Being Unemployed and the Impact of Unemployment as a Broad Issue

Introduction Sociology can be defined as the organized study of social behavior and human groups or simply the study of society. It is a very important field in our day to day lives. This is because it provides individuals with an informative perspective of what is around them through the relation of individual experiences with the expectations of the society as a whole.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Being Unemployed and the Impact of Unemployment as a Broad Issue specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More There are various social problems which could be looked at from a sociological perspective for instance poverty, unemployment, homelessness, racism, sexism and alcohol/drug addiction among others (Giddens and Griffiths, 2006). For the sake of this assignment, I will discuss the issue of Being unemployed and the impact of unemployment as a broad subject. A sociological imagination will be used to discuss the connection between individual experiences and the social impact of unemployment. Being Unemployed and the Impact of Unemployment as a Broad Issue In as much as we would like to take the issue of unemployment at an individual level, it is not possible since it touches on the society as whole and hence the need to discuss the impact it has on the society. According to Ballantine  and Cargan (1994), sociological imagination is the process whereby an individual perceives his or her life in the context of the society around. It will be used to discuss this issue so as to gain a deeper understanding. Unemployment entails the state of people having no jobs despite the fact that they are qualified and have been looking for employment chances but in vain. Although unemployment is mostly viewed in an economic perspective it is a social problem since it does not only affect the unemployed but also the society as a whole. On an individual level, an unemployed person lacks income, may get depressed; have low standards of living and thus a compromised welfare. Some of the societal effects of unemployment include increased rates of crime where people engage in criminal activities in an effort to meet their needs. Unemployment is also associated with a rise in divorce rates since people in marriages are not able to solve their financial related problems. There are also instances of mental and physical illnesses due to stress emanating from lack of jobs. Unemployment contributes to the problem of homelessness as people are not in a position to pay for households. There is also the aspect of greater reliance on government assistance which in turn exacerbates the economic stress on social oriented programs. Taxpayers are also in a problem of having to support the unemployed (Fineman, 1987). Conclusion From the above discussion, it is evident that the study of sociology is helpful in our understanding of what surrounds us and it helps people to view an aspect that affects them to the over all effects it exerts on the entire society. It helps in the elimination of the thought that ones personal life can only be viewed in respect to his or her successes and failures. Instead, sociology helps one to link his or her life to the society.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Sociology is therefore useful in tackling different issues exhaustively rather than taking them at an individual level. The unemployment issue is for instance well understood when it is looked at on the perspective of the impacts it have on the society as a whole rather than on an individual. Reference List Ballantine, J.,  and Cargan, L. (1994).  Sociological Footprints: Introductory Readings in Sociology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Fineman, S. (1987). Unemployment: Personal and Social Consequences. London: Routledge, Giddens, A., and Griffiths, S. (2006). Sociology, 5th Ed. Malden, MA: Polity Press This essay on Being Unemployed and the Impact of Unemployment as a Broad Issue was written and submitted by user Kev1n to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Zionism essays

Zionism essays For at least two thousand years Jews were dispersed all over the world. Some of them inevitably assimilated with other nations. Yet many kept their identity as a nation by staying loyal to their religious faith and by their desire to survive as one people preserving common racial features and cultural traditions. Some European anti-Jewish tendencies and the suspicious attitude to Jews in oriental cultures contributed to their solidarity. For centuries Jews cherished the idea of returning to their native land. But it was only in the 19th century that the idea developed into a political movement called Zionism. At first the movement was not very popular among Jews. There were supporters, but most rabbis considered the concept of restoring Israel possible only after the coming of the Messiah. The movement started in Russia and spread to other countries. The idea was elaborated first in the book by German socialist Hess who tried to prove that the Jews could create a socialistic state in Israel. Much more popular was another book by Z. Pinsker called "Auto-Emancipation" and published in 1882. The book revealed the fact that the lack of Jewish own state accounts for social and psychological discomfort experienced by them. Under the influence of this publication clubs and study groups appeared in Russia, Where Jews were mostly persecuted. Russia was the first country from which Jews began to emigrate to Palestine for settling down. Despite the help from several powerful Jewish institutions in Europe, they faced many obstacles and hardships, in the first place because the country was ruled by the Turkish Government hostile to Russians. Enthusiasm of early Russian Zionists was mostly romantic and probably doomed to failure. The basis for mature political Zionism was created by Herzl, who wrote the work "Jews' state" in 1896. He was a recognized author who summarized and explained the ideas of early Zionists to thousands of ...

Introduction to legal frame work Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Introduction to legal frame work - Assignment Example lly an individual that carries on business activities on his own account and is singularly responsible for all the losses and profits that are made by his business. In managing the business enterprise, a sole trader is tasked with the responsibility of acting as both the risk bearer and the owner of his business. He is expected to use his own labor and skill as well as use his own capital in addition to his also being entitled to all the profits that the business organization is able to make. As a result of his having unlimited liability, a sole trader is personally responsible to all the creditors of the business enterprise and he alone bears the complete risk of the failure or success of the business organization. In the event that the business enterprise happens to be particularly large, a sole trader has the option of employing a large number of people to help him in effectively managing the business operations. He also has the option of borrowing funds to be used in financings the operations of his expanding business. Canwell (2005), points out that about 63 percent of all business organizations in the United Kingdom are noted to be run as single-person enterprises. Some of the advantages of this business structure include the fact that the registration of a small business in the United Kingdom is relatively straight forward, its record keeping is simple and the owner gets to enjoy keeping all the profits that are made by the business organization after paying taxes. Opting to operate as a sole trader provides the business owners with the opportunity of being able to test the market before they can go on to get involved in some of the more complicated forms of business structures. The main disadvantage with this form of business structure is that the current laws do not make any distinction between the sole trader and the business. It is this aspect that causes the trader to have unlimited liability. Having unlimited liability means that any debt that the

Small Business Enterprise Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Small Business Enterprise - Assignment Example around 54 employees but has been voted by the Sunday times as the top ranked till managed to in its own respect. It is a small private firm that is based in London and has been established in the year 2009 (Best Companies, 2013). It is a great matter of pride for the company as the staff turnover is quite less. Moreover, the company is seen to employ young candidates who are of the age of 29 on an average. Considering all of these aspects, it can be said that small businesses if properly managed can lead to smooth flow of the business activities. In this respect, another small business i.e. TPP SystmOne which is specialized in delivering internet services to the consumers’ (Goundrey-Smith, 2012). TPP has been considered to be the best company for a fourth time pertaining to the review of the Sunday Times. Moreover, the company has also been bestowed with a special award as the best improver in the division of internet services. Moreover, it has been ascertained that the compan y has been heading towards the roadway of success. 1.1 Strengths/Weaknesses of the two companies In relation to Strengths/Weaknesses of Cloudreach, it can be said that the company operating with such a small number of employees and getting recognized at a larger scale is one of the major strengths of the company (Cloudreach, 2013). Another aspect that represents the strengths of the company is that it has been able to grab the top position for the cloud computing services that it renders to its customers’. Moreover, the company is responsible for providing a wide array of services namely: migration services, services relating to application development, managed services and consultancy services among others. The aforementioned services being rendered by the company reflects about its accelerated strengths irrespective of its size. In keeping up with the fact about the company’s strength, it assists in maintaining sustainability within the competitive market scenario. H owever, the small size and less employee turnover can be considered as the weakness of the Company i.e. Cloudreach. In relation to the aspects associated with this factor, it can be said that if the company plans for following expansion strategies in the near future then its small size may prove to be a hindrance in its growth (Cloudreach, 2013). On the other hand, the company i.e. TPP SystmOne endures certain major strengths that will enable the company to be in a much favourable position in near future. The company is mainly responsible for developing high end software that delivers fruitful sources of information to numerous health professionals around the world. This factor adds up to the strengths of the company to a greater extent (TPP SystmOne, 2013). The major weakness of the company can be considered as the small size. This factor can prove to be quite disadvantageous for the company if it goes for an expansion in diversified field worldwide. Furthermore, the company is spe cialized in the field of medicines and provides useful information pertaining to the best use of medicines. It does not reflect much diversity in its services which can prove to be a major weakness for the company (Beisse,

Construction Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Construction Law - Essay Example In this case, the tender arrived on time, but lay in the letterbox, therefore it was deemed to be a valid offer. A unilateral contract would turn into a bilateral contract through a valid acceptance, signified by a performance of the stipulated terms within the offer. According to I.M. Wormser, the justification for fixing acceptance to a unilateral contract upon completed performance of the stipulated terms is based upon symmetry3. Therefore in terms of the tender, there is no obligation upon the offerer, neither is there any obligation upon the offeree unless and until the stipulated terms of the offer have been completed. An offeree need not perform the stipulated terms, in which case no contract exists. Therefore, the initial tender was sent to Widget by Dig-it Builders but when accepted by Widget, did not yet constitute a formal contract because Dig-it sent a counter offer and when it was not accepted within the stipulated time period, they sent the fax withdrawing their offer. However the original term of the tender is 60 days so the tender still remains open, since only one party has wi thdrawn the offer. The mail indicating acceptance by Widget was posted by the architect on the same day, and the courts have deemed acceptance when a letter is posted4. However it is received on the subsequent day (the 35th) day of the tender. Therefore, this will still be subject to the general rule regarding acceptance, which is the requirement of actual communication5. No legal commitment will be deemed to exist until the acceptance of the offer is communicated to the offerer and up to that point, either party is free to change their minds.6 However, Dig-it’s fax will be construed to be a counter offer in the sense that it is a withdrawal of the original offer, which no longer exists. But the tender is not yet closed because Dig-it has made a counter offer reducing the price, although this will still not be a contract until acceptance is obtained

EasyJet emarketing strategies and its implementation

EasyJet emarketing strategies and its implementation Management Summary This report undertakes a study of EasyJet e-marketing strategies and its implementation outlining its impact on EasyJet operations as a whole. EasyJet is an airline company operating in Europe with its base in UK. It was founded by Stelios Haji-Ioannou in mid 1995. EasyJets operations are paperless, with all business transactions done through the internet. EasyJet has experienced a successful online business due to its e-market strategy that aims to provide low cost no frills air transportation. Under the strong and charismatic leadership of Stellios, it has accomplished its goal by creating brand awareness, adoption of an efficiency-driven operating model and maintenance of a high level customer satisfaction. EasyJet conducted its business using telephone in order to achieve the goal of undercutting traditional carriers and increase savings by direct selling. Business was later on conducted over the internet aiming to cut down cost on it call centers, to make flying affordable and to compete even with busses by attracting people who would have otherwise not travelled by air. EasyJet is doing this by using a website which is designed with high usability and has an intuitive navigation allowing user to do booking and purchase ticket online. EasyJet also does promotion on newspaper by running internet only promotion, giving discounts to consumers who purchase online only. This mix has helped in EasyJet promotion giving impressive results by achieving tremendous sales results. The design, structure, usability and usefulness of its website have enabled EasyJet to secure leverage over its competitors. The most important fact is that EasyJet has incorporated flexibility in its e-marketing strategy enabling it to anticipate changes and further develop its strategies to counter-act accordingly. The impact of EasyJet e-market strategy is evident on the growth that EasyJet has enjoyed through the years In general the e-marketing strategy followed by EasyJet works for it. EasyJet is obviously aware of its surrounding environment, and appreciates the magnitude of closely monitoring and control of its strategy, so as to stay ahead in an environment that constantly evolves by keeping a close eye on any happening changes. Its evident that EasyJet takes few risks and applies firm business principles while carefully exploring the market. Introduction Company Background, Financial Performance and Key Services EasyJet is an airline company based in Britain with its headquarters at London Luton Airport. It operates 500 domestic and international routes between 118 countries within Europe, West Asia and North Africa carrying more passengers than any other UK based airline. Its parent company EasyJet plc is listed in London Stock Exchange. (Wikipedia, n.d). EasyJet Airline was founded in Britain by Stellios Haji-Ioannou, holder of masters degree in business and son of a Greek Cypriot shipping tycoon. He started the company with  £5 million loaned by his father after he was approached by Virgin Atlantics Greek franchisee to invest in a London-Athens route and decided to start his own airline instead. The company started with two leased airplanes operating in two routes; London Luton to Edinburgh and Glasgow respectively and later Aberdeen. Stellios was inspired by principle of price elasticity applied by Southwest Airlines based in the United States. Southwest air fares were so low that the airline attracted people who would not have otherwise traveled by air. It aimed to compete with busses as much as it did with other airline companies. In the beginning, EasyJet operated a paper airline contracting British World Airlines to fly and maintain its two 148 seats leased planes. Its base in London was at Low-rent Luton airport. After acquiring its first plane, EasyJet started competing against British Airways and KLM on the route to Amsterdam focusing on short-haul routes aiming to offer half of its competitors fare. Stellios later on capitalized on the Swiss connection buying 40% stake in a failing charter airline; TEA Switzerland. It is believed that, in the beginning EasyJet spent all its revenue on advertising, offering cheap air fares. A specific example of billboards declaring a fare of  £29 for London-Scotland route which was one-tenth the price charged by British Airways. Advertisements on TV directed customers to bypass travel agents and directly call the company reservation number which was also painted on all EasyJet planes. Direct selling was the strategy from start and later the Internet became EasyJets preferred booking media. Dress code for its employees was jeans and orange sweatshirts which reflected a casual yet fast-paced attitude. Only pilots were allowed to wear neck ties. Organization culture of EasyJet was described as brutally transparent, allowing employees in all paperless offices to share all types of information except payroll, by scanning all its documents into a computer system accessible to all employees. The company is lean on services having no in-flight catering, charging for snacks and soft drinks and having no cancellations or refunds option. The three keys to EasyJet strategy were Simplification, Frugality and Friendliness with a motto of Easy come, easy go. Some passengers were apprehensive of low-rate airlines compromising safety, EasyJet had to change tactic in advertising by explaining why it was possible to reduce fares without compromising safety. EasyJet stimulated traffic in all the markets it entered by introducing price competition to a market that was previously driven by free offers such as frequent flier miles. This enabled EasyJet to turn a profit of  £2 million in the year 1997. In 2000 fiscal year, EasyJet declared a profit of $33 million and floated a quarter of the companys stock on the London Stock Exchange with shares offered exclusively to institutional investors, raising  £190 million which was used to purchase 32 new Boeing 737 airplanes. After it merged with Go Fly in August 2002, it became one of Europes biggest and leading low cost airlines. (Business Essays, n.d) Since its establishment in mid 1990s, EasyJet has enjoyed a rapid expansion growing through a combination of mergers, acquisitions and base openings brought about by demand of low-cost air travel by consumers. It now boasts a fleet of over 180 aircrafts with 20 bases across Europe and is ranked as the second largest low-cost carrier in Europe having carried 45.2 million passengers in 2009. (Wikipedia, n.d). EasyJet has had its fare share of legal battles, the most popular one being with British Airways. It has also faced criticism in Germany for not observing the European Union law on compensation and on environmental issues due to its advertisement that EasyJet aircrafts made 22% less emission compared to its competitors. Services offered by EasyJet include real time on-line booking, telephone booking for 3 months before flight bookings, in-flight magazines containing destination guides, holiday and accommodation products, car rentals, airport parking, travel insurance and on-board sales of fragrances, cosmetics etc. Situation Analysis A business does not operate in isolation. Business reactions and decisions depend on what happens on its environment. The factors happening outside an organization are known as external factors or influences. The external factors affect main internal operations and the objectives and strategies of the organization. It is therefore important to identify factors that might in turn affect a number of vital variables that are likely to influence the organizations supply and demand levels and operation costs (Kotter Schlesinger, 1991; Johnson Scholes, 1993). The strategy of EasyJet is to offer low cost, no-frills air transportation. This strategy has enabled EasyJet to prosper. It is however, important to continually strive to satisfy customer needs and stay in a competitive position by evaluating market trends and situation. This calls up the need to do situational analysis which involves the studying of important business elements such as competitors, customers, costs, climate (external environment), collaborators and the company itself. Conducting a situational analysis for a company provides the knowledge and context for planning by describing the companys competitive position, financial and operating conditions and the general state of the companys internal and external affairs. To accomplish this methods such as SWOT and PEST are used. PEST Analysis PEST stands for Political, Economical, Social and Technological. PEST analysis is a framework used to categorize environmental issues that influences an organization Politically, Economically, Socially and Technologically. Papers4you.com (n.d) quoting Kotler (1998) and Porter (1985) states that: Kotler (1998) claims that PEST analysis is a useful strategic tool for understanding market growth or decline, business position, potential and direction for operations. The headings of PEST are a framework of reviewing a situation, and can in addition to SWOT and Porters Five Forces models, be applied by companies to review a strategic directions, including marketing proposition. The use of PEST analysis can be seen effective for business and strategic planning, market planning, business and product development and research reports. PEST also ensures that companys performance is aligned positively with the powerful forces of change that are affecting business environment (Porter, 1985). PEST is useful when a company decides to enter its business operations into new markets and new countries. The use of PEST, in this case, helps to break free of unconscious assumptions, and help to effectively adapt to the realities of the new environment. (papers4you.com, n.d) PEST analysis is therefore useful tool for understanding and determining the market growth or decline of an organization, the position as well as the potential and direction of a business. PEST analysis for EasyJet shows the following: Political The change of government or policy may influence the company profile as new regulations are introduced. EasyJet has been involved in various legal disputes a good example is when Germany criticized EasyJet for not observing the European Union law on compensation. Political changes in the countries where EasyJet has routes. EasyJet operates in different countries across Europe; changes in these countries may affect its operations. Local government councils object to noise and prohibit building of new runways. Governments wanting to promote tourism in their countries may welcome and act in the favor of EasyJet. Different taxes that are charged in different countries for fuel, landing, airport tax etc. Changes in employment laws, trade restrictions and tariffs has impacts on EasyJet business operations for example in April 2000, EasyJet had to launch a campaign to stop Barclays from increasing landing fees by 300%. Economic Economic recession where some countries economy might grow and some might collapse. Uncertainty due to the cost fluctuation of energy and fuel. Business involves having loans; change of interest rates and foreign exchange rates may affect EasyJet long term loans. There has been unrest in consumers attitude due to the September 11th attacks which caused a significant decrease in the confidence of airline travelers. Social Flying with EasyJet may attract companies with employees doing frequent business trip since EasyJet do not offer in-flight luxuries thus less cost to companies. Stability in economy and expansion of tourism means many people want to fly away for holidays. Low cost, no frills attracts wider demographic of consumers including people who would have otherwise not think of travelling by air. Outbreak of contagious diseases such as the bird flu, SARS may cause decrease of travelers. Safety measure applied while on air and on the ground conveys a positive image of the company thus many people feel safe to travel with EasyJet planes. The friendliness and efficiency of EasyJet employees make customers to always want to travel by EasyJet. The growth of population means more travelers and people in a certain life stage have more disposable income to spend. EasyJet runs an environmental friendly business; depending entirely on the internet running paperless operations which means less waste. This gives it a positive outlook from a world that is so environmental conscious. Technological The rate at which technology changes has favored EasyJet by making it possible to conduct paperless operations therefore reducing operation costs. IT technology is available in competitive price thus enabling EasyJet to design a system that can be remotely accessed by all its employees. The growth in technology also ensures the availability of spares and maintenance services to its fleet of airplanes. Technology has become cheaper; it is cost effective in the running of the company but at the same time the entries to barrier are lower for competitors to join in. SWOT Analysis SWOT is an important part of strategic planning that involves a scan of internal and external organization environment. SWOT analysis provides helpful information for fitting organizations capabilities and resources to the competitive environment it operates in. SWOT analysis is used to determine the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of an organization. Strengths EasyJet is under the strong and charismatic leadership of Stellios who possesses great entrepreneurial vision, is adaptable to change and is able to identify business opportunities EasyJet is original and has very effective promotional strategies. EasyJet is serving many of the leading city destinations across Europe and is leading as provider of low budget and no added costs air travel. It is a well known, respected and recognized as the leading brand name in travel industry in UK. Has a low running cost due to the use of internet giving its customers the benefit of paying for local calls. EasyJet is easily recognizable and distinguishable from their competitors due to the high distinctive corporate colors on all of its aircraft. EasyJet has diversified into other market such as car rental and internet cafes making life easy for their customers by being served by same company when requiring these services. Has an excellent customer service for example EasyJet offers refunds for flights that have been delayed for 4 hours or more. It operates an efficient and fast service with an average turnaround time of 30 minutes or below thus is able to maintain a hassle free and reliable service to its passengers. It has a very user friendly website showing fully the price breakdown structure for passenger planned trips. Divulging the full breakdown price plan prevents any hidden charges to customers when confirming their booking. It has a sophisticated system that offers online promotion alerts by e-mail to existing customers. Weaknesses EasyJet relies so much on computers for booking and information storage which could be risky. EasyJet flies exclusively within Europe. EasyJet does not offer free in-flight food services. The extreme competitiveness of the domestic air travel industry can restrict and shape pricing policies on some of EasyJets less profitable routes. EasyJet has to charge low rates even on these routes to compete with their competitors which are Jet, BMI Baby, Ryan Air and other smaller independent companies. Opportunities Possible opening of other routes to major cities in Europe such as from Dublin to UK and new links into business flyers to and from UK. Restructured versions of the fly on the wall documentaries would provide the EasyJet brand with more coverage and publicity. Offering free in-flight refreshments would be a bonus and would increase comfort to EasyJet customers. Threats Threat of substitution where travelers travelling as a group might choose other means to save on travelling expenses. Other airlines flying the same routes compete fiercely on price forcing pressure on margin on popular flights and time slots. External market forces such as the rise of price of oil can have major impact on running costs posing significant pressure on the profit of less popular routes and time slots. Day to day operations of EasyJet can be significantly affected by pressure from unions and employee relations committees, strikes have proved to be costly to the company and its image. Economic recession may decrease the number of casual and business travelers. E-Marketing Strategy To fully understand what e-marketing involves, it is worthwhile to revisit the original definition of marketing before it was prefixed by e. Nowsell.com, (n.d) quotes cim.co.uk definition of marketing as follows: Marketing is the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably (nowsell.com, n.d) The definition accentuates the focus of marketing on the customer, while implying the need to link other business operations to achieve the required profitability. E-marketing is therefore defined as achieving marketing objectives through the use of electronic communication technology which includes internet, eBooks, e-mail, databases, wireless mobile phones and digital television.(nowsell.com, n.d). The internet, as noted by Smith and Chaffey (2001) can be used to support the aims mentioned in the definition i.e. identifying, anticipating and satisfying as follows: Identifying use the internet for market research to find out customer needs. Anticipating the internet provides an additional channel for customers to access information and makes purchases. Understanding this demand is basis to governing resource distribution to e-marketing. Satisfying an important success factor in e-marketing is accomplishing customer satisfaction through electronic channel by making sure that the site performs adequately and is easy to use. Planning is essential in order to succeed in e-marketing. A successful e-marketing plan relies on traditional disciplines and planning techniques that is adapted for the digital media environment and mixed with digital marketing communication techniques. SOSTAC is a generic framework used for e-marketing planning. SOSTAC stands for: S Situational analysis (where are we now) O Objectives (where do we want to go) S Strategy (how do we get there) T Tactics (the details of strategy) A Action (or implementation) C Control (evaluation, measurement) The Situational analysis above has identified the current position of EasyJet using SWOT and PEST methods. The analysis shows EasyJet holds a strong position and has gained a competitive advantage due to the use of technology internet in particular in conducting its business operations. The objective of EasyJet is to increase online revenue, minimize cost and retain their customers. EasyJet has accomplished this by creation of brand awareness, adoption of an efficiency-driven operating model and maintenance of a high level customer satisfaction. Strategy is the process of developing options to achieve a desired outcome. E-marketing strategy therefore consists of steps taken and procedure followed for marketing a brand through the website. (buzzle.com, n.d). The important aspect in any e-marketing strategy is the company website which needs to be properly formatted and designed, so as to give a good impression and attract users and thus increase sales. EasyJet uses internet to meet its objectives. EasyJet has a comprehensive website with good usability and structure that presents EasyJet services without the use of redundant graphics and advertisement which usually distracts website visitors. EasyJet went online because of the need to reduce cost. EasyJet aimed at making flying affordable and urged travelers to deal direct and cut out travel agents. An overview of EasyJet lists the following strategies: Reduction and distribution of costs by online booking. No tickets during travel, just an e-mail with the booking reference is adequate to board the plane. This reduces tasks and costs associated with issuing, distributing, processing and reconciling tickets. Paperless operations making the internet useful in other aspects of the business such as administration and management. EasyJet URL is printed alongside all its planes. The company aimed to scale down its call centers operations by selling most of the tickets online. By putting the company URL everywhere, it increased the use of the website and this helped EasyJet get more customers thus making EasyJet flights prices cheaper. EasyJet also uses the website as an aggressive tool. A good example is the competition to predict BA losses on Go enticing visitors with prizes. EasyJet also had earlier on used a TV series to promote itself in every household in the UK. The value proposition and differential advantage of this strategy can be seen on the benefits offered to customers as well as cost cutting experience by EasyJet. EasyJet operates cheaply making it possible to give its customers reliable, convenient and great value for money service. The EasyJet market mix (i.e. the 4ps: product, price, placement and promotion) can easily be evaluated at the structure of its website. EasyJet has identified its website audience as those on-line visitors living in Europe requiring cheap, comfortable and comprehensive real time travel without needing to go through travel agents. For this, EasyJet offers low cost, no frills flights and other services such as car rentals and accommodation (product) at reduced online price with no hidden-added cost (transparency) showing fully the price breakdown structure (price), that can be purchased direct (disintermediation) online without the need to go through third party travel agents (placement), letting travelers know where to buy ticket by advertising on TV, newspapers, EasyJet planes and through e-mails (promotion). The website has all the required information readily available in all dominant languages of the continent and is sectioned under different tabs of accommodation, travel insurance, car rentals, flight bookings and airport related transport to enable users to go directly to the service they require. Moderate use of text eradicates wastage of time yet communicates accurate message to website visitors to guide them through various links based on logical visitors usage. It also has enough information on each page to support the need of visitors without abstract marketing banners to distract real buyers. EasyJet website gives attention on usability and reliability of information rather than visibility and colorful display alone; it however does not lack color. Orange color has consistently been used throughout the website helping clients to easily associate the website with the airline. EasyJet maintains a website that can be considered an ideal re-intermediation where service provider is in direct contact with the consumers via an electronic medium (Internet). This reduces cost to both consumer and service provider and creates business value. (businessteacher.com, n.d) Implementation The implementation of EasyJet e-marketing strategy has been achieved on the companys website. The EasyJet website has been designed to offer high usability to visitor and is simpler to use compared to some of its competitors. It is simply designed, with an intuitive navigation allowing users to move from page to page without the need to go via home page. It has high functionality and is without excess baggage. It was created with the intention not to tire the visitor with redundant graphics and advertisements which would distract its visitors and make them walk away from the website. It employs moderate use of text eliminating time wastage while conveying accurate message to guide users through various links. Each page on the website consist enough required information without abstract marketing banners to sidetrack real buyers. For example if a user wants to book a flight, he would enter the date of travel, destination and check flight availability then move on to make booking or p urchase. How the managements creates new core and extended value for customers The purpose of setting up an on-line business is to ensure growth, efficiency, competitive advantage and leverage over competitors.(businessteacher.com, n.d). Using the internet, EasyJet has been able to reduce running cost and to cut down its supply chain by removing intermediaries and dealing direct with customers enabling it to sell almost 90% of its flight over the internet. EasyJet website targets business and leisure travelers who are keen on saving time and money and do not want to deal with third party intermediaries, providing them with easy access to booking, flight scheduling, transportation and accommodation. Facilities such as choice of airport lounges or parking are important in completing the process of travel booking, and having this on the website EasyJet extends value for customer. They also analyze consumer e-mail queries and use these to formulate services according to customer needs. Operating in this way reduces cost and helps the company, by use of technology mediation, to sell its product and services and create business value. There are exclusive promotions for on line booking customers and all customers who book online receive discount for each leg of the journey example EasyJet was able to reduce  £1 for people who booked online. Online customers also get the benefit of paying the price of local call. EasyJet make it a point to put all cheap flights online and customers can search flights by fair and view flights that are available over two weeks. Customers can make flight transfers, change names, reschedule flight bookings, and request duplicate confirmation by e-mail and check in on-line. There is also an option of speed boarding which enables the passenger to board the flight before other passengers. They also have flight promotions which intend to avoid customers who would fly with EasyJet. These promotions are advertised few minutes before the flight time aiming to get rid of empty seats. Balancing online and offline promotion methods The management balances online and offline promotion by using newspapers to advertise about new online promotions and offers by calling or e-mailing journalists and referring them to the website. EasyJet does this by putting internet-only promotions in newspaper encouraging travelers to purchase their ticket online. The guess BA Go Losses and the section entitled Battle with Swissair were advertised on newspaper to lure more people to the website. Impact of the implementation of the strategy on business performance The implementation of the strategy has an impact on the business performance because the site is well integrated into EasyJets existing systems and business process. A good example is the ability to feed press release into the site through electronic and new destination appearing automatically once fed into the companys information system. Also the effectiveness of the website was proved when the dedicated phone number on the site hit six months target within six weeks. The log file recorded 8 minutes average time spent on the website per person and almost each caller made a purchase. The website proved that EasyJet phone operators were busy selling tickets rather than answering questions over the phone. Legal and Ethical issues The use of Internet in e-commerce has brought up invasive legal and ethical issues. This is partly due to its underlying features and the way it has been exploited by businesses disrupting existing social and business relationships and understanding. EasyJet like many other businesses has benefited from commercial development of the internet but this commercial development demand a price from individuals. EasyJet gathers and processes customer information and uses this information for marketing by sending e-mails. This is regarded as intrusion of solitude because once a customer registers in the EasyJet website, then they will be receiving constant emails which can be really annoying. This has resulted to consumer use of spam guard (junk mail filters) to stop receiving unsolicited emails. Sherrington (2009, p 19) emphasizes that the status of a business is not respected; it is earned (Sherrington, 2009, p 19). It is not good for a business to burst into peoples inboxes or profiles on social networks such as Facebook, advertising their brands just because it has spotted a potential customer. Consumers regard this as abuse and violation of their privacy and some can punish the business by never purchasing their product or service. It is important in e-marketing to demonstrate integrity, honesty, respect and a willingness to share and apply the golden rule of treating consumers as you would like to be treated. This can be accomplished by letting consumers know before their information is gathered, give consumer the opportunity to agree or deny secondary usage of their information, give consumer access and the right to review personal data, store accurate consumer information and have in place a clear means by which consumer can address the situation if any of their right is violated. The use of cookies, spyware and other techniques enables tracking of consumers online behaviors, recording searches and sites visited by individuals. This helps business such as EasyJet in profiling customers and targeting them for specific marketing campaigns. The law and consumers regards this as intrusion of privacy (like stalking in the physical world). As a result there are a number of privacy advocacy groups on the web that monitor developments in privacy.(Laudon Traver, 2008, pg 500). The use of internet excludes a certain group of people who do not make use of internet. A good example is older people who do not seem to grasp the use of computers. EasyJet are likely not to have customers from this group of people. The use of internet sometimes violates copyright laws where intellectual properties such as trademarks of others are used without consent. EasyJet went through a legal battle with British airways for using a slogan that resembles that of BA. EasyJet called itself The webs favorite airline mimicking the BA slogan The worlds favorite airline. Conclusion This report mirrors EasyJet strategy for its online business model. In wide-ranging EasyJet strategy works well for the company. EasyJet is aware of its business environment and realize the importance of monitoring it. Through the use of internet, EasyJet succeeded to be among the top low cost, no frills airline companies in the UK. The design, structure, usability and usefulness of its website have enabled EasyJet to secure leverage over its competitors. The most important fact is that EasyJet has incorporated flexibility in its e-marketing strategy enabling it to anticipate changes and further develop its strategies to counter-act according

Greek and Christian Models of the Truth Essay -- Philosophy Religion E

Greek and Christian Models of the Truth In his Philosophical Fragments, SÃ ¸ren Kierkegaard, writing under the pseudonym of Johannes Climacus, poses the question, "How far does the Truth admit of being learned?" (154). A more direct and succinct formulation of Climacus' question is "How is the Truth learned?" since his question does not concern the extent of human knowledge, which "How far" implies, but the possible modes through which one comes, or may come, to know the Truth. For Climacus, there are two possible modes of knowing, or two theories of how one comes to know the Truth: the Greek and the Christian. Both of these modes lead one not to truths, but to "the Truth"; Climacus' concern is not with those modes of knowing that yield particular truths about the world and humans, as in science, but with those modes that yield ultimate Truth, that highest and purest dream of philosophy. The central purpose of this deliberation on the two modes of knowing the Truth, according to Niels Thulstrup, is to point out "the deep essential difference between Platonism and Christianity because of the fact of the incarnation" (lxxxvii). Climacus wants to demonstrate that the Greek, Platonic, or Socratic mode of knowing the Truth contradicts the Christian mode of knowing the truth. Many theologians and philosophers hold that Climacus succeeds in his demonstration and therefore extol the genius of Kierkegaard. My reading of Climacus' "Project of Thought" is also that he succeeds, but that his success is a fundamental failure. For even though Climacus indicates an essential difference between the Greek mode of knowing the Truth and the Christian, he does not fully recognize that his whole thought-project is itself Greek, and that it puts a q... ... method does more, however, than simply put a question to Christianity which it does not and cannot answer: By generating an answer from a misreading of Christian revelation, Climacus distorts the nature of Christianity and Christian revelation. Works Cited Ellul, Jacques. The Subversion of Christianity. Trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986. Kierkegaard, Soren. Philosophical Fragments. A Kierkegaard Anthology. Ed. Robert Bretall. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1946. 153-171. Nielsen, H.A. Where the Passion Is: A Reading of Kierkegaard's Philosophical Fragements. Tallahassee: University Presses of Florida, 1983. Thulstrup, Niels. "Commentator's Introduction." Philosophical Fragments. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1962. xlv-xcii. Tillich, Paul. A History of Christian Thought. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1968.