A case study of Qatar airways - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1372 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Transport Essay Type Case study Did you like this example? The unit cost of a product is greatly affected by the capacity utilization of a firm. Hence the profitability is also influenced by the capacity utilization. A firm is considered to be operating in full capacity when the installed capacity as well as available resources is being utilized to the maximum. But as the utilization of capacity decreases, the cost also gets affected. This is applicable for Qatar Airways also. Hence with decrease in capacity utilization, the unit cost is also affected but in two different ways. There exists two kinds of unit cost- unit variable cost and unit fixed cost. Unit variable cost involves the cost incurred for labor and materials for producing a single unit of product whereas the unit fixed cost is the cost of fixed assets like machinery that is used for the manufacture of a single unit. Thus capacity utilization affects these two costs differently. For unit variable cost, a decrease in capacity utilization would cause a decrease in i t. This means there exist a positive relationship between capacity utilization and unit variable cost. But this decrease may not be in a proportionate manner. The following diagram illustrates the relationship between unit variable cost: Capacity Utilization Unit Variable cost Cost per unit The above graph has capacity utilization in the Y-axis and Unit cost in the X-axis. It can be seen that as capacity utilization decreases the cost per unit also decreases. In the case of unit fixed cost, there exists a negative relationship. This means as capacity utilization increases, the unit fixed cost decreases. In the following graph, the unit cost is in the X-axis and capacity utilization is in the Y-axis: Capacity Utilization Unit Fixed cost Cost per unit Hence capacity utilization has an impact over the unit cost of a product. The following formula is used for calculating capacity utilization: Capacity Utilization (%) = Actual output per month (or per annum) x 100% Maximum possible output per month (or per annum) In the case of Qatar Airways the capacity utilization must be done properly so that the maximum usage of the resources can be done in the most effective manner. Reports reveal that the company is not much affected by the economic downturn and there is still large number of British tourists flying through QA. Hence the profitability of the company is not much affected. The company can alter the seating configuration as per the requirements of the customers as well as based upon the unit cost. Both unit variable and unit fixed cost must be considered while fixing the cost for ticket. The fuel consumption is a very important factor in airline industry. There are certain factors that affect the fuel consumption of an aircraft. This includes the aircraft type, seat occupancy, cargo weight etc. Seating and seat occupancy are major determinants of fuel consumption. There is an emission calculator is now used which takes the ave rage of seating and seat occupancy of a particular airline and compares it with the standard configuration of aircraft manufacturers with regard to seating. The average seat occupancy for scheduled and chartered market segments is different. Also the flight region also alters the seat occupancy of scheduled flights. There exist certain specifications for airline industry with regard to seating. The seats are fitted out by the companies with respect to these specifications. The number of seats is a crucial factor in fuel consumption. The seats are different for different classes. For example, the seats in business class are larger and heavier than those in economy class. But economy seats are usually more in number when compared with the business class seats. Also the seats that fit in a row vary according to the airline type. The aim of every company is to arrange the seating in such a way that the customer requirements are met in the best manner. Extend of capacity utilizatio n is the critical factor that decides the fixed cost that must be allocated per unit of product. Hence the fixed cost and capacity utilization are inversely proportional to each other. Full capacity is an ideal situation that every organization dreams of. But operating in near full capacity is possible if proper planning is done. Increasing the total capacity can be done in many ways. The following are the most acceptable methods: †¢ Employing more workers- This way more output can be generated in a less amount of time. But at the same time the unit variable cost is increased to a little bit as employee wages are considered as overheads. †¢ Building larger buildings for manufacture or providing service- This way there will be more space for production or service. Hence the firm could easily make use of the available resources. †¢ Purchasing more raw materials/stock- If there is more raw materials, then the firm could use them for production and hence incre ase the production capacity. A firm is considered to be running in full capacity whenever the capacity utilization turns 100%. This means the firm is able to make use of the installed capacity and the available resources to the maximum. Thus operating in full capacity brings many benefits to the firm. But it doesnt mean there are only advantages to this method of operation. There are also certain disadvantages to it. The major advantages of full capacity operation are: Decrease in unit fixed cost: Since the capacity utilization and fixed cost per unit is inversely proportional, an increase in the former would reduce the unit fixed costs. Thus the total unit cost would also be less. Hence the total unit cost, i.e., the cost per ticket for Qatar Airways can be reduced by operating in full or near full capacity. Maximum utilization of resources: When working in full capacity the company utilizes the current resources in the most effective manner. Hence the wastage of resour ces will be minimized as well as the revenue increases. Better chance of survival in worst times: Situations like economic recession could affect all kinds of business. But a company that works with full capacity and work efficiency will be able to predict such financial turmoil and adjust the operations accordingly. Apart from that they can also predict the future demands. High growth potential: A company working with full capacity will be able to generate higher revenue. They can invest this profit for new ventures and expand. Enhanced brand value: A high growing organization will naturally be successful. Hence employees will be happy to work for such an organization. Thus the work environment in that organization will also be better. Following are some of the drawbacks or disadvantages related to capacity utilization: Maintenance and safety issues: The plants that run in full capacity usually cannot carry out the routine maintenance and safety procedures as per the regulations and on correct time. Also there could be break downs that would prevent the firm from meeting the demands of customers. This would affect the name or reputation of the company. Lesser innovation: If the firm is running in full capacity then there is little possibility of improvement. This way the business would be stagnant without any innovations. This also affects the firms capability to meet unexpected demand and contingency. Employee issues: A firm running in full capacity needs its workers to be present full time a day. This way they are denied of any time for leisure and entertainment. Also there will be high work pressure on employee which further increases their frustration. Thus the result will be absenteeism and employee turnover. Hence over stress would decrease the productivity. Poor working environment: Running in full capacity demands an organization to employ more people. Thus employee management will be a difficult process to be handled by the ma nagement. Also this would result in a poor work environment which in turn affects the work efficiency. Increase in overall cost: Working in full capacity would also increase the overall cost. It is because the firm will have to employ more staff, buy more raw materials as well as build more infrastructures. Thus the overall cost is affected. Due t this most firms work between 70%-90% efficiency. This would help them in reducing the unit fixed cost as well as unit variable cost. Also innovation can be brought about. Don’t waste time! 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Marketing of Woolworth Research Proposal Example

Essays on Marketing of Woolworth Research Proposal The paper "Marketing of Woolworth" is an excellent example of a research proposal on marketing. Woolworth Limited was established in Australia in 1924 in Sydney. The Key principles adopted for Woolworth was that: â€Å"Every man, woman, and child needs a Handy place where good things are cheap†. This principle became the fundamental philosophy that has kept Woolworth within its vision and has indeed offered the best quality services so far encompassing a customer base of 24 million per week (Woolworth, 2012).In Australia and New Zealand, Woolworth traverses more than 3,000 stores in both countries. These stores are concerned with the business involving food, general merchandise, liquor, home improvement, petrol, and hotels. Indeed it is among the gigantic business organizations in Australia that have created a huge network of engagement in terms of services, employment and business in general (Woolworth, 2012).Woolworth has been part and parcel of Australian society. It has ga thered through experience the business legacy prominent with the ethical values relating to the people in general hence fostering a responsible culture (Williams et al., 2010). It is on this same footing that in embracing the new technological advancement, Woolworth is committed to keeping in touch with its entire customer base in order to provide quality services and products. It is true that any form of innovation and development of the new products has been of great success has a result of harmonious interaction with customers. Woolworth is excellent in its endeavors including logistics and highly efficient (Woolworth, 2012). To improve on these qualities, it is high time that changes in societal dynamism have to be reflected also in the Woolworths business practice. The new business practice specifically deals with the internet and mobile telephony that has triggered a new wave on how to do business. Therefore based on the foregoing, in order to come up with accurate and reliabl e information pertaining to the adoption of these technological advancements a marketing research project has been proposed for the same.ObjectivesThe main objective in carrying out the marketing research for Woolworth’s products and services based on the use of new technology is to examine the readiness and attitude with which the majority of the customer base is willing to adopt the same at a considerable fair cost. This can further be divided into the following categories:To examine how advanced the customers are in using some of the technologiesTo identify the most conversant and easy way of reaching a wide range of customers using the technologyTo determine the resultant effect of embracing technology to the customers and the entire business profile.These objectives are elaborate further below;To examine how advanced the customers are in using some of the technologies

Negative Impacts of Internet Free Essays

The advent of the Internet has been one of the most exciting major events in the second half of the 20thtcentury. The ancient dream of â€Å"a scholar knows all things happening in the world without venturing outdoors† has finally become a reality. Since 1993, the Internet started to take off. We will write a custom essay sample on Negative Impacts of Internet or any similar topic only for you Order Now At present, the Internet has spread to more than 180 countries and regions, connecting more than 600,000 domestic networks of various types, hooking up more than 20 million computers available to 120 million users (2% of the entire global population). However, due to its innate transnational, decentralized, open and unregulated nature, the Internet as a free, open and anarchic device has brought various countries great risks First of all, the internet has negatively influenced the countries politics because the Internet explicitly propagates and implicitly spreads western democratic values. These views are mainly spread through some governmental organizations or government-sponsored groups in the West. They select some typical stories that reflect western democracy and wrapped them up in attractive packages. Then they put these stories in visual and/or audio format and give them to people with great appeal and attractiveness. Most of those who have visited these websites come off praising the beauty of western democracy. The Internet can be also used as a tool to harm national sovereignty and interfere with other countries’ internal affairs. In some websites, when agencies and organizations of some foreign governments publish data, they treat areas such as Taiwan and Tibet as independent countries. The website of the U. S. National Geographic Society once published a map of Asia, which flagrantly excludes the South China Sea and Taiwan from our territories. Another example is that some websites have published views supporting Taiwanese and Tibetan independence and providing some so-called â€Å"historical evidence. † This has clearly interfered with Chinese internal affairs. The politically intended websites all have certain level of deceptiveness, influencing people to accept their views subconsciously, albeit with some doubt at first, thus shaking people’s firm stance of ideological correctness. Secondly, the internet causes cultural degradation because the Internet advocates western life-styles. These websites display various aspects of western society and life, and the overwhelming majority of them have positive portrayals of the western life-style. It makes people believe that the West seems to be countries of absolute freedom and paradise for individual achievement where private life is without obstacles and external inferences. Partial information such as this is particularly appealing to our youths whose life philosophy and worldview have yet to mature. Many of these youths aspire with great diligence to go abroad just to â€Å"change a way of living. † The Internet also poses a potential threat to information warfare. Some countries have applied the Internet into military operations, have conducted mock attacks against other countries’ networks, or have fabricated deceptive information harmful to other countries’ military forces. At a time when the information networks have become an important infrastructure of the nation and the military, the information warfare will be a war without the explosives, a war with a high invisibility, low cost, international, and multi-area (political, military, economic, social and material resources etc. approach. The high-tech nature and the unpredictability of combat intelligence in information warfare have made it extremely difficult to organize an information defense. The U. S. Department of Defense has specifically established an â€Å"Executive Committee on Information Warfare,† which is devoted to studying national policy for information warfare, and conducting war games on some websites. According to a report by the Sunday Thames of England, on 29 June (1998), experts from Great Britain and the United States conducted a secret military exercise in the destructive attacks on computers, with the objective of preventing a blitzkrieg in an information war. The result of the exercise indicates that just a few hackers can paralyze the stock market, military systems and airports, making the superpower, the United States, unable to move around. In a future information war, national financial transaction centers, stocks exchange centers, air traffic control centers, telecommunications control centers, railway control headquarters and various military networks, will inevitably become the main targets of information warfare. In conclusion, the internet is detrimental to a country’s culture, politics and security. Since it’s impossible to close the networks we must control and do our best to destroy its negative impacts when we can. Adapted from: http://www.uscc.gov/researchpapers/2000_2003/pdfs/neg.pdf How to cite Negative Impacts of Internet, Papers

Comparison Between the Audio Lingual Method and the Communicative Approach free essay sample

Language as a human artifact can be approached from manifold vintage points depending on the focal point predetermined. If we are concerned about the communicational aspect, then language represents a codified message produced by a sender intercepted by a receiver through a channel. But once language is submerged in an ampler context, then the scope of vision should include the miscellany of social factors that impinge on the speaker‘s word choice. In this perspective, language constituted a social behavior or a cultural trait since it is essentially conditioned by social conventions and alternately manipulated by the interlocutor’s intentions. Language becomes unequivocally a harbinger of social status manifested in various aspects such as the speaker’s accent, style and the frequency of code switching. Language can also reveal political affiliation as it can also give a retrospect about a nation history. However, the matter becomes more intricate when language is approached through its dialogical relation with the Human mind. The old philosophical debate about language and the mind can be rekindled once again. There is no argument that language is first constructed in the mind according to the conventional rules of morphology (word formation), semantics (meaning) and syntax (structure). The only difference resides in the fact that linguistic structure designed in the mind is not confronted to the constraints of air movement in the vocal apparatus. Yet, we cannot deny that during the process of thinking we can hear sounds though they have not been uttered yet. It is indeed the image of the sound that is retrieved from the large repertoire of sounds. In other words, the mind has the ability to visualize the way the sound would come out once uttered. The individual can easily determine whether the sound is a bilabial (produced by the lips) or pharyngeal (produced at the level of the pharynx whereas the manner of articulation, whether the sound is voiced or voiceless, whether it is nasal or not, remains less obvious since it stems essentially from the subtle interaction between the organs of speech and the flow of air. It is not a problematic issue to determine which one occurs first, the idea or the word, since the issue can be resolved as soon as we accept that thought and language are simultaneous. But the challenge is to discern the extent to which language interacts with our conceptual and perceptual systems. First, it is necessary to avoid making sweeping generalizations about language simply because â€Å"language varies â€Å"greatly. The common mistake committed in this ancestral debate is the issuing of stringent  Ã‚   postulates that leave no room for variability. The emergence of sociolinguistics in the 60’s and the tools availed by pragmatics provide sufficient evidence that language operates in a volatile environment fraught with variables. Therefore it would be senseless to cling to free floating generalizations such as â€Å"Language constrains thought† or â€Å"language is the mirror of the mind. † For it has turned out that the language is undisputedly fashioned by the context in which it occurs. Needless to say. language is motivated also by the intentions and purposes set forth by speakers. When Sapir and Whorf established their paradigmatic theory on the omnipotence of language over thought and perception, they had in mind the conceptualization of tangible objects like snow. Indeed, the availability of many lexical items to refer to snow in the Eskimo community has the effect to broaden the spectrum of perception. Thus, the Eskimos can differentiate between many forms of snow, while English speakers fail to perceive these differences since they have only one word to refer to snow. Many scholars tried to single the shortcomings of Whorf’s assumptions and they were right for linguistic determinism fails to encompass all linguistic phenomena. Whorfian theory was soon counterbalanced by linguistic relativity that considers language as the mirror of culture. The main criticism leveled against Whorfian theory is the ability of speakers to perceive things for which they have no label. Therefore Human perception is neither hindered nor dimmed by the absence of linguistic referents. For instance, for   a person encounters a new gadget and after few manipulations she realizes that this devices is used to spray a liquid, the absence of a word to name this gadget seems not to limit the scope of   her perception, her   sensory exploration and the cognitive mechanisms involved in the identification of its function. The conclusion that seems evident here is that perception and conceptualization operate independently from the use of language. Such claim would constitute an overt attack on Whorfian theory. Nevertheless, we need to make a clear cut distinction between the words used to refer to tangible objects easily perceived in time and place and the lexis used to refer to abstract ideas such as love, justice, beauty and more particularly social constructs. First we need to understand the true essence of concepts and social constructs. Concepts are metonymical expressions par excellence since a single word encodes a multitude of ideas. Social constructs on the other hand unravel not only facts but the speakers’ attitudes and patterns of thought consensually standardized by society. Social constructs constitute safeguards for the viability and the stability of social systems. They anchor individuals in a binding ensemble of ideas and a forced solidarity. There are of course individuals who would abject and rebel against the rigidity of these constructs. Once these individuals make their ascension to power position or rally many others into their causes, these social constructs are altered and the paradigms shifted. The theory of linguistic determinism becomes more plausible once applied to the interplay between thought and linguistic labels for social constructs and abstract ideas. It is customary and more effective for the researcher to examine the deviation and anomalies of a given phenomenon in order to unravel its state of normality. Therefore, it is interesting to consider the role of language in the transmission and the consolidation of bias in society. The word of virility or â€Å"Roujoula† in Moroccan Arabic is paramount not only to the distinction between both genders, but mainly to the assertion of male supremacy in society. The bias stems initially from the asymmetry of power  Ã‚   between genders. Likewise, the expression â€Å"Be a man† does not create bias against women for it exists already. Nevertheless, this linguistic word ‘Roujoula† extends largely beyond its denotative function. It is enough to note that virility is considered deficient when the male individual displays some of the female attributes. The expression â€Å"Be a man† sums up the attributes often equated with the assertion of virility. Qualities like courage, endurance or even sexual prowess are associated with masculinity whereas they remain incidental or unmarked when attributed to women. The asymmetry between genders here is not engendered solely by the word itself but mainly through a system of invisible paradigms, often unsaid explicitly which govern society. Nonetheless, the use of such linguistic terms that conceal social constructs is liable to consolidate bias and prejudice against women. Thus, each generation will have to internalize them unconsciously at least before they start challenging them. The dissemination of bias in society through the use of language becomes self-evident when the bias terms are unconsciously endorsed and unquestionably used by the same categories subjected to prejudice. In many instances women use the phrase in Moroccan Arabic â€Å"Khdmat al 3yalat† (women’s way of doing things) to criticize the work of their fellow women. In this situation we can boldly assert that language used to refer to social constructs has the potential to encapsulate the Human   Ã‚  thought by impeding the perception of other possibilities. The claim that language is an omnipotent arsenal may not be relevant to all linguistic phenomena. Nevertheless, we need to pinpoint that the encoding of social constructs and abstract ideas subscribes admirably to Whorf and Sapir‘s theory on linguistic determinism.