Key Critical Success Factors Of Ryanair Management Essay

Key Critical Success Factors Of Ryanair Management Essay RYANAIR- The Irish low cost airline was founded in 1985 by the Ryan family as a small competitor to Irish national airline Aer Lingus. As Ryanair walked on the same business model as that of its competitors. But this strategy adopted by Ryanair never turned out as a profitable one and took it nowhere. In 1990s, Ryanair transformed its strategy and under the leadership of Michael OLeary it decided to restructure and model itself after Southwest Airlines, the successful US Carrier and then enter into British Isles, and then in to whole of Europe. (Johnson, et al, 2008). The move of effective resource planning and redesigning Ryanair under the leadership of Michael OLeary was the turning point for the airlines. The Mantra of maintaining Low costs and No Frills worked wonders for Ryanair. Its effective resource planning and core competency helped Ryanair to develop and grow throughout years. Using regional and secondary airports, not to charge customers for fuel surcharge, reducing operational and handling charges were on the main agenda on Ryanair. Due to combination of all these activities Ryanair was able to maintain low costs and thus earn profits out of it. Ryanair faced many hurdles to reach where it is today .Sudden rise in fuel cost, compensations to passengers, aftermaths terrorist attacks, environmental taxation schemes, fraught relationship with pilots and staff, sundry legal action and many more acted as potholes to Ryanairs smooth ride. But Michael OLeary who was called everything from arrogant pig to messiah (Johnson, et al, 2008), balanced every sector of the organisation and scripted the success diary of Ryanairs. As per ELFAA (European Low Fares Airline Association)2010 statistics, in the year 2009, Ryanair topped the list with maximum number of passengers among its European low cost competitors. It covered 28.67% (i.e. 65.3m) passengers share among its ELFAA counterparts and travels over 150 destinations throughout Europe, and operates 1070 daily flights over 1000 routes(Anon, 2010) KEY CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS LOW PRICES As Ryanair operated in short-haul trips, it helped Ryanair to maintain low fares. Low fares helped to motivate demand, particularly from fare conscious travellers who would have rather opted for either means of transportation. The European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA) announced that last year its members carried 162.5 million passengers, representing an 8.7% increase on the previous year(Anon, 2010).This showed that, let it be for leisure or business, European consumers are chosing low fare airlines as it provides them Best Value for Money air services. POINT-TO-POINT MODEL Point to Point Model Figure 1: point to point model (Source: http://ostpxweb.dot.gov/aviation/airlinebusinessmodel.htm ) Ryanair operates in short-haul routes, which connects secondary and regional airports of the travelling destination. Ryanair carries out its point-to-point operations on a regular and frequent basis which has helped airlines to eliminate the necessity of frills services to its customers, which becomes quite necessary in long-haul routes. This point-to-point service helped Ryanair to serve non-stop and direct routes to its customers, and thus eliminate extra costs which are involved in long-haul routes. It also helped airlines to thus reduce its unit costs as aircrafts are utilised more. It helps in reducing operating costs, as flights are direct and does not involve any connecting flights and further expenses involved in it. NO FRILLS Ancillary revenues are regarded by analysts as a lucrative source of revenue growth for Ryanair at high margins(Milmo and Griffiths, 2006) Ryanair believed in No Frills policy .There is also no complimentary food and drink;instead this is sold on board(Anon, 2004).It earned revenue by imposing charges on hotels, travel, excess baggage,flight change fees, in flight retail and other such facilities. This helped Ryanair to maximise its Ancillary revenue. Keeping focus on this No Frills policy, Airline chief Michael OLeary suggested that installing pay toilets would lower ticket costs and make flying, somehow, easier for all (POGATCHNIK, 2009). He believed this will further help in generating ancillary revenue and thus will further support in reduction on fares. CHOICES OF ROUTES According to Pitt and Brown(2001) at present, there is a clear gain in terms of the time in which the air carriers can physically move customers from one point to the other, basically speaking there is very little disparity in terms of the total journey duration when we allow for airport processes and procedures and thus comparing it with the time taken to reach to the departure airport and to transfer from the arrival airport to the final destination. It was for the same motive that regional and secondary airports were majoritily connected by Ryanair as this helped in keeping the airport and handling cost low as compared to the main congested airports. Thus choices of routes was made by keeping Ryanairs Budget airline model in mind as it strengthens the competitiveness of the airline.It also enabled to make quicker departures, and quicker flight turnovers. LOW OPERATING COSTS Ryanair strategies and action plans had made it Europes biggest low fare carrier. As Ryanair operates in short-haul routes; it aims at reducing ; aircraft equipment costs by using single type of aircrafts which later on upgraded to new generation aircrafts due to stiff competiton and environmental needs and regulations; personnel expenses by improving productivity of its present staff by providing productivity- based incentives, on-board sales incentives for flight attendants, number of hours flown by pilot and the cabin crew within the set time limits, this motivated the staff to work for more hours. customer service costs by attaining competitive rates by signing multi-year contracts with third party contractors for aircraft and passenger handling, ticketing and other services:.As Ryanair was the largest travel website in Europe and fifth most recognised website in Europe,thus internet booking has immensely helped to reduce the customer service cost and also remove commission charges of the agents; and airport access and handling costs which is the also the key competency of Ryanair.Intorduction of web-based check-in and priority boarding helped Ryanair to enhance cost cutting in airport access charges. Also introduction of charges on check-in bags helped in reduction of baggages and saved costs and enhanced the performance and the speed of the aircraft. Ryanair kept its fleets cost under control by solely operating Boeings-737 jets and thus kept training, maintenance and operating costs under check(Anon, 2004). BRAND Ryanair is a very well-positioned brand, You know exactly what it stands for not something you can say too often in the travel business( McGuinness, 2010). Imposing toilet fee, excess baggage restriction, charges on credit cards, allegations of overstressing of staffs,environmental issues, sundry legal actions and many other such issues provided Brand Ryanair free of cost publicity and thus promoted itself as lowest fare airlines in Europe.Ryanair fifth most searched website worldwide, this show the potency of the its low cost carrier brand. (OConnell and Williams, 2005). TECHNOLOGY Web based check-in helped in reduction of airport costs for the Ryanair. Officials at the no-frills Irish airline said by lowering its airport costs they can pass th savings to passengers by lowering the fares further(Pugh, 2009). It saved check-in time and also reduce check-in staff costs and thus helps in maximising profits. Ryanair fleet of 130 Boeing 737-800s, is the youngest fleet and emits fewer gases than its older aircrafts( Chesshyre, 2007).This made Ryanair environment friendly and thus follow all environmental norms. STRATEGIC CAPABILITY RESOURCES Ryanair is a non-union operation having its headquarter in Dublin, Ireland(Box, 2007). Ryanair mainly carries out its operations from secondary and regional airports. In the year 2006 Ryanairs saw growth in its traffic by 26% to 34.8 million passengers and even ancillary revenues grew by 36%, which was higher than passengers revenues. Ryanair had a fleet of around 100 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which was the youngest fleet having an average age of 2.4 years. These new aircrafts were environmental friendly and also consumed lesser fuel. Ryanairs stock was up by 12% in a year to 9.28euros per share.Ryanair manpower grew to 3500 employees. Ryanair being a brand in airline sector, made profits due to its adequate fund and resources. CORE COMPETENCES A core competence is a set of skills and technologies, which enables a company to achieve a particular benefit to customers(Hamel and Prahalad,1994). It would not compulsorily be product-specific,but represent a very unique and difficult-to -imitate practices, which certainly stands as a pillar for the firms competitiveness. It would not be generally an asset or a value that can be seen in a firms balance sheet, it is a skill for doing things. Initially Ryanair focused on customer service and also wanted to provide lower fares than its fellow airlines-British Airways and Aer Lingus(Gillen and Lall, 2004). In the 1990s Ryanair copied Southwest Ailrlines,US business model and chose a new way to establish itself as Low Fare Carrier Airline in Europe. Ryanair took the Southwest operational efficiency to the next step by providing no service-no food; no jet ways; no frequent flyer programme; no refunds; no travel agents; no tickets; no connects (Gillen and Lall, 2004). Ryanair mainly focussed on providing low cost, competent, regular connections and subsequently offering no other frills or supporting services(Kangis and OReilly, 2003). This policy helped Ryanair to generate revenue. Numerous possibilities for non-price differentiation exist focusing on features such as punctuality, high frequencies and timing of flights (Klophaus, 2005). Ryanair adopted point-to-point routes as the it is not delayed by interlining passengers. Check-in is more faster because the point-to-point journey is simple than an interline one as choice is of regional and secondary airports. Boarding is rapid as seat choice is better for passengers who arrive early at the departure gate( Barrett, 2004). This also helped in maintaining high punctuality for Ryanair. Lower costs also stem from reduced complexity in activities (Gillen and Lall, 2004). Further Ryanair outsourced its activities as Outsourcing brings a flexibility to an airline in choosing between different suppliers of services such as aircraft maintenance, handling at airports, catering, and inflight magazines. Outsourcing brings flexibility to the company in choosing whether or not to renew contracts as they expire. In inflexible labour markets securing efficiency gains from an inhouse labour force is likely to be more difficult and involve compensation for change( Barrett, 2004). By adopting outsourcing Ryanair has made its development much easier and has expanded quite uncompromisingly which has given it a initial mover benefit in negotiating with airports and allowed it to sign long-term contracts( Gillen and Lall, 2004) PORTFOLIO ANALYSIS BCG MATRIX Boston Matrix diagram (Source:http://www.oup.com/elt/catalogue/teachersites/oald7/wotm/wotm_archive/boston_matrix?cc=global) The market share and the growth of market are the two contingent variables which determine the position of the firm. According to Seeger(1984) it is one of the simplest and most vivid concepts which consists of two impotant variables of the market i.e. market growth and market share. Ryanair falls under Cash Cows as it growing slowly even though its market share is high. It heavily targeted at maximising its market share and cash flow.As ryanair adopted no frills policy and outsourcing, the investments needed by it has to be low.Even though having high revenue Ryanair cannot expand its activities into other product lines, as its competitive advantage of low fare can be disturbed by certain small change in charges or taxes. VALUE CHAIN The purpose of the value-chain model is to assist companies to evaluate and select the optimum set of activities and methods of performing them to create the most value for the firm (McPhee, 2004). It incorporates both traditional business activities that provides continuous value to the organization and wide range of activities from modern strategic theory. Very Impotantly , expanded activites i.e Supply chain management, Product use,End of primary use,External networks, ensures that no potential strategic activity is elapsed and no opportunity for enhancing value is ignored. INFRASTRUCTURE Minimum Corporate HQ HRM Low Cost Training Limited staff Management control In-house Performance contracts TECHNOLGY DEVELOPMENT Internet Web information Integrated Internet sales PROCUREMENT Discount on aircrafts Alliances Outsourced Private Low cost Low cost suppliers Airport agreements Low cost No frills Fast turnaround Reliable service Low cost promotions Free publicity due to controversies Internet sales Limited resources High productivity Inbound logistics Operations Outbound logistics Marketing and sales High productivity RYANAIR VALU CHAIN Ryanair has least infrastructure required for corporate HQ. HRM involves Low cost training, limited crew, control of management, in-house and performance contracts that is done by developing technologically such as internet and low tech marketing on internet sales(McPhee, 2004). The procurement of low cost training is done with discount from Boeing, limited crew procurement involved alliances which result in No frills and low cost operations, management control is outsourced for quicker turnaround and reliable services. Marketing and sales incurs very less expenses as there is more internet sales involvement with little promotion costs, free publicity through controversies and yield management. Performance contracts are low cost productivity based which utilizes the less available productive resources STRENGTHS The Mantra Ever decreasing costs .Point to point flights, No frill policy ,and innovative ancillary schemes led to growth in revenues and thus made Ryanair financially strong and successful Ryanair has a very strong Brand and reputation in the European market, which enables them to adopt aggressive pricing stratergy. Ryanair can credit much of its success to its wily chief executive, Michael OLeary, who has used a combination of Irish blarney and sheer bloody-minded effrontery to achieve growth for his airline(Anon, 2010). He readily faced all the hurdles that came in Ryanairs way and thus with his innovative style converted these controversies it into publicity for Ryanair. Ryanair has the youngest single aircraft Boeing 737-800 fleet which has high seat density and also helped in reduction of maintanace and training costs Secondary and regional airport approach helped Ryanair in maintaining operations in busiest aviation traffic areas and thus reduce airport handling and flight turnover times. Web-based ticketing and check-in have been attracting people as it is time saving and also feasible for them. Ryanair has a huge future because of the untapped market. Lower fares help Ryanair to attract customers who use non-aircraft modes for travelling longer distances. WEAKNESS Customer relationship is very poor. Ryanairs operates from secondary and regional airports, which sometimes are very far away from the actual destination. Ryanair had weak employee relations. As Ryanair is a low cost fare carrier any new tax or charges effects its profits greatly. Ryanair is prone to bad controversial issue in the press, which gives a negative picture about the Brand Ryanair LEADERSHIP Developing Ryanair from the point of closure to the top profit making low fare airline, handling all controversial issues and media, motivating and energising people, facing legal actions and competitors. There is little doubt that OLearys confrontational personality has ruffled more than a few feathers amongst his rivals (Anon, 2004). But for Michael OLeary, any criticisms of him or his airline were looked up as giddy and completely pointless methods to divert Ryanair from its mission. All this is enough to prove that Michael was an efficient and innovative leader with every quality which a modern leader must pursue in order to achieve goals. Conclusion Ryanair by choosing a Low Cost Carrier Approach, have achieved it through simplicity of product design, simplicity of processes and simplicity of organization (Gillen And Lall, 2004). Thus we can see Ryanair have restructured the European markets competitive environment and made an impact on the worlds domestic airlines market, which was monoploised by huge airlines(OConnell and Williams, 2005).

The statesman :: essays research papers

Final Paper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The concept of written laws and their place in government is one of the key points of discussion in the Platonic dialog the Statesman. In this philosophical work, a dialog on the nature of the statesmanship is discussed in order to determine what it is that defines the true statesman from all of those who may lay claim to this title. This dialog employs different methods of dialectic as Plato begins to depart from the Socratic method of argumentation. In this dialog Socrates is replaced as the leader of the discussion by the stranger who engages the young Socrates in a discussion about the statesman. Among the different argumentative methods that are used by Plato in this dialog division and myth play a central role in the development of the arguments put forth by the stranger as he leads the young Socrates along the dialectic path toward the nature of the statesman. The statesman is compared to a shepherd or caretaker of the human â€Å"flock.† The conclus ion that comes from division says that the statesman is one who: Issues commands (with a science) of his own intellect over the human race. This is the first conclusion that the dialog arrives at via the method of division. The dialog, however, does not end here as the stranger suggests that their definition is still wanting of clarity because there are still some (physicians, farmers, merchants, etc†¦) who would lay claim to the title of shepherds of humanity. For this reason a new approach to the argument must be undertaken: â€Å"then we must begin by a new starting-point and travel by a different road† (Statesman 268 D.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This new approach that is taken in their search for a definition of the statesman leads the stranger to use myth in order to show young Socrates what it is that the shepherd of the human flock does. It is in the development of this myth that it is shown why the statesman can be separated from many of those who would lay claim to his title. The myth that is used by Plato in this dialog revolves around the idea of the world as being a living creature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the myth that is introduced the existence of the world is divided into two epochs, the Age of Kronos and the Age of Zeus. As the myth goes the world is endowed with motion, but alone it cannot move eternally.

Great Bear Rainforest Essay example -- British Columbia Nature Wildern

Great Bear Rainforest The controversy over logging, and more specifically clearcutting, is not a new issue in America. Ever since the 1920's and 1930's, when this nation started to become conscious of conservation, citizens have weighed the consequences of logging. Critics have questioned whether the increase in jobs, tax dollars, and economic growth was worth the destruction of forest lands. Regardless of what they believe today, the logging industry had become so efficient that by the late 1980's nearly 100,000 acres of federal land had been clearcut since the industry began. Logging technology has advanced rapidly in terms of speed, to meet the increasing demands for lumber, paper, and other products derived from trees. This in turn has greatly impacted the environment by severely degrading watersheds, leading to increased soil erosion, the diminution in the quality of drinking water, and the decline of fish stocks, among many other consequences. In this essay I will examine the progression of logging equipment throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and discuss how these changes in technology have not only changed the relationship of those who work in the industry, but also haw this has changed the wider relationship of society and nature. Before starting my research I thought there had been a progressive increase in the amount of land that had been clearcut. My reasoning for this was that logging machinery at the end of the 19th century was primitive compared to that of more recent times. As a result, it would have been difficult to compete with the output of today's industry. However, in the late 19th century there was a boom in the logging industry and thousands of acres of land across the nation were forested. Hist... ...the improvement in machinery. However, if they were just based on technological improvements, there would not be a continual rise and fall in the logging industry. These periods of increased logging have drastic affects on the environment, today, just like one hundred years ago. More importantly, the growth in technology has led to the reduction of workers. In my opinion, it seems that now we are dealing with the big capitalist pull. Individual companies are buying these forests just to log. For the most part, they are the ones that are reaping the benefits, while destroying habitats for people and animals alike. Thereby changing the relationship of those who work in the industry and that of environmentally conscience society. 1 According to Foster, "harvesting is sustainable if the stimulated growth rate is equal to or greater than that of the existing forest."

Karl Marx and His Critique of Capitalism Essay examples -- Marx Econom

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The definition of utopia is an ideally perfect place especially in its social, political, and moral aspects (dictionary.com). This paper will discuss the changes in capitalism since Marx’s critique in 1848. Marx’s fundamental critique remains correct today. Marx is still correct about his critique of capitalism because even though there have been changes made to capitalism to prevent some abuses, capitalism still produces inequality, reduces the family relationship, destroys small business, and enslaves. In 1848 Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto which was a formal statement of the communist party. â€Å"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles [†¦] we find almost everywhere a complicated arrangement of society into various orders, a manifold graduation of social rank† (Cohen and Fermon, 448). Marx believed that throughout the past the great societies of the world have all experienced class struggle in all their internal conflict. Marx felt that the class struggle that exists in capitalism would become the main internal conflict surpassing all other struggles. Marx illustrated class distinctions in both ancient history and modern history. Marx explained, â€Å"In ancient Rome we have patricians, knights, plebeians, (and) slaves; in the middle ages, feudal lords, vassals, guild masters, journeymen, and apprentices† (Cohen and Fermon, 448). Marx makes this point to show that if a knight fought a slave then it was a class str uggle, the oppressor vs. the oppressed. Marx comments on the cycles between the oppressors and the oppressed because he felt that the capitalistic ways of oppression have been replaced with new forms of oppression, he stated: The modern bourgeois society [†¦] has established new classes, new conditions of oppression, new forms of struggle in the place of old ones. Our epoch has simplified the class antagonisms: Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, two great camps facing each other: Bourgeois and Proletariat (Cohen and Fermon, 448-449). One can see an example of prejudice disappearing in a capitalist society through women in the modern workplace, which shows that prejudices are of less importance when it comes to making money for the bourgeoisie. Marx felt that the disappearance of certain prejudice through capitalism would be replaced with enslavem... ...need to produce for everyone’s needs. He said, â€Å"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs† (Cohen and Fermon, 465). Everyone getting what they need when they are working to the best to their ability is true equality. I think that with the changes that have been made to our form of capitalism, a communist society will never come into existence because we have a national minimum wage, laws against monopolies, child labor restrictions, welfare, and other laws to stop abuses by the bourgeoisie. I do think that if capitalism would have continued like Marx saw it around the turn of the century and that we had until the New deal politics of Roosevelt, and some other changes to the America capitalist style that we could possibly be coming to the time when a communist society could be possible in America. I think that Marx’s critique on capitalism is correct and I have shown why I still feel that his critique is correct today even though we have made changes to capitalism to help prevent some of the problems that do in fact arise. Mitchell Cohen & Nicole Fermon Princeton Readings in Political Thought: Essential Texts since Plato. Princeton University Press

How to Deal with Disagreements Between Children and Young People Essay

Dealing with conflicts with children can be challenging. Young children get very emotional and are often crying. Especially children in Infants years, the smallest thing can cause a disagreement, usually in the playground over toys. I find the best way to deal with conflicts is to be calm and get each child to explain what happened, this shows you are not taking sides and you are listening to both, explain the difference in right and wrong. Try to make them understand if they were put in the same position, how they would feel and get them to apologise. Also, younger children, especially those who may be an only child find it harder to share. This is another issue affecting disagreements in this age group. For example, during art class, sharing colours, some children don’t have the patience to wait for their turn; this causes little conflicts amongst children. So I try to explain to them that they should be patient, be considerate of others and wait for their turn. Whereas with young people you need to have a different strategy in order to deal with disagreements. This age group are strong willed and most will have their own views and ideas. They are more independent and have their individual personalities hence will clash more. They should be encouraged to discuss the issue and come to a mutual agreement. Learning to accept others views and opinions and to respect this. Adults should give young people the opportunity to resolves issues themselves and intervene only when needed. I feel when dealing with young people, you need to be able to listen to them, let them explain the issue before jumping in giving them your view. If the matter is discussed, they will realise for themselves what is the right answer.

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been Versus Smooth Talk

The saying goes the only difference between a tragedy and a comedy is the ending. Meaning no matter how tragic or comedic a story begins, the ending is what determines what type of story was told (thus what genre it falls in). This concept of endings is greatly exemplified through the comparison of the short story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been by Joyce Carol Oates and the film the story was based on called Smooth Talk. Both works contain an abundance of similarities but, due to slight yet critical changes made, the two stories become very different in their underlying themes/genre.The two stories differ in aspects such as (obviously) the title, character traits (i. e. June), certain plot details and most importantly the endings. They differ completely. The difference in endings change a horror story inspired by a real serial killer to a coming of age film for the American teenage girl. The short story Where Are You Going Where Have You Been like all short stories is short The short story is a total of twelve pages long and begins with roughly a two page description on Connie and her family.The short yet informational background helps the reader realize Connie is the typical fifteen year old girl whose main priorities are the same as most fifteen year old girls: need for attention, boys, and looks.. One day she doesn’t listen to her family and decides to stay home instead of bonding with her family at a relative’s barbeque.Connie’s fate begins its dark and bleak road when, like most horror stories, is home alone and a stranger comes to the house. The strangers name is Arnold Friend and his intentions though unclear at first, become more and more evident as the conversation between him and Connie unravels.Arnold talks in a tone that is both alluring and vicious, he tells Connie information about herself that just seems impossible for him to know giving him the characteristic of a hellish creature that sees all ( like the devil). Ar nold appears to have put Connie in a Dracula like dazed charm which makes her eventually get in his car where the story comes to an abrupt end. Though the ending is ambiguous, Connie is raped and killed by the monster Arnold Friend, or an old fiend (if one removes all the letter r’s in his name).Though the ending is vague, it is still haunting and horrific in the way that an evil creature posing as a teenager targets/abducts a young girl, violates her then kills her. This story is every parent’s nightmare and the scariest part about it is how achievable a heinous act like this is. The definition of horror is an overwhelming and painful feeling caused by something frightfully shocking, terrifying, or revolting; the ending of Oates’ short story does just that. The ending is gloomy, sad, and horrific which makes this story a horror story.Like most horror stories a lesson is taught, if one lies to their parents and act naughty, they’ll will eventually meet th e devil. The Film Smooth Talk starring Laura Dern, revolves around the same characters from the story Joyce Carol Oates wrote about, but takes a different approach. Smooth Talk is a ninety minute film based on a twelve page short story so it’s a no brainer that scenes were prolonged and added. The scenes that were prolonged/added do not focus on Oates’ Arnold Friend, but rather takes a more in-depth look at Connie’s family life.In the short story we are told certain characteristics of Connie’s family but, nothing more than that; nothing to make the mother, father or her sister June significant characters in the story. The story by Oates breifly touches on the subject of Connie and her mother not getting along, while the film constantly revolves around this mother-daughter conflict. Smooth Talk chooses to focus and explore more on the dysfunction between Connie and her family (especially the one with her mother) rather than for example finding out more abo ut the character Arnold Friend.After about an hour and ten minutes watching Connie’s naive adolescent persona constantly creating turmoil in her house, are we then introduced to the film’s antagonist, Arnold Friend. The confrontation between Arnold and Connie go exactly as they do in the short story, with one big exception, the story doesn’t end once Connie gets in the car. In Smooth talk, much like the short story, Arnold does indeed rape Connie, however, afterwards he returns her home alive. Once returned home, Connie’s naà ¯ve self centered take on life seems to have been left in the field Arnold molested her at.Connie walks toward the house where she is lovingly greeted by her remorseful mother apologizing for slapping her in an earlier scene. She has experienced the horrors of the outside world and realizes the good life and safety her family provides for her. The last scene in Smooth talk ends with Connie sitting in her room, not looking outside bu t, looking in. Then her sister June walks in, and instead of the two butting heads like they did throughout the entire film, Connie embraces her and they start dancing.What this nding shows is that the Connie from Smooth Talk, is no longer wishing to ‘be old enough to drive so she can leave her home’. She experienced the ‘harsh cruel world’ that Eddie from the earlier diner scene was talking about.Most importantly is this ending is not sad or monotonic, it is happy and hopeful, the complete opposite of the story it is based on What Smooth talk ends up being isn’t a horror story like Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been but, a story of a typical all knowing teenager who learns the hard way just how important family after she gets in a situation she can’t smooth talk her way out of.Although Smooth Talk is based on Oates’ short story, by the end of each story and because of the end, what one has is two completely different stories. One story is for a parent to scare their daughter straight, the other is to remind them that in life no matter what, one will always have family.

Zappo??s Case Study

Before starting the analysis It should be taken In consideration that Zappers business is done thru e-commerce and it managed to introduce itself at the early sass's when society had trust issues with making business online, which is the platform that Capos used to create trust and enhance it's value proposition. 1. Acquisition Capos strategy for calculations Is to aim to prospect customers by: Word of Mouth – The best policy for quelled a client trust Is thru a good referral, this fact is exponentiation when applied to e-commerce Excellence in Customer Service –Achieved by an easy contact either thru the website and most importantly thru the call center, whose goal is not only help the client to complete their transaction and resolve any problem they may encounter, but to go beyond and create a connection with every customer. Actions speak louder than words. This is true for the WHOM policy on Capo's which have made them famous since the company started, Capo's underst ood in their early stages that the influence of â€Å"external effects† such as advertising or direct marketing, where not good enough tools to convince society to engage with the new rend of e-commerce.One of the mall problems with e-commerce Is trust (Specially In sass's), Capos managed to break the trust barrier by making themselves available 24/7 and by implementing one of the most flexible return policies in the market. This two elements take away the risk of buying online, since the client has the chance to give back the product if they don't like it or it doesn't fits, because of these, the buying experience Is just as if you go buy the same product on a store. Once the risk has been stable, capos creates value by providing an easier shopping experience here customer can go thru an online catalogue and buy from home.Retention By excellence in customer service, clients are constantly in a delight stage bringing high satisfaction levels since they receive way more than w hat they would expect from any other company and even from capos Itself! Client service and returned policies have created several switching cost, which enable them to retain their clients and also very important they created strong imitation barriers against competitors Evaluation cost – once the customer has tried and trust Capo's service, buying the risk, which makes it simpler Just to stay with capos.Benefit loss cost – This is not a â€Å"premium customer† benefit, but the generous return policy is given to every capos client, and it represents a big switching cost that might be stronger than strong price reductions, since the money being saved on buying the product, might not be worth nothing if they can't trust that the product will be delivered in time, with the quality expected, with a return policy, etc..Relational Switching Cost – The call center staff is instructed to create personal bonds with customers, even if it means to talk about non-pur chasing themes for hours, everything so that clients have a personal relationship with the brand (not only one staff member, but all of them) Development All these combined had created both attitudinal and behavioral loyalty, which translates into positive whom and continued repurchase habits. No matter the cost, the repurchase habits on clients must be kept specially if we take in mind that capos might constantly increase their product assortment.Having this in mind, even when the cost of the returned policy and the call center seem high, the company is investing in the Customer Lifetime Value, as said in the article, once a customer gets acquainted with the shopping experience thru Capos their repurchase levels increase as Capos keeps growing their catalogue it's assuring future purchases of their loyal customers. As seniority in clients grows so does their social value, which completes a cycle for new clients acquisitions by making WHOM a major drive for consumption in this indus try, thus making the investment on loyalty measures completely worthwhile. . Returned Merchandise Policy Capos brand has been built from gained trust from clients, this is what makes it exceptional, since it has created customer experience of delight that comes not only from exceptional operational process but from the service provided, making client's needs a first priority. As previously explained, the returned merchandise policy is a main component in the customer life cycle, not only is present in all stages, but its relevant for throughout acquisition, retention and development.As if it wasn't enough, this policy is crucial to the product value proposition and its a main differentiation factor from all competitors, since there's no other company that's so flexible on the returned researched. Customer equity, might be affected â€Å"negatively' by high acquisitions/retention costs, but rather than an expense, this should be counted as an investment (as Capos attract more custom ers induced by a social network effect.If Capos decided to cut down on returned policy, it would create a â€Å"dissatisfied effect† since as we had learned, the problem with delighting customers is that from now on this special treatment is now an expectation that if its not fulfill would bring to disappointment. Secondly, e-commerce is filled with competitors, big and small, you can find any kind f product assortment on the web and most importantly most of this companies try to attract their clients thru advertisement (mainly on web) and low prices.If Capos applied the same strategy, it might destroyed value, since it won't be able to differentiate from the rest of competitors that rely on publicity instead of being a one of a kind company that you will discover thru a very good referral. The proposition of cutting down on returned merchandise to invest on advertisement should be completely rejected, rather than advertise, it would be a better idea for the many to invest on social network management Just to make sure they are present and to empower their spokespersons to amplify the social network effect.The merchandise returned policy might have room for improvement for profitability purposes, we haven't been provided with the numbers, but for instance the time lapse of a one year could be cut down without having a big negative effect on clients, allowing the company to recognize profits accounting wise at an early stage. 3. Client Service by Ranking As discussed before, the call center is the key for profitability, since its the element hat creates a personal bond and the element of trust.If Capos decides to apply a distinctive service to their clients, they will no longer be providing an exceptional customer service, at least not to all of them. The commerce industry is still in the initial phase, they are new customers buying products for the first time, they are the late adopters and they might need an incentive to take this step. The call center is exactly what this potential customers need, they are interested enough to try to contact the company, they need to check that everything is legitimate and a good client service will assure them that they can trust Zapped.The call center is even more important for new clients, by applying a priority service based on seniority, Capos might lose a big share of their potential customers, since they will provide a disappointing first impression and some of them will defect even before they become customers. If the company is forced to cost reduction, they must do everything in their power to keep providing the excellence in customer service, because this is what the brand transmits to both new and current clients. By changing this factor, the brand will lose reduce its operational cost on logistics, their inventory, anything else before affecting client service. Zappos Case Study Before starting the analysis It should be taken In consideration that Zappers business is done thru e-commerce and it managed to introduce itself at the early sass's when society had trust issues with making business online, which is the platform that Capos used to create trust and enhance it's value proposition. 1. Acquisition Capos strategy for calculations Is to aim to prospect customers by: Word of Mouth – The best policy for quelled a client trust Is thru a good referral, this fact is exponentiation when applied to e-commerce Excellence in Customer Service –Achieved by an easy contact either thru the website and most importantly thru the call center, whose goal is not only help the client to complete their transaction and resolve any problem they may encounter, but to go beyond and create a connection with every customer. Actions speak louder than words. This is true for the WHOM policy on Capo's which have made them famous since the company started, Capo's underst ood in their early stages that the influence of â€Å"external effects† such as advertising or direct marketing, where not good enough tools to convince society to engage with the new rend of e-commerce.One of the mall problems with e-commerce Is trust (Specially In sass's), Capos managed to break the trust barrier by making themselves available 24/7 and by implementing one of the most flexible return policies in the market. This two elements take away the risk of buying online, since the client has the chance to give back the product if they don't like it or it doesn't fits, because of these, the buying experience Is just as if you go buy the same product on a store. Once the risk has been stable, capos creates value by providing an easier shopping experience here customer can go thru an online catalogue and buy from home.Retention By excellence in customer service, clients are constantly in a delight stage bringing high satisfaction levels since they receive way more than w hat they would expect from any other company and even from capos Itself! Client service and returned policies have created several switching cost, which enable them to retain their clients and also very important they created strong imitation barriers against competitors Evaluation cost – once the customer has tried and trust Capo's service, buying the risk, which makes it simpler Just to stay with capos.Benefit loss cost – This is not a â€Å"premium customer† benefit, but the generous return policy is given to every capos client, and it represents a big switching cost that might be stronger than strong price reductions, since the money being saved on buying the product, might not be worth nothing if they can't trust that the product will be delivered in time, with the quality expected, with a return policy, etc..Relational Switching Cost – The call center staff is instructed to create personal bonds with customers, even if it means to talk about non-pur chasing themes for hours, everything so that clients have a personal relationship with the brand (not only one staff member, but all of them) Development All these combined had created both attitudinal and behavioral loyalty, which translates into positive whom and continued repurchase habits. No matter the cost, the repurchase habits on clients must be kept specially if we take in mind that capos might constantly increase their product assortment.Having this in mind, even when the cost of the returned policy and the call center seem high, the company is investing in the Customer Lifetime Value, as said in the article, once a customer gets acquainted with the shopping experience thru Capos their repurchase levels increase as Capos keeps growing their catalogue it's assuring future purchases of their loyal customers. As seniority in clients grows so does their social value, which completes a cycle for new clients acquisitions by making WHOM a major drive for consumption in this indus try, thus making the investment on loyalty measures completely worthwhile. . Returned Merchandise Policy Capos brand has been built from gained trust from clients, this is what makes it exceptional, since it has created customer experience of delight that comes not only from exceptional operational process but from the service provided, making client's needs a first priority. As previously explained, the returned merchandise policy is a main component in the customer life cycle, not only is present in all stages, but its relevant for throughout acquisition, retention and development.As if it wasn't enough, this policy is crucial to the product value proposition and its a main differentiation factor from all competitors, since there's no other company that's so flexible on the returned researched. Customer equity, might be affected â€Å"negatively' by high acquisitions/retention costs, but rather than an expense, this should be counted as an investment (as Capos attract more custom ers induced by a social network effect.If Capos decided to cut down on returned policy, it would create a â€Å"dissatisfied effect† since as we had learned, the problem with delighting customers is that from now on this special treatment is now an expectation that if its not fulfill would bring to disappointment. Secondly, e-commerce is filled with competitors, big and small, you can find any kind f product assortment on the web and most importantly most of this companies try to attract their clients thru advertisement (mainly on web) and low prices.If Capos applied the same strategy, it might destroyed value, since it won't be able to differentiate from the rest of competitors that rely on publicity instead of being a one of a kind company that you will discover thru a very good referral. The proposition of cutting down on returned merchandise to invest on advertisement should be completely rejected, rather than advertise, it would be a better idea for the many to invest on social network management Just to make sure they are present and to empower their spokespersons to amplify the social network effect.The merchandise returned policy might have room for improvement for profitability purposes, we haven't been provided with the numbers, but for instance the time lapse of a one year could be cut down without having a big negative effect on clients, allowing the company to recognize profits accounting wise at an early stage. 3. Client Service by Ranking As discussed before, the call center is the key for profitability, since its the element hat creates a personal bond and the element of trust.If Capos decides to apply a distinctive service to their clients, they will no longer be providing an exceptional customer service, at least not to all of them. The commerce industry is still in the initial phase, they are new customers buying products for the first time, they are the late adopters and they might need an incentive to take this step. The call center is exactly what this potential customers need, they are interested enough to try to contact the company, they need to check that everything is legitimate and a good client service will assure them that they can trust Zapped.The call center is even more important for new clients, by applying a priority service based on seniority, Capos might lose a big share of their potential customers, since they will provide a disappointing first impression and some of them will defect even before they become customers. If the company is forced to cost reduction, they must do everything in their power to keep providing the excellence in customer service, because this is what the brand transmits to both new and current clients. By changing this factor, the brand will lose reduce its operational cost on logistics, their inventory, anything else before affecting client service.