Ma in Management †Strategic Analysis Module Essay Example for Free

Ma in Management – Strategic Analysis Module Essay SAA 1 – Evaluating the Suitability of EasyJet’s strategy EasyJet’s existing strategy can be characterised as low price/low value added (route 1 on the strategy clock) concentrating on Luton and Liverpool hubs (not the main UK airports) and targeting routes with little direct competition from other airlines (which builds up elements of access and variety based positioning). EasyJet exploited the major environmental change that resulted from the initial liberalisation of the EU airline market. The attractiveness of this â€Å"low cost† strategic group within the market has brought in new competitors (like BA’s GO) so the industry structure is changing. EasyJet’s decision to buy new aircraft and open new routes can be seen as an attempt to pre-emptively protect and build on their current position. The deals with Geneva airport and TEA also allow them to exploit an EU â€Å"open skies† agreement with Switzerland if finalised using the same strategic approach. The strategy is largely expanding upon existing capabilities in operating a low cost airline. Expanding the fleet of aircraft potentially offers cost efficiency advantages in terms of economies of scale and scope across a bigger number of routes. Standardising on new Boeing 737-300s and 737-700s should also help minimise operational costs as well as the purchase economies from the deal (discounts). Other parts of the value chain are also consistent with this low cost approach – headquarters at Luton rather than a more expensive location (although not mentioned in the illustration the HQ is pared down to a minimum to reduce overheads. Aircraft maintenance is also contracted out). As EasyJet is privately owned then the massive increase in gearing implied by the financing of new aircraft is perhaps less unattractive to investors than would be the case if the company was public. Ideally, it would be helpful to have more information on EasyJet’s current value chain and its capabilities to deliver the â€Å"low cost† approach. The big strategic issue to be resolved is the extent to which their current positioning is defensible if they start to expand – with risks from competitor reaction, perhaps from airlines previously unaffected by their strategy and the capabilities of EasyJet to deliver the same strategic approach on five-times the scale. SAA 2 – Evaluating the Acceptability of Easyjet’s strategy The risks of the new strategy are related to the extent of expansion – both strategically in terms of their ability to deliver on a bigger scale (a five-fold expansion of operations) and financially in terms of the impact of long-term gearing (loans from the banks). Their existing capabilities in this type of business (they were one of the first in Europe) and the potential use of equipment trust certificates to re-finance the purchase at a later date might help. There are few details about the potential returns in the illustration, but this seems to be an expanding sector in which EasyJet already has an established position. It seems to make strategic sense in terms of both protecting their existing position and creating the potential to exploit new opportunities (Switzerland) but more information on projected passenger volumes and revenues would help in assessing both returns and risks (e.g. ROCE, NPV, payback and break-even). As a privately owned airline then the number of key stakeholders is at least reduced by not having shareholders, Stelios Haji-Ioannou is the owner and chief executive. However, the banks are going to be particularly interested in the company given their exposure in terms of gearing – though they should be supportive providing the revenue flows increase as planned! Given the leanness of the organisation then the employees are likely to have a strong input. Governments are likely to be supportive of EasyJet’s approach as it encourages competition – though some may have closer ties to â€Å"national flag carriers† who are potential competitors. SAA 3 – Evaluating the Feasibility of EasyJet’s strategy EasyJet has built up experience as a successful â€Å"low cost† airline and the proposed strategy is an extension of existing capabilities. The cultural web of the organisation is also not likely to see major changes and create problems of managing implementation. The question is whether the system can be stretched into a five-fold expansion. The expansion into Switzerland, with the deals with Geneva airport and TEA, including the switch to Boeing 737s, would seem to be strategically sensible given the potential â€Å"open skies† agreement. The alliance, with an option to acquire TEA, should also offer synergies whilst reducing the risks of further stretching the existing EasyJet system. Financing is a major issue for this strategy – the cash flow for the aircraft deposit and long-term bank loans may indicate adequate financial resources, but conclusions depend upon an examination of this part of the deal in terms of impact on the company’s capital structure (gearing) and cash flow projections. Given the banks have leant the money then some judgements can be implied but, in practice, this would be a critical part of the overall strategy evaluation.

Psychological Development Essay -- Psychology, Pregnancy

Psychological development is the development of a person’s emotional, intellectual, cognitive, and social capabilities and functions that they acquire throughout their lifetime. This starts from birth and carries on until death, but how does pregnancy affect the development stage? There are many myths that when women become pregnant their cognitive capabilities begin to decrease and the mother suffers from ‘baby brain’ or ‘placenta brain’. Scientists are interested in this and some wondered what role pregnancy plays in the increase or decrease of a woman’s cognitive function. An experiment by Christensen et al (2010) they tested cognition speed, immediate recall, working memory, and delay memory in pregnant, non-pregnant women, and during motherhood. The hypothesis of this study was to see if pregnancy affects cognitive skills in women, and this was tested through surveys and questioners (Christensen et al., 2010). With all the multiple tests there was no negative impact on the pregnant women’s intelligence (Christensen et al., 2010). Therefore, with this study there was no s...

Compare and Contrast Medieval Knight vs. Renaissance Knight

In the chaos and danger of post-Roman Western Europe, Soon, grants of land were made so the young soldiers could receive an income from those lands and afford the high cost of outfitting themselves with the accoutrements of war, such as horses, armor, and weapons. The era of the medieval knight had begun. knights began to treat their land grants as hereditary rights (usually transferring ownership to the eldest son upon death), thus beginning the rise of knights as a â€Å"landed† class Knights soon found themselves involved in local politics, the dispensation of justice, and numerous other required tasks for their sovereign, or liege lord. The medieval knight is generally perceived as an armed and mounted warrior who was bound by the codes of chivalry Knight's had a code of conduct that was called Chivalry. This code changed over the centuries but some of the major points were that the knight was bound to defend his lord or liege, care for his lands and his people and in the later centuries this code of chivalry was expanded to include conduct in courts and public functions. A knight was expected to protect those less of lesser rank than himself and to hold himself to the highest standards of combat and knowledge in religion and writing, music and leadership. During the High Middle Ages, knighthood was considered a class of lower nobility. By the Late Middle Ages, the ideals of chivalry were popularized in medieval literature. concept of the knight as an elite warrior sworn to uphold the values of faith, loyalty, courage, and honour. During the Renaissance, the genre of chivalric romance became popular in literature, The medieval knight was the equivalent of the modern tank. He was covered in multiple layers of armor, and could plow through foot soldiers standing in his way. No single foot soldier or archer could stand up to any one knight Becoming a knight was part of the feudal agreement. In return for military service, the knight received a fief. In the late middle ages, many prospective knights began to pay â€Å"shield money† to their lord so that they wouldn't have to serve in the king's army. The money was then used to create a professional army that was paid and supported by the king In the Middle Ages, knights were the elite soldiers. A good knight could take on many infantry and archers all by himself. There were really only three types of soldiers in the day, knights, archers, and infantry, or foot soldiers. The infantry tended to be made up of peasant and serfs, and did not require many skills to become a soldier Knights had a code of chivalry, which demanded that they defend the weak and be courteous to women, and be loyal to the king and serve God. They were supposed to have mercy on vanquished foes, and not boast about their accomplishments. However, despite this code, they were usually little more than mercenaries for hire. During Renaissance, the social structure changed completely from that of feudalism. Between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance, Europe was in a period of decline. Eventually, Europe, for the most part, had adopted a feudal 2. society. There were knights and lords in this period, as well as vassals and serfs. Cities of the great Roman Empire were slums for the most part, and in the country, estates with feudal lords offered protection to local villagers from attack (it is for this that villages developed close to feudal estates). Life was generally hard and not too stable When we think of the Medieval times the first thought often takes us to the Medieval knights and their ladies. It was the duty of a Medieval Knight to learn how to fight and so serve their liege Lord according to the Code of Chivalry

The Human Resources Department Of Swift Current - 1584 Words

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