Mona Lisa By Leonardo Da Vinci Humanism

Mona Lisa By Leonardo Da Vinci Humanism The transition movement that took place between the 14th and 17th century in Italy is known as the Renaissance time or by definition rebirth. The philosophy that took place in the period is one of the humanism or the focus on the human being. One of the master artists of this time is Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) and one of the paintings that best represents the philosophy and art of this period is the Mona Lisa. The philosophy of humanism brought on a time where the focus was on the human being. The previous philosophy of the medieval time was more focused on biblical motivation, whereas humanism was not. Humanism stood for the; the emergence of the individual figure, in place of stereotyped or symbolic figure, greater realism and consequent attention to detail, as reflected in the development of linear perspective and increased realism of human faces and bodies (High Renaissance Art. (n.d)). The artist of the Renaissance time kept up with the spirit of humanism by portraying lifelike human forms with the realistic clothing, and expression and correct proportion. A new three-dimensional form was created with new techniques. The natural landscape began to appear as the background as a transition from the figures of heaven against a gold background. Realism and idealism are other concepts that were used in the Renaissance time and one could say that Leonardo Da Vinci mastered them. Realism or portraying subjects as they really were accomplished by: forms, colors, proportions, lights and shade effects, spatial harmony and composition. Leonardos background in science, drafting, sculpting and architecture all helped in every portion of his painting of the Mona Lisa (The Mona Lisa, (n.d.)). Idealism was the idea of portraying subjects, as they should be. The Mona Lisa was a painting that Leonardo Da Vinci was working on in between the years of 1503-1506; some believe the painting was still never finished by his death in 1519. The Mona Lisa clearly represents the philosophy of the humanism by representing the focus of the human being and realism. It also shows nature as shown in the background behind the figure in the painting. The main focus of the Mona Lisa falls actually on the person in the picture. In previous medieval art the figures in the portrait were pictured in profiles and were stiff. Mona Lisa is painted in a relaxed three-quarter pose and cropped in contrast to the norm of full-length portraits. Whereas pictures previously had the figure in the painting adorned with jewels and decorations the Mona Lisa is simple and free of any jewelry. The womans hair is smooth and only has a simple veil (which may be a symbol of chastity); her hands are relaxed and free of bracelets and rings. Only the folds of her robe or dress are present (Mona Lisa, painted from 1503-1507, (n.d.)) as well as the lace-topped dress she is wearing. The Mona Lisas main focus is on the face of the painting. The techniques of chiaroscuro, using lights and darks and sfumato (blending one tone to another) or the illusion of corners that allows the imagination to see the area in a different way, was introduced and used by Da Vinci in his painting (Mona Lisa painted from 1503-1507, (n.d.)). These techniques, that were achieved by using oil paints, were used on the face and the hands to make the person appear to be more real and almost as if she has movement. The smile that is so famous and adds to the mystery of her mood is also achieved by these techniques. While some viewers see the woman smiling others see her without a smile. The pyramid design, which was commonly used, also helps the viewer to focus on the women. It is believed that the pyramid gives a representation of giving tribute to the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. Mona Lisas pose is that of a pyramid shape with her head, shoulders and hands (Mona Lisa, La Giaconda, (n.d.)). There is also a glow on the face, neck and hands that puts an emphasis on those. Leonardo painted a true representation of the women of the time. The womans face is free of facial hair including her eyebrows. At this time it was common for women of the time to pluck their eyebrows because some feel they were unsightly. When Leonarod did this it makes the person very real (Mona Lisa, La Giaconda, (n.d.). The woman seems to be seated in a chair on some sort of balcony. The pillars to the side of the balcony almost form a frame to the figure behind the woman is a landscaped background. The figure in the painting is emphasized by the light and dark tones of the wardrobe as well as the background. The face and body have lighter tones on them with smooth lines; gone are the days of outlined figures. The background does not reflect heaven or spiritual symbols but that of nature, which was another emphasis of the time. The curves in the background with the paths, rivers and mountains are a small reflection of the curves in her hair and clothes. It is believed that Da Vinci was working on some of his finest sketches of plant life and nature (Mona Lisa, painted from 1503-1507, (n.d.)), when he worked on the painting. Some hints of yellow and gold are used in the winding paths behind the figure. The landscape in the background showing mountains, trees and water are painted in cooler blues and greens. There is a sense of depth and form because the picture becomes hazier as the landscape progresses backwards. Also, with this technique, the figure in the painting appears closer to the viewer and puts more emphasis on her because of the scenery. Leonardo Da Vinci may be considered one of the greatest artists of all times. Leonardo was a true master of the Renaissance time reflecting the philosophy of the time that being humanism and the emphasis of the human being. The Mona Lisa is a painting that shows such a philosophy of humanism. With the colors used, the shading and blending of the paints, Da Vinci could make the viewer focus on the human. The woman is very simple with no elaborate clothes or jewelry to take away from her, with a reserved posture. The background is that of nature, which another focus of the time was. The landscape showing depth helps the viewer focus on the women. The Mona Lisa is a true masterpiece of the Renaissance time. With Leonardo Da Vincis use of his techniques of sfumato and chiaroscuro he was able to make his figure of the women truly reflect the philosophies of the time. Mona Lisa appears to be a real woman with both depth and movement.

The Island Of Dr. Moreau :: essays research papers

The Island of Dr. Moreau The Island of Dr. Moreau is a story that questions the ability of men playing God. The balance of nature is put to the ultimate test as a man by the name of Charles Edward Prendick stumbles across an out-of-control experiment that fuses man with animal. At first glance, this tropical paradise seems idyllic. But deep in the jungles lies a terrifying secret. Moreau and Montgomery have been preforming scientific research on human beings and the experiment goes terribly wrong. They have ignored the most fundamental law of the jungle: survival of the fittest. The first illustration is a drawing of Doctor Moreau explaining his status on the island to Prendick. Prendick has been finding out things that he shouldn't have been knowing, and he demands answers. He gets his answers from Dr. Moreau but he hears things that are unimaginable. Moreau explains how he mutates humans into beast-like animals. For the rest of Prendick's stay on the island he maintains an uneasy feeling and he wishes he never arrived on this island. The Next sketch illustrates the beasts new thirst for blood, which is a major turning point for the story. Roaming free, these beast-people are highly intelligent with murderous instincts. Their thirst for blood is pacified through a combination of sedatives and shock discipline. But events triggered by Prendick's unexpected arrival are about to break Moreau's God- like domination over these resentful creatures. The last drawing in my visual essay symbolizes a catastrophe. This was a point in the novel were all hell broke loose. Prendick found himself in the middle of a violent eruption between the doctor and his "family." Moreau, Montgomery, and most of the beasts lost their lives. Prendick himself was even forced to kill. It ended up that he was the last one left on the island except for a few beasts. Prendick later escaped the clutches of his captors and flees the island leaving behind terror, but taking a new life with him.

Final Project Essay

To turnaround an unprofitable company, Joan imposed new management ideas despite her father’s business practices and culture. With her leadership, Joan will lead and motivate Invitations Inc. employees, and the company will become more profitable. This leadership void threatens Invitation’s Inc â€Å"sustainable pattern of customer focus and profitable growth† (Millikin 9). Invitations Inc. needs to continue the momentum and motivation to accomplish growth. Replacing Joan with as the new CEO by use of a search committee represents the obvious solution to the problem. However, this assumes a replacement could and would be Joan’s equal, including leadership and management style, vision, and knowledge. Garrett could allow Joan to transition the leadership role to a replacement of her choice, with approval of Invitations Board of Directors, after a mentoring and trial period. On the other hand, Invitations Inc. could negotiate with Garrett to extend Joanâ€⠄¢s stay as CEO to ensure the status quo. This would allow Joan to continue her successful leadership and strategies, or run the company as CEO of Invitations Inc, while decreasing redundancies and increasing operating efficiencies. Analysis of the Alternatives Search committees often replace the traditional hiring of upper management and leadership. The committee must define present conditions and develop a consensus of criteria used in evaluating candidates, including the leadership qualities needed at this stage in the company’s revival plan. Next, the committee can identify, screen, and interview candidates. Afterwards, the committee can recommend candidates to the board for consideration and their eventual decision (Poston 1). Alternatively, if one exists, Invitations Inc. should implement their succession management plan. Evaluation criteria are critical to the search committee. To build consensus, the committee should examine the past and the present to understand the future. With her recent success and credibility, Joan might become a benchmark for the search committee. An  examination of Joan would reveal her background and multicultural experiences, which have enabled her to embrace the cultur al differences between her dad and her. She fervently believes that â€Å"cultural conflict, if paced and channeled correctly, could provide opportunity for rapid innovation† . In hindsight, as the case suggests, Joan recognized the primary need to focus on corporate culture without passing judgment, recognizing its pros and cons. As an example, Joan confronted her dads method of performance evaluations and employee advancement. In US, factors like age, education level, and years of service to an organization determine career advancement. Except for those whose actions reflect poorly on the group and its members, seniority is the key factor for recognition and promotion. This paradigm often resulted in delays to the decision making process in an effort to achieve consensus,† thereby impeding the company’s decision-making (Millikin 3). To address these corporate cultural issues, Joan successfully balanced eastern collectivism and teamwork with western individualism. First, to develop a trust with employees, Joan displayed her strong interpersonal skills; she was the first manager to walk around the entire company and meet every employee in perso n (Millikin 5). Next, she developed systems for employee opinions and recommendations instead of hiring outside consultants. She also exposed managers to unfamiliar cultures, different areas of the business outside their boundaries, and more information through transparency and cross-functional teams. Nevertheless, she demanded personal commitment within the team environment by demanding accurate work, playing off the strength uncertainty avoidance (Millikin 8) Joan felt could use adjustment is the extent to which the people focus on the past, present, or future. Joan recognized that Invitations Inc. employees did not have a sense of urgency about the future, a potential bankruptcy. It makes sense for employees not to worry about such financial matters when the government bails out large employers. Thus, after careful detailed analysis, Joan recognized management did not have a vision for employees to follow. Therefore, he developed a long-term plan focusing on profit and listening to the customer. By mixing the cultural norms, Joan capitalized on the strength of the Invitations Inc. employee. As a leader, she understood cultural behaviors while appreciating their differences. Her cultural sensitivity coupled with her people skills helped turnaround the company. These skills  and decision-making ability are not mutually exclusive to Joan’s normative decision model, which assumes decision-making styles are learnable. Therefore and a possible near-identical substitute could exist. One major problem with search committees are the significant amount of time and effort necessary by the members, who are often upper management, might produce less than ideal candidates (Poston 1). Although best practices exist for search committee, Joan’s replacement might not harmonize with the company. The replacement might undue the corporate cultural changes under Joan, reverting to old habits, or tip the balance of cultures too far in the other direction. According to the case’s timeline, Joan would continue as CEO of Invitations Inc. for as long as needed. This could be time spent by Joan to mentor a successor of her choice. Joan should follow the succession management system, if one exists, to find the future leader for the company. If such a system does not exist, Joan will need to follow a similar process to that of a selection committee: identify, screen, and interview candidates, and make the recommendation of a candidate to the Board of Directors. There must be full confidence and trust in Joan’s decision by the board and the company, and in return, Joan needs to be fair and as objective as possible, using the same criteria and documenting all steps during the selection process. During her time with the company, Joan stablished relationships with other managers and leaders, some of high-quality, some of low-quality. According to the Leader-Member Exchange model, â€Å"those followers with high-quality relationships are in the in-group (Nahavandi 87). Applying this model would assume Joan’s in-group enjoyed her attention, support, confidence, respect, and more favorable job performance ratings, often leading to promotions. Remember, Joan moved away from the cultural norm of the seniority promo tional system to a pay for performance system. Moreover, Joan might know those in the in-group intimately from non-work related social networks. Since she developed employee-based programs to eliminate the hiring of consultants, using the in-group as a pool of replacement candidates seems the most logical. However, should Joan feel her option, the entire company, are not suitable, she could use this time to search outside of the company, maybe her personal in-group. As part of Joan’s selection criteria will be support for her change management principles, including establishing cross-functional teams to address silos; focusing on key basic  metrics of quality, cost, and customer satisfaction; ensuring transparency and communications that connect all levels of employees across the company. Additionally, Joan believes the CEO should align employees with company goals and strategies through the leader’s vision, which initially would be the revitalization plan established by Joan. Once Joan chooses her successor, she can personally groom and mold this individual. However, as Fiedler and his Contingency Model suggest, leadership effectiveness is a function of the match between a leader’s style and the leadership situation (Nahavandi 70). Essentially, Fielder proposes the leader cannot change his style but can change the situation. As such, unless Joan wants significant change within the company, she should not tolerate candidates lacking the core values necessary to meet leadership needs, like respect for employee buy-in. LEADERSHIP VERSUS MANAGEMENT From these definitions, it should be clear that leadership and management are related, but they are not the same. A person can be a manager, a leader, both, or neither. In the company, there are many different activities, the manager and leader would have different function in the activities. On create an agenda, the manager needs to planning and budgeting. The manager establishes detailed steps and timetables for achieving needed results. The manager needs to allocate the resources necessary to make those needed result happen. The leader needs to establish the direction. The leader develops a vision of the future, often the distant future, and strategies for producing the changes needed to achieve that vision. On develop a human network for achieving the agenda, the manager needs to organizing and staffing. The manager establishes some structure for accomplishing plan requirements, staffing that structure with individuals, delegating responsibility and authority for carrying out the plan, providing policies and procedures to help guide people, and creating methods or systems to monitor implementation. The leader needs to align the people. The leader communicates the direction by words and deeds to all those whose cooperation may be needed to influence the creation of teams and coalitions that understand the vision and strategies and accept their validity. On executing plans, the manger needs to control and solve the problem. The manager needs to monitor the results vs. plan in some detail, identifying  deviations, and then planning and organizing to solve these problems. The leader needs to motivating and inspiring. The leader needs to energize people to overcome major political, bureaucratic, and resource barriers to change by satisfying very basic, but often unfulfilled, human needs. On outcomes, the manager needs to produces a degree of predictability and order and has the potential to consistently produce major results expected by various stakeholders. The leader needs to produces change, often to a dramatic degree, and has the potential to produce extremely useful change. Joan and her father will need to establish a knowledge of the above to strengthen their relationship. Works Cited â€Å"Face Value: The $10 Billion Man.† The Economist – World News, Politics, Economics, Business & Finance. The Economist Newspaper Ltd, 24 Feb. 2005. Fonda, Daren. â€Å"CARLOS GHOSN, RENAULT: He Did So Well, Lets Give Him Two CEO Jobs – TIME.† Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews. Time, 1 Dec. 2003. Moffett, Sebastian, and Mike Ramsey. â€Å"Renault CEO’s Image Takes Hit.† MarketWatch. Wall Street Journal, 12 Apr. 2011. Millikin, John P. The Global Leadership of Carlos Joanat Nissan. Publication no. A07-03-0014. Thunderbird, 2003. Muller, Joann. â€Å"The Impatient Mr. Joan- Forbes.com.† Information for the World’s Business Leaders. Forbes, 22 May 2006. Nahavandi, Afsaneh. The Art and Science of Leadership. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. Poston, Muriel E. â€Å"AAUP: Presidential Search Committee Checklist.† American Association of University Professors.

History of Scandinavian Airlines

History of Scandinavian Airlines Introduction The Scandinavian Airlines is also known as SAS. The company was initially referred to as Scandinavian Airlines System and it is the main carrier in three countries, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on History of Scandinavian Airlines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Headquartered in Sigtuna, Sweden, SAS operates in at least thirty countries, with an outstanding international performance and record (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). Its number of aircrafts is approximated to be 198, which operate to 176 destinations in the world. The company is also among the oldest carriers, having been established in 1940s as a group of three national airlines, which included DNL from Norway, DDL of 1918 from Denmark and ABA founded in Sweden in 1924 (Bhardwaj, 2010). This report gives an analysis of the Scandinavian Airlines with regard to a wide range of business aspects. Of great significance in thi s report will be the major focus on SAS marketing strategies that have propelled the company to its current business niche in a competitive flying business. What is its secret? To answer this question, the report synthesizes the company’s major product lines and its market segmentation in meeting the needs of customers. Since customer satisfaction and segmentation are essential business principles, the report further explores the design, management and promotion of its products in order to realize the intended purpose throughout its operations as a flag carrier in the above mentioned three countries. In other segments, the report will give details on how SAS manages its public image and the management approach in winning the confidence and loyalty of its customers beyond what it can offer. The concluding section of the report will cover several recommendations that are necessary for SAS to remain a major carrier in over thirty countries around the world.Advertising Lo oking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More SAS history As mentioned above, the Scandinavian Airlines company began in 1946 in Denmark before it merged with several companies from other countries through business partnerships, with the merger between SAS and ABA in 1951 culminating into its birth (Bhardwaj, 2010). Based on a wide range of factors, the three entities under SAS umbrella owned shares as follows: both SAS Norge and SAS Danmark owned 28.6% while SAS Sverige was the majority share holder with 42.8% (Air Review, n.d.). Throughout its operations and history, SAS has attained significant reputation, outshining its competitors by far. For instance, the carrier became the first to fly on a trans-polar route in the year 1951. The rout was between Copenhagen and Los Angeles, with four major stops in Greenland, Sà ¸ndre Strà ¸mfjord, Canada and Winnipeg (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). Notably, t he route became famous as it was highly preferred by Hollywood personalities flying to Europe. Besides this boost by celebrities, the route further advertised the airline in Europe and other major cities around the world. By late 1950s, the tans-polar route enjoyed massive popularity among tourists from the United States, an achievement that highly contributed to the success story of the company. This idea broadened as the company introduced other similar routes to Japan and Alaska even though it experienced license resistance from the former USSR (Air Review, n.d.).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on History of Scandinavian Airlines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Another achievement for the company was realized in 1957 when it launched â€Å"round the world flying service through the North Pole.† Due to its determination and fast expansion, the Scandinavian Airlines joined jet aircraft service in 1957 and ac quired Boeing 747, the first of its kind in the year 1971. As a result of these fascinating advancements, the company continued to dominate and control local markets in the three main countries of origin (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). In order to expand its global influence and coverage, SAS considered the formation of a worldwide alliance when it purchased 18.4% of TAC, Texas Air Corporation. Nevertheless, SAS later sold the stake, but continued to acquire others from different countries. These included 20% of British Midland, Air Greenland and 95% of a Spanish leading airline, Spanair in 2009. The Star Alliance was formed in 1997 when SAS joined forces with United Airlines, Air Canada, Thai Airways International and Lufthansa (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). However, its 2001 strategy with three other companies, Swissair, Austrian and KLM turned out to be unsuccessful, leading to the dismissal of the company’s CEO as he was believed to have contributed to the financial turnaround o f the company (Scandinavian Airlines, 2012). In order to regain its dwindling status and public image, SAS implemented a new ownership structure which saw Sweden own 21.4% while Norway and Denmark had an equal share holding of 14.3% each. Unlike in the previous structure, the public was allowed to control 50% of the company’s shares through the stock market (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). Even though SAS was divided into four different companies in 2004, the two reunited in 2009 to retain a single entity (Ujaraq, 2010).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Scandinavian Airlines Routes As mentioned before, SAS has its headquarters in Sweden, though the company has a well established market in Europe. According to recent findings, approximately 85% of the company’s non-international flights heavily contribute to its turnover. Out of these flights, close to 41% were realized with flights headed to Europe while domestic flights added to a total of 30.1% (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). On the other hand, Intra-Scandinavian flights contributed 14.3%. An example of this route is Stockholm-Copenhagen. Lastly, international flights like Stockholm-New York constitute an average of 14.6% of the revenue realized from passengers. Importantly, Scandinavian Airlines is the leading share holder in the market with almost 90% of the shares. The company further possesses 80%, 89% and 97% in Sweden, Denmark and Norwegian markets respectively. Having its management leadership unit in Scandinavian, it deals with high profile competitors like Malmà ¶ Av iation and Flynordic (Jens, 2005). Its routes have remained vital in marketing the company’s outstanding performance as a way of winning new customers. Scandinavian Airlines routes are also important in catering for different market segments. For instance, SAS international serves eleven destinations including New York, Chicago, Bangkok, Dubai and Beijing among others (Scandinavian Airlines, 2012). The fleet has ten Airbus, seven A340-300s and four A330-300s. SAS Danmark is responsible for all European traffic via, from and to the country. It also augments development of Copenhagen as SAS’s main hub. Additionally, it facilitates the sale of the Group’s airlines and its business partners in the entire Danish market. It serves up to 23 countries, with 50 destinations and operates with a fleet of 52 aircrafts (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). On the other hand, SAS Norge caters for customers flying via, from and to Norway. The airline was founded in 2004. SAS Norge is ra nked as the leading air travel operator in domestic routes in the country. Lastly, Swedish travel air market is dominated by SAS Sverige, which coordinates all sales activities among partners in the country besides being responsible for the traffic from, to and via the country (Scandinavian Airlines, 2012). The adoption of the four airlines was to augment SAS’ ability to cater for different market segments. In other words, the needs of customers are addressed independent of what happens in another country. This also promotes its service delivery, wins the loyalty of customers, gives the company a positive public image and manages its business products (SAS, 2012). SAS vision, values and business concept In promoting its products and winning the confidence of customers, the activities of the Scandinavian Airlines are driven by defined values and vision. This ensures that the company remains focused in pursuing its course and maintains a stable competitive advantage. The compan y’s business concept is to serve the entire Europe with air travel and a major hub in North Europe (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). From a 2006 Annual Report, SAS has a vision of becoming the preferred choice for air travel. On the other hand, SAS’ values are summarized by four ideas as described below: The company believes that its customers are the most important assets that have to be highly valued in ensuring its success in air travel. As a result, the company lays immense emphasis upon its customers and employees. Through this consideration, the company strives to respect the environmental and social responsibilities of stakeholders (Scandinavian Airlines, 2012). This is to say that, customers and employees are viewed to be part of the global SAS business family. Secondly, the air carrier maintains a reliable status throughout its operations. As a result, the company has won the confidence and loyalty of its customers by proving that it is the safest, consistent and tr ustworthy airline in Europe. This reliability has led to the company being ranked highest in terms of punctuality of its flights (Star Alliance, 2012). Last year, Scandinavian Airlines was voted as most punctual air Travel Company throughout the year, and position one in July and August of the same year. Similarly, the company was ranked as the most punctual in Europe in 2009 and third place worldwide. SAS’ third idea is implemented through value addition and creation. In its daily activities, the company has remained determined to pursue a professional methodology through innovative ideas. In essence, the company develops innovative strategies so that new advancements are merged with existing ones with the aim of maintaining and improving the value of the company’s products and services (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). Additionally, the company observes high levels of openness especially to stakeholders, employees and customers. This is principally achieved through high le vel of honesty and transparency especially in the overall management. Scandinavian Airlines Strategies In promoting its products, winning customer loyalty and catering for the needs of its customers, SAS has several strategies that are considered to be essential drivers. Among these are flight safety, excellent services and punctuality (Jones, 2012). Notably, the company is interested in offering high quality services to its customers. As a result, the management believes that promoting the safety of customers has significance impact in advancing such a course (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). It therefore invests heavily in maintenance of aircrafts and giving attention to areas that may pose security threats and accidents. The company is also sensitive to effective service delivery. As a result, the number of employees is determined by the size of the airport and necessary adjustments are frequently made to attain this target. It has a wider scope of becoming the most punctual airline in Europe and around the world (Scandinavian Airlines, 2012). In appreciating technology, the company has improved its booking services by introducing e-tickets where customers can reserve flight seats at the comfort of their office or at home as long they are connected on the web. High-class lounges are also used in winning customers. Among other adverts done by the company to market its products, it uses flyer cards to give relevant information to customers, including status of flights, charges, offers and destinations among other particulars (SAS, 2012). Scandinavian Airlines further benefits from its Star Alliance Membership since 1997. The alliance has seen the number of customers increase tremendously, thus allowing it to realize increased overall turnover. The company has also marketed its services by partnering with other companies especially form Baltic countries (Scandinavian Airlines, 2012). It is worth noting that about fifty destinations in the region are operated by diff erent airliners that are SAS’ partners. In addressing the needs of customers, the greatest strategy of Scandinavian Airlines is increasing its competitive advantage within the market. It aims at providing services at any time regardless of the location of the customer. As mentioned earlier, e-booking has become one of the quickest ways of improving the company’s efficacy in service delivery. It is quicker, easily processed and cuts down distribution costs that were experienced during massive manual booking (Scandinavian Airlines, 2012). In dealing with customer problems online, SAS has partnered with several electronic travel agencies to provide solutions to customers. This has played a major role in promoting the services of the company, where almost 400 travel agencies operate. Through the use of SAS Direct service, customers receive service support concerning any issue ranging from booking to flight status (Kotler, Bowen Makens, 2009). Besides e-booking, Scandinavi an Airlines uses the internet as a marketing and information tool. Its website is one of the most interactive in air travel in Europe (Ujaraq, 2010). Literally, the website is a virtual SAS office, having all the information needed by customers. The website details the company’s products including routes, available flights, booking solutions, company profile, current and upcoming offers, annual reports, contact and feedback links among others (Helterlin Ramalho, 2007). This plays a major role in promoting SAS products, catering for customers’ needs from different regions and maintaining good public image. As a distribution channel, it is projected that the website will become a cost-effective marketing tool for future growth. The table below shows e-ticket, self-service and Internet check-in in percentage (Jones, 2012). Retrieved from: umu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:140520/FULLTEXT01 Additionally, SAS meets the needs of different customers in the market by offer ing various price options depending on the class and aircraft model. For instance, the company launched a low-cost carrier called Snowflake in 2003 and targets customers who cannot afford high-class flights (Nigam, 2010). Recommendation and conclusion From this report, it is doubtless that SAS Airlines is quite strategic in maintaining its competitiveness within European Air Travel. Through effective service delivery and relevant products, the company has won customer loyalty, met the needs of customers from different countries and promoted good public image. Through approaches like entertainment, accessibility to lounges, offers, e-booking, meals, honest management and discounts, the company has maintained its high profile in the industry. With its current status, the company has an uphill task to maintain the standards of its services, having in mind that it faces stiff competition from other international carriers. Continuous training of its employees is paramount coupled with pe ople-oriented management (Kotler, Bowen Makens, 2009). Lastly, technological advancements have to be improved to catch-up with the ever-changing world. References Air Review. (n.d.). SAS Scandinavian Airlines Review and Opinions. Air Review. Retrieved from airreview.com/SAS/index.htm Bhardwaj, A. (2010). Scandinavian Airlines: The Green Engine Decision. Slide share. Retrieved from slideshare.net/rekhasr/scandinavian-airlines-v15 Helterlin, G., Ramalho, N. (2007). Case studies: SAS Airline Ryanair. Umea University. Retrieved from umu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:140520/FULLTEXT01 Jens, F. (2005). Scandinavian Revival. Aviation Week Space Technology, 162 (3), 411-411. Jones, P. (2012). Market Segmentation. Global Spec. Retrieved from globalspec.com/reference/43564/203279/market-segmentation Kotler, P., Bowen, J., Makens, J. (2009). Marketing for hospitality and tourism. London: Pearson. Nigam, S. (2010). SAS Scandinavian Airlines conquers niche airline marketing by first same sex wedding on a plane. Simpliflying. Retrieved from http://simpliflying.com/2010/sas-scandinavian-airlines-conquers-niche-airline-marketing-by-first-same-sex-wedding-on-a-plane/ SAS. (2012). Customer Success. SAS Institute Inc. Retrieved from sas.com/success/scanair.html Scandinavian Airlines. (2012). Scandinavian Airlines. SAS. Retrieved from flysas.com/en/?vst=true# Star Alliance. (2012). Scandinavian Airlines. Star Alliance. Retrieved from staralliance.com/en/about/airlines/scandinavian_airlines/ Ujaraq, P. (2010). Scandinavian Airlines repositioning strategies. Ã…rhus School of Business. Retrieved from http://pure.au.dk/portal-asb-student/files/13054/Report.pdf

Blast through writers block with this seven-step technique - Emphasis

Blast through writers block with this seven-step technique Blast through writers block with this seven-step technique How do you vanquish writer’s block? Some say to just start writing, even if you later have to delete half of what you’ve written. Some say to begin with the middle and add the introduction and conclusion later. Some say to make a list. We say: grab some paper and a pen, and step away from your computer for half an hour. This technique will not only cure your writer’s block, it will make your writing clearer and more logical for your reader. Working out what goes in Making a list of what you want to write about isn’t a bad starting point, but it has its limitations. The main drawback is that whatever word you write down first determines the next word you write down, and so on. And once you have your list, it’s very difficult to change its order. So the entire structure effectively becomes governed by whatever word happened to pop into your mind when you sat down to write. The other disadvantage of list structures is that they do nothing to unlock what’s actually in your mind. Your mind stores things not in lists but in ‘files’. Consider this: if asked to list 20 things you own, you’d probably have to think quite hard. But if you were asked to list everything in your home, you’d soon hit 20. Easiest of all would be: ‘Name each room in your house, then name five things in each room.’ The reason is that you are sorting the ‘home file’ in your brain into folders – one for each part of your home. Once you’ve done that, it’s much easier to access the information. Stage one: brainstorming This seven-step technique is split between two stages. First, brainstorming. You can apply the filing cabinet technique to help you brainstorm ideas, by drawing a mind map. This is a graphical representation of everything you know about a subject. Click here to see a mind map for planning an away day, for example. To create a mind map, take the following steps: 1.  Note down the subject in the middle of the page. 2. Write the aspects of the subject around it. 3. Look at each aspect and think about what its folder should include. Draw a line for each new idea or piece of information and continue this process, radiating outwards. 4. Keep asking questions such as Why?, How?, What?, When?, Where? and Who? until you’re satisfied you’ve put down everything you know about the subject. Stage two: creating a logical structure. Now you have all the information you need at your fingertips. But you still need to sort through it a bit further before you’re ready to start writing. Classify each item in your mind map as A, B or C, where A = essential to everybody, B = essential to some readers and C = not important. 5. Pick one of the As as your starting point, label it number 1, then number the remaining As in a logical order. 6. Do the same for the Bs. 7. Cross out the Cs. Once you have done this, you’re ready to form your ideas into a structure that your reader will find logical and easy to follow. Use the As for your body text and the Bs for your boxouts, appendices, sidebars and graphics. Ready, set, go. This is just one of the techniques you can learn on our High-impact business writing course, which is available both in-company and as a public course.

Credit Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Credit Crisis - Essay Example What most people understand is that greedy banks encouraged people to take out loans that they could not afford to pay, and now they are looking at a windfall of foreclosures since the people are falling way behind their mortgages. What completely befuddles everyone is the fact that how can a singular unit of the mortgage business cause so much chaos How could the whole subprime mortgage business send stock markets plummeting, leave Bear Stearns in ruins, and send the country's economy into a rapid downward spiral Apparently, the confusion is not limited to consumers alone. Even seasoned financial and investment professionals are seemingly in the dark as well. It seems that the financial crisis has shown Wall Street habitus several hitherto unheard of instruments. A good example would be a "liquidity put", a contract so obscure that even the best analysts in the industry had never heard of it. As it is, the housing crisis traces its beginnings roughly a decade ago when real estate seemed like a real steal. Conditions were favorable - an influx of global investments into the mortgage business made it very easy to get a housing loan. The suddenly flush marketplace had mortgage rates plunging, and numerous new innovations were introduced to entice more buyers. The problem was, these same investors were demanding higher... These loans would offer low initial rates as a come-on, and would later saddle homeowners with significantly higher rates as the loan progressed. These investments were then put together into the formerly obscure "Collateralized Debt Obligation" - a highly leveraged instrument which promised big gains and came with tremendously high risk. Simply put, these investors were making $100 million bets with only $1 million of their own money. If their investment rose to $101 million, they earned $1 million. The risk involved was very high, and the peculiar thing was so many institutions ended up getting a piece of it because the U.S. housing market seemed like a sure thing. For instance, banks apparently sold very complex insurance policies on the mortgage debt. With so many parties involved, it is no surprise that once the bubble burst everyone was on the hook. Hence the freefall that has embroiled the financial markets for nearly a year now. Personally, I feel that it would be helpful for people to be well-informed about the housing crisis. It is one of the most pertinent and talked-about topics of the day, and yet it seems that oftentimes people do not know the real score. This is a very serious issue with potentially serious repercussions, and knowing what precisely is going on would be a tremendous plus in making better informed fiscal decisions in the future. As the article conceded however, given the complexity of the financial instruments involved this may be easier said than done. If Wall Street professionals are having a hard time with it, everyone else may be hard-pressed to know what a "liquidity put"

Rogers Chocolate Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Rogers Chocolate - Case Study Example Rogers’ sold chocolates, related specialty products and premium ice cream items. As Zietsma (2007) notes, firstly, competition was a point of concern since traditional players in the chocolate business were moving into the premium sector where Rogers’ had a presence (p 20). Secondly, there was a shift in consumer preferences towards organic chocolates. Moreover, consumers were becoming more environment conscious. There were significant costs involved in set up and cleaning involved in the production process. The disruption in schedules influenced by various factors was the cause for frequent out-of- stock situations faced by Rogers’. An ageing consumer base was also pertinent since there was no potential replacement for the eventual loss of customers. A traditional mindset of the employees meant that Rogers’ was not ready to reinvent itself in the present context. 2. PESTEL Analysis The political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal is sues pertaining to Rogers’ are described in this section. 2.1 Political Change in governments affect the formulation and implementation of policies related to the chocolate industry. Rogers being in the premium chocolate segment, its products could be considered as elitist. A populist government could be at logger heads with Rogers’. Moreover, there could be pressure from political parties to unionise Rogers’ since the company would attract the attention of trade unions. Lobbying by competitors was also one of the threats that loomed over Rogers. Any decision which was the result of such bargaining could prove detrimental to the business interests of Rogers. The sales of Rogers’ outside Canada was also affected by the policies of foreign countries especially those of the US and Europe. Diplomatic stand offs between Canada and other nations would have a bearing on the bottom line of Rogers’. Every trade related treaty signed between Canada and other nations provided an opportunity to Rogers’. Likewise, when such treaties are abrogated, it is a threat to the activities at Rogers’. 2.2 Economic The changes in the economy also have a bearing on the fortunes of Rogers’. In times of recession, the sales of luxury goods are hit the most, which brings a drop in sales of premium chocolate. Further, cost cutting measures are required at every step in business. This could adversely affect the quality and hence the brand name of Rogers’. There could be a threat of layoffs in such cases. This would lead to change in employment patterns in the organisation as permanent staff is replaced by part-timers. The prices of raw materials could also increase leading to a hike in the prices of chocolates. This would make Rogers’ products unattractive in foreign markets. Economic sanctions against the countries providing raw materials to Rogers’ could hit production. Damage to crops, diversion of raw material s to competitors on account of better prices etc. are some of the other issues that can hamper production. This would make Rogers’ products unattractive in foreign markets. 2.3 Social Rogers’ had not packaged itself differently based on current trends. Hence, an ageing baby boomer generation remained its target audience. Though this group of consumers had an inclination for quality goods, eventually there would be no customers left if the younger generation does not replace them. Rogers’ marketing would have to change to reflect this reality. Similarly, the employees at Rogers’ were caught in a time warp as they had been in the same organisation for two to three generations. While there was cohesion among employees