the global downturn’s impact on tourism demand is one of biggest issues facing the industry over the next five years. Furthermore, 49% felt the downturn’s impact on price, profit and margins is a big issue over the next five years – the two biggest percentage responses to the question: What is the biggest single issue facing your business over the next five years? When asked what is the single biggest issue facing their business over the next five years the global downturn’s impact on demand for tourism is cited by more than three out of ten people (31%), while the downturn’s impact on price, profit and margins is cited by a quarter – again the two biggest percentage responses to the question. REFERENCES: 1. Annual Report. (2008). TUI Annual Report. TUI AG. 2. Johnson G and Scholes K (2010) Exploring Corporate Strategy (9th ed). London: Prentice Hall. World 3. Porter, M. E. (1980). How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy. The McKinsey Quarterly ,34-50. 4. Porter, M. E. (2001). Strategy and the Internet. Harvard Business Review, 63-79. 5. Porter, M. (1987). From Competitive Advantage to Corporate Strategy. Harvard Business Review, 43-59 6. TUI website. (n.d.).Retrieved November 6, 2009, from http://www.tui-group.comTUI Case Study UNWTO. (2005). Tourism 2020 vision. Retrieved October 31, 2009, from World Tourism Organisation: http://www.unwto.org/facts/eng/vision.htm

Hsm/230 Week 9 Checkpoint

Capstone Checkpoint week 9 HSM/230 Capstone Checkpoint week 9 Many issues are becoming problems for seniors, one of these issues is the possibility of losing one of the most important assistance programs that human services has to offer, the Medicare and Medicaid assistance programs for health and well-being of the seniors in California. This issue has been relevant for many years; however in recent years the California Legislature has been unable to successfully plan a budget that would be considered sound. Thus, at this point the legislature is considering cutting some of the programs of human services or cutting back on the funding to these programs. According to Diane Rowland ScD. and Barbara Lyons, PhD. (1996). Without Medicaid’s assistance, the cost of basic medical care can impede access to care and erode financial security for low income elderly people. This is now a problem, for example my mother has a social security benefit of 650. 00 a month, and if she had to pay her medical care and prescription out of this income, her income would only be 300. 00 a month. This is more than twice the poverty level today. This is of great concern to human services agencies in the United States. Most of the elderly have paid into these programs for many years, expecting assistance as they retired; however, this is eroding away. In order to rectify this issue, California along with other states facing this issue, needs to come up with a balanced budget that does not exceed the income they are receiving at the time of the budget making process. The legislature cannot â€Å"expect† to make a different amount than what is in black and white. To predict that they would be making a larger amount only makes the budget worthless, a budget would need to be accurate and overspending must stop in order to rectify this situation. If I were in charge of this type of program, I would look into privatization of a portion and look for subordinates that would be willing to donate, or fund this program for the poor elderly of the United States. Also I would look into how many actually are citizens that are receiving this benefit without payment into the program. This is a huge issue, many illegal immigrants are receiving these benefits and have never paid into the program, therefore are actually ineligible for the benefit. I would propose that these recipients be placed on the welfare program for illegal immigrants and taken off of the assistance for the poor elderly clientele. Is this ethical, I think so, I do not think it is ethical for one to receive benefits if they have not met the criteria or prerequisite to receive this benefit.

Body Images and Popular Culture in China Essay

Chen clams that Chinese girls have stronger preferences for a thin ideal predict body dissatisfaction because it has been rooted in Chinese history for centuries as their traditional idea. However, I believe that this is not the case, because the mass media and western ideas have a strong impact on today’s China. Young Chinese women have often said like a habit, â€Å"I want to be skinny. † Why do Chinese do they desperately wish to be slim or prefer to be thinner? There are many popular and famous celebrities who are typically skinny in China. The mass media pervades the everyday lives of people living in Chinese society. It plays an important role in influencing their attitudes on how they view themselves in term of body image. Not only influencing them on styles, fashions, and makeups but body images dealing with society’s standard what is beautiful and cute. They are powerful conveyors of the sociocultural ideals, so they can illustrate people’s mind about body images. Especially Chinese women are engaged in a rational struggle to understand the significance of pubertal weight and shape changes in a culture and full of confusing messages about female sexuality and female desires. The mass media and interpersonal influences on body image affect many young Chinese women. They create the body images as a message to the society, and the message spread among young Chinese women. Appearance pressure associates with body dissatisfaction. The message spread through typically TV, magazines, advertising, and films. In Dong’s â€Å"Who Is Afraid of Chinese Modern Girl,† she describes high class of modern Chinese girl’s qualities are appeared in the mass media. The figures are considered as good and respectable women figures in China. She states, â€Å"The magazine juxtaposed photos of real women with advertising images and fashion sketches and created a space for imaging the modern by blending reality, desire, and fantasy† (Dong 196). According to magazines’ surveys, majority of magazine readers are women and girls. For instant, there are many articles in fashion magazines how to dress and how to lose weight, which are targeted on young girls. Models in fashion magazines are pretty and beautiful in their eyes, and they believe that the models are considered what is beautiful in the society. The models are like a dream for many young girls. In Cash Pruzinsky’s book Body image, they discuss an important relationship between young girls and mass media. They explains, â€Å"In early adolescence, girls consider magazine articles and advertisements to be an important source of information for defining and obtaining the perfect body are more likely to be dissatisfied with their body. Many girls compare themselves to the slender, glamorous women in magazines and on TV† (Cash and Pruzinsky 79). In addition, girls are more likely than boys to feel pressure from the mass media and close interpersonal networks such as family and friends about their appearance because they generally have conversations about their appearance in more infrequency. Frequent appearance comparisons and discussions are important influences on body dissatisfaction. Cash and Pruzinsky argue that socializing and associating with others would send the media-based messages to others. They explain, â€Å"Socialization about the meaning of one’s body involves more than cultural and media-based messages. Expectations, opinions, and verbal and nonverbal communications are conveyed in interactions with family members, friends, other peers, and even strangers† (Cash and Pruzinsky 40). The female images represented by the mass media restrict women, and they are giving them a wrong message. This culture further prescribes the myriad body altering means of attaining societal expectations by dieting, exercising, using beauty and fashion products. For more advantages of Chinese companies, they would use mass media as a technique of advertising skills to sell their diet and cosmetic products effectively. Body image, the multifaceted psychological experience of embodiment, profoundly influences the quality of human life. The mass media shapes the idealized images and acceptable appearance. The body images what is called the perfect woman figures are created and presented by the mass media, and they can affect on the attitudes and behaviors of young Chinese women. China is a densely populated and rapidly developing country where has been absorbed various different cultures. In Louie’s book Modern Chinese Culture, she discusses that mass media serves as an interface between the self-identities of youth, consumer culture, global fashions and cultural trends. She states, â€Å"A distinct urban youth culture is taking shape, nurtured largely by an electronically based consumer culture. As such, this youth culture is the embodiment of globalization: it draws its icons, styles, images and values mainly from the ‘global’ consumer culture and entertainment culture†(Louie 331). Without a doubt, China has been strongly westernized, so it is most apparent that body image problems are increasing. The mass media expresses feminine standards of attractiveness such as ultra-thinness. It can encourage awareness of expected standards for appearance and behavior and willingness to adapt other’s preference in the service if international harmony. The mass media set standard images of attractive women, and they have affected to women’s life. This belief of sociocultural perspective is that cultural values influence individual values and behavior. Attractive women based on mass media’s influences have better life in general than women who are not attractive. They are the recipients of all manner of positive behaviors, and they appear to develop positive characteristics as a consequence. They are often treated more favorably than their less attractive counterparts. They receive more attention, positive interactions, and help from others. They experience greater occupational success and popularity, and they also have more dating and sexual experience. They have higher social self-esteem, better social skills, and better health both physically and mentally. The perspective addresses the source of Chinese cultural values regarding attractiveness, and there appears to be cross-cultural agreement in what constitutes physical attractiveness. The mass media’s idealized depiction of thin female figures may influence Chinese women’s body image in a several of ways. The body images have caused young Chinese women some problems such as emotional depression, lowering self-esteem, and eating disorders. The current societal standards for female beauty enormously emphasize the extreme thinness, and the level of thinness is almost impossible for most women to achieve by healthy means. The potentially negative consequences of the thin ideal, elaborated elsewhere in this volume, include negative body image, low self-esteem, and psychological and physical disorders of life threatening proportions. They have a powerful impact on them for their welling and self-esteem. â€Å"Because negative body images are likely to induce negative mood states such as anxiety and depression, the activation of a negative mood can activate the body self-schema, resulting in the exacerbation of body image disturbances†(Cash and Pruzinsky 50). Many young Chinese women feel public self-consciousness and appearance based social pressure. Public self-consciousness is a cognitive development correlated with body dissatisfaction among young girls as their brains region that process social information mature. Their brains focus on perception to one’s appearance and behaviors. They tend to adapt as media’s perspective as a positive image, and they decrease self-esteem and oppositely increase their body image concerns. The social pressure to look like perfect woman figures is associated with women’s happiness and success. They feel more pressure linked directly with shape, weight, and weight loss. â€Å"Thinness is a feminine and attractiveness ideal in China† (Chen 4). Girls who are perceived more pressure from the mass media are predicted more likely to have eating disorders. Rates have been increasing in China. Dissatisfaction with weight and shape is a moderately strong correlate and predictor of the perceived need to be thinner and the actions of dieting and purging. In conclusion, the social pressures of body images communicate through exposure to mass media portrayals of physical attractiveness contribute to body dissatisfaction for Chinese women. There are some historical and Chinese traditional aspects of body images as Chen argues. However, I argued that the mass media presentation of thin images as the ideal is a major contributor to current levels of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders in China. There is a significant relationship between Chinese women’s body image and the mass. The commonness of the mass media confirms that nearly all girls and women are exposed to a substantial and idealized images of thinness and beauty. Most are vulnerable to adverse effects when they are exposed to media images. The mass media may be over influenced to promote the ideal attractiveness standards. The evidences show that media images contributes to negative body image, The most obvious strategy would be to reduce exposure to idealized images of thinness by encouraging the media to present a wider and more realistic range of female body shapes as acceptable and even beautiful. Even though the images narrow range of female body images, it is hard for them to resist being influenced by the mass media. It sets the standards of beauty, which has been greatly influenced by western countries; therefore, Chinese women have been losing their traditional features. It limits and controls their attitudes and behaviors.

Ductal cell adenocarcinoma of the breast Research Paper

Ductal cell adenocarcinoma of the breast - Research Paper Example About 20% of the breast cancer is found to have its origin at DCIS. If proper treatment is not given to DCIS then, the cells will invade all the ducts and cause cancer. It is not true that DCIS will get converted into cancer. But DCIS can develop into cancer if proper treatment is not given to them.1 Introduction: Breast carcinoma is a type of cancer that develops at the breast. This cancer is either invasive or noninvasive. The non invasive carcinoma is of two types. They are ductal carcinoma and lobular carcinoma. Ductal adenocarcinoma refers to the occurrence of cancerous cells at the ducts. The cancerous cells are found at the linings of the ducts. They lack the ability to spread from one type of cell to another. This is the main reason for calling it as pre-cancer. There are three level of DCIS : low grade, intermediate and high grade DCIS. Clinical features: In US, around 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. The risk factors vary between the individuals. The statisti cal analysis has concluded that there is no single factor that develops breast cancer but there are many factors that increase the risk of breast cancer in women. Some of them are increasing age, history of the family, previous history of breast cancer, biopsy abnormalities, heavy exposure to radiation, pregnancy and breast feeding ( for women of age > 30 during pregnancy) and hormone replacement therapy. 2 Of these risk factors age, family history and the history of breast cancer are said to be very high risk factors. The increase in age is one of the most important factors that increase the risk. The studies have found that women of age greater than 50 are prone to more risk than the women of age 40. The risk percentage is 85 and 5 respectively. The women, who have never given birth to a child, face greater risks at the time of menopause. The age during the first child birth should be less than 28 years. The risk for breast cancer increases if the first child birth is after 30 yea rs. Similarly the hormonal replacement therapy is also found to be another reason for the breast cancer. The glandular tissue of the women are replaced by the fat during menopause time, when hormone therapy is done for these patients, they are more prone for the breast cancer. Radiation therapy is another reason for the development of breast cancer. Heavy exposure to radiation at the chest region as a part of cancer therapy or some other reason increases the risk. The Ductal carcinoma is usually asymptomatic. The symptoms for the occurrence of DCIS are nipple inversion, dimpling of the breast skin, nipple discharge and presence of lump in the underarm area. The symptom of DCIS is usually the presence of lump at the breast or the nipple discharge. According to the â€Å"Merck manual†, most of the women diagnosed with breast cancer are found to have felt the presence of lump at the breast. The best screening method for DCIS is mammogram only. Most of the DCIS were identified af ter the mammogram testing only. Fig: The Ductal carcinoma of the breast. The cancer has not moved above the basement membrane and they are not capable of metastasis.3 Pathological features: The biopsy is performed after the mammogram for the confirmation of the DCIS. Breast biopsy is nothing but the removal of a small part of the breast for the analysis. While scanning, the presence of space in the ducts is identified and confirmed for the presence of DCIS. Fig: The presence of spac

Policies on Sexual Aggression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Policies on Sexual Aggression - Essay Example Federal and state law prohibits sexual harassment, therefore, the company where he is employed is committed to maintaining a work environment that is free of all forms of intimidation or sexual harassment as legally mandated. Every employee at the company, both male and female, is covered by the sexual harassment policy. The company identifies a common form of sexual harassment, quid pro quo harassment, in the following manner: "If submission to or rejection of the conduct is used and as a basis for an employment decision affecting the person rejecting or submitting to the conduct" (Anonymous Company Sexual Harassment Policy (ACSHP), 2007). The company does not give specific examples, however, I believe the policy sufficiently explains the concept. The company also lays out its policy against a hostile work environment, as it is identified and addressed with: "If the conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an affected person's work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment" (ACSHP, 2007). Again, no specific examples are given, which in this case may be useful as many individuals may find the language of the policy ambiguous.

Contemporary Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Contemporary Literature - Essay Example Indeed, American literature during this time is highly coherent to its culture (Daly 187). One of the most prominent writings during this time is that of Captain John Smith, one of the greatest leaders of the English colonizers who played a huge role in the stabilizing the colony. Perhaps, because of his endeavor, his works, distributed in pamphlets, concern mostly the difference between the two cultures emphasizing the self-righteousness and greed of Americans – something which was contradicted by the works of William Bradford and John Winthrop who reported more on the selflessness of men and women of that time (Gura 339). True enough, the ideas of cultural historians and critical theorists have dominated the American Colonial literature (Gura 338). Moreover, American colonial literature is also marked with religiosity. It is noteworthy that another batch of British colonizers arrived in order to introduce a religion in America that is separate from the Church of England. The se Puritans have influenced American writers who embraced the religion to write something theological in nature.

Neoclassical architecture in England Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Neoclassical architecture in England - Essay Example Soane's style is marked by clean lines, adherence to form, detail, excellent sense of mood and light in the interior, which can be attributed to his influence to classical architecture. His creations, which came to be known by the end of the Georgian era were overshadowed by the Romantic period and it was only in the 19th century that he was duly acknowledged for his contribution. Though Soane's life is marked by controversies, his creations have left their mark and have been a source of inspiration for many. Born in 1753, this son of a bricklayer, trained under George Dance the Younger and Henry Holland before entering the Royal Academy Schools in 1771. His hard work was rewarded when he won a gold medal for his design for a triumphal bridge and a scholarship to France and Italy. This trip was significant since it not only shaped his opinions on architecture but also enabled him to form valuable contacts that would be of use to him in later years. It was during this study tour that he studied classical architecture in minute detail and worked on designs for many public buildings. He drew influence from the work of Ledoux, Boullee and Goindoin and got the chance to meet Piranesi in Italy. He later moved to Ireland in search of good prospects but had to return to England and set up a practice. His early career comprised renovations and additions to country est ates and in publishing his designs. The turning point of his career occurred when he took over as the architect and surveyor of the Bank of England. A major task, which set the tone for his later creations, he was entrusted with the responsibility of enlarging and rebuilding the entire structure of the bank, a complicated task because of its form and structure. He reconstructed the edifice using the Roman Corinthian, a variety found in the temple of Sibyl at Tivoli, which, despite its shortcomings, was considered a great innovation in that era. His most popular work, The Bank of England embodies the values of Greek architecture and had a profound influence on commercial architecture of that time. Soane served many posts many of which were controversial and it has been argued that his unconventional style flourished largely due to the security of his position. He undertook many public and private commissions such as public galleries and renovating country homes. He faced a lot of ridicule for his designs because though they were carefully planned, his later creations had a lot of faulty elevation details and ostentatious ornamentation. This did not affect Soane who gained membership to the Royal Academy in Britain and seven years later was elevated to first class, where he replaced late William Chambers. In 1806, he became a professor of architecture with a commitment to deliver series of lectures annually. He then began collecting various forms of art and books for the benefit of students of architecture, which were later, offered to the nation after his death. A quiet and a withdrawn person by nature, his architectural affiliations were based on French theory and exuberance combined with the formal opulence of the English picturesque theory. He was deeply influenced by classical architecture as his lectures laid emphasis on "good taste" and "sound judgement". But along with these values, he also stressed on the need for character and