Health Sanitation Practices Essay

* a protected well or a developed spring with an outlet but without a distribution system * indicated for rural areas * serves 15-25 households; its outreach is not more than 250 m from the farthest user * yields 40-140 L/ min Level II (Communal Faucet or Stand Posts) * With a source, reservoir, piped distribution network and communal faucets * Located at not more than 25 m from the farthest house * Delivers 40-80 L of water per capital per day to an average of 100 households * Fit for rural areas where houses are densely clustered Level III (Individual House Connections or Waterworks System) * With a source, reservoir, piped distributor network and household taps * Fit for densely populated urban communities * Requires minimum treatment or disinfection Proper Excreta and Sewage Disposal Program EHS sets policies on approved types of toilet facilities: Level I * Non-water carriage toilet facility – no water necessary to wash the waste into receiving space e.g. pit latrines, reed odorless earth closet. * Toilet facilities requiring small amount of water to wash the waste into the receiving space e.g. pour flush toilet & aqua privies Level II * On site toilet facilities of the water carriage type with water-sealed and flush type with septic vault/tank disposal. Level III * Water carriage types of toilet facilities connected to septic tanks and/or to sewerage system to treatment plant. Objective: The objective of this study is to determine sanitation practices and preferences in sitio ganha-an.By examining differences between current practices and preferences, the study assesses if the communities are satisfied with their current sanitation options and if there is a demand for increased sanitation coverage and better facilities. Water Supply. The major problem for poor people in most countries is access to safe water in adequate quantity, with reasonable convenience, and at an affordable cost. Solutions include local grants to install household gutters and rainwater capture tanks; local wells designed to resist pollution; and small networks of water points served by a local well, borehole, or spring. The supply problems of major cities require integrated approaches that combine demand management, leak repair, backflow prevention, wastewater reuse, and the efficient, sustainable exploitation of sources. Solid Waste Disposal. The interdependence of sanitation aspects is illustrated by the need for adequate solid waste removal to prevent the blockage of rainwater drains. Collection of refuse in hot climates must be frequent since piles attract flies and rats, and it should rely more on local labor-intensive methods rather than on expensive trucks. For the operation to be successful requires close cooperation between the users and providers of the service, and financing must come either from municipal recurrent funds and/or user fees. Excreta Disposal. Large sewerage infrastructure projects tend to be too expensive for the vast majority of urban and rural people in developing countries, and it may be impossible to build a sewage network infrastructure in congested, narrow streets. On-site options include latrines, pourflush toilets, and septic tanks. There should be evaluated at each location according to needs and priorities. As water use grows in villages and towns, wastewater from washing and bathing (sullage) can be cost-effectively handled by a separate drainage system coupled to on-site excreta disposal. Garbage is a never ending cycle. Every day each household produces a significant amount of trash. The more we consume the more garbage we incur. Garbage disposal has been a monumental problem ever since. ( Yapchiongco, 2012) For a lack of historic time series of reliable nationally representative drinking water quality data, the JMP cannot report on the actual water safety aspect of the MDG drinking water target. The proxy indicator used in the global survey methodology – â€Å"use of improved drinking water sources† – does not guarantee that the quality of drinking water consumed by people meets the standards for safe drinking water as proposed in the WHO Guidelines for Drinking water Quality (WHO, 2011). Pollution from domestic and industrial sources, geogenic contamination, and poor sanitation and hygiene all threaten the safety of drinking water sources. In recognition of these threats, many drinking water supply operators and regulators are adopting an integrated risk assessment and management approach that takes risk spots and events into account along the chain of events from source to tap. Strategies include quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA), sanitary inspections, the application of health-based targets and water safety plans (WSPs). The practice of household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) can help improve water quality at the point of consumption, especially when drinking water sources are distant, unreliable or unsafe. However, HWTS is a stopgap measure only and does not replace the obligation of a service provider to provide access to safe drinking water. It is intended for people who have no access to improved drinking water sources at all, for people with access to improved sources outside of their home or premises (i.e. when contamination can occur during transport and storage), for people with unreliable piped supplies who have to store water to bridge the gaps between deliveries, and for people in emergency situations. People relying on unimproved drinking water sources who apply an appropriate household water treatment method are still not considered to have sustainable access to safe drinking water. Doing so would absolve the providers of their responsibility to provide safe drinking water and in effect transfer this responsibility to consumers. http://www.wssinfo.org/fileadmin/user_upload/resources/report_wash_low.pdf

Competency Goal 6 Essay

To maintain a commitment to professionalism. To maintain a commitment to professionalism in preschool classroom I set a goal for myself. My goal in my classroom is to set a standard of excellence within the room and to commit myself to the growth and development of each child in offering a positive, kind, loving, and safe atmosphere. I have respect, not only for myself but, for my class, each child, and their families. I keep all parental information shared with me confidential. I also uphold all health and safety regulations and make children’s well-being my top priority. I also respect family diversity. This includes but is not limited to cultural differences, orientation, or economic status. I encourage individuality in children. I treat each child with respect and help them to build a positive self- image. Being informed is being ready to assist any child with any need they may have. I feel it is important to always stay positive and keep a smile on my face. Stay on top of new regulations for the school as well as updated laws and other developments within early childhood education; Always making sure to have information to help parents that have children with additional needs. I feel I am a kind and loving person and am genuinely concerned about the growth and development of each child entering in the class. I want to give them every opportunity to grow and learn in a safe environment. I love working and being around children not just in a group setting but also a one on one setting. I became an early childhood assistant teacher, because I enjoy working with preschool children, and looking forward to becoming a teacher soon.

Reactions to Extreme Danger

Reactions to danger vary greatly in different types of situations and different types of people. A few known reactions to grave danger are actually in pairs of completely opposite reactions. What I mean by that is that is that in a moment of distress, one can act in ways that are completely different from each other. For example, one can either freak out or stay calm,, freeze or keep going, run or stay, ect. These actions, of course, depend on the person, place, and situation. There are dozens, probably hundreds, of different situations in which danger is present.Some usual situations are things such as kidnappings, fires, assaults, shootings, and being held hostage. Although some people may react calmly to a given dilemma, others may completely freak out in the spur of the moment and go to extreme measures in order to get out. Some of these extreme measures include doing things you may regret for the rest of your life. An example of these extreme choices is killing. Suppose you†™re being held hostage. The only way to survive is to kill your holder and run away.If you’re desperate, you’ll probably do it. Another example of these extreme measures is cannibalism. People usually resort to this when they are stranded and desperate for food. If a person dies, the best thing to feed the rest is to eat the body of the deceased. Psychosis can sometimes set in after such events. But as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. All in all, different reactions to different types of danger vary depending on the person and situation. Usually, saving your life will be the ultimate goal.You’ll do anything in order to get out of the situation quickly and safely. One can even resort to the extreme measures mentioned previously. Killing and cannibalism are also usual choices people make to save their or a loved ones life. We as humans sometimes feel the need to protect not only ourselves, but others as well. The human mind and body can do great things when distressed. For example, a mother can lift a car under which her infant child is lying. In that case, saving her child’s life is the ultimate goal.

Business report on ZARA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business report on ZARA - Essay Example Zara operates in a highly competitive industry. In analyzing its external environment, this paper will use the PESTEL model, which details the various external factors that favor or affect the general performance of the company. The external factors in the analysis are political factors, economic factors, socio-cultural factors, Technological factors, Environmental factors and the legal factors in place (Brooks & Wilkinson, 2011, p.68). The PESTEL model generally measures the market of a company (Wetherly & Otter, 2011, p.10).Political factors The Governments and political parties in a country are key factors in the establishment of a political environment (Halbert & Ingulli, 2009, p.21). The Spanish government is relatively stable and has provided measures that boost the performance of businesses. Since the main production plant is in Spain, and it's being centralized, this makes it the backbone of the company. The favorable political environment made possible by the political stabi lity in the country and favorable government policies have been a key silent factor in the success of Zara’s production unit. In addition, the government tax policies and investment policies have been favorable for the past decade of its operation in Spain and can be attributed to influence the performance of Zara positively. The company faces normal economic fluctuations like other companies such as movement in interest rates, changes in foreign exchange rates and a shift in inflation rates.  ... Further, in its expansion into other countries of operation, the political support and stability was critically assessed before the decisions were made. Economic factors The company faces normal economic fluctuations like other companies such as movement in interest rates, changes in foreign exchange rates and a shift in inflation rates. However, Zara, for all its time of operation has only been dealing in a single currency. Though this had seemed to pose many transactional problems due to their large scale of operations, the company preferred to use a safer currency. This is believed to be the reason that Zara was not affected by the recession, which was caused by adverse movement in the dollar. Before its entry into new markets, the company evaluates the economic conditions of the country it wants to launch operations to ensure stability and relative predictability. Socio-cultural factors Social-cultural factors mainly include the cultural aspects in the region of operation includi ng factors such as population trends, the attitudes of the populations (Collison, 2003, p.32). Trends in socio-cultural factors have a great impact on the demand of a firms products and the operational processes of the company (Cadle & Yeates, 2010, p.33). For Zara, their element of trend chasing has led to them studying the cultural trends in terms of fashion and their attitudes towards dressing in order to give their customers a specific customised experience according to the region of operation hence gaining more market share. In addition, the company is located in a country that has firm cultural roots that contributes to its performance. Technological factors Technology is a key factor in the efficiency and effectiveness of business operations today (Kew &

G H 402 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

G H 402 - Assignment Example Most malarial deaths occur to the pregnant women and young children because of the inability to access proper medical care and poor sanitation services that lead to the breeding of mosquitos. Global malaria prevalence is also due to poor and limited information on malaria and the possible preventive methods. Most of the affected groups have a wrong perception on Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) and therefore they don’t control the vector causing malaria (McCracken and Phillips 75) Malaria has become a global concern because it is considered to be both a disease of poverty and a major cause of poverty mostly in the developing countries. This is because the developing countries do not have the sufficient and proper medication for the disease. It has therefore been considered to be a major constraint to economic development in the developing countries as it has both high social and economic costs that cause a wider gap in the GDP of the developed and developing countries (McCracken and Phillips 78). This has therefore led to a big global dilemma for the affected communities. Environmental sanitation is another major global concern due to the rising environmental degradation. For a proper and safe environment, there should be minimal sharing of the sanitation services such as the toilets as recommended by the World Health Organization (McCracken and Phillips 76). This improves the security and safety of the services and enables accessibility and proper maintenance. If sanitation facilities are highly shared, it becomes a challenge to maintain their cleanliness, and this may turn them to be breeding places for disease-transmitting parasites and pathogens. The global concern for environmental sanitation is causing the dilemma because of the rising number of people that have limited access to improved sanitation making them prone to diseases (McCracken and Phillips 84). Due to the rising

The evolution of the black church Research Paper

The evolution of the black church - Research Paper Example For the purpose of the study, details of the history will start after the American Revolution, an era where the slavery was abolished. By 1810 slaves were totally free; the slave trade in America ended, and a large native born population of African Americans began to increase. This freedom allowed the African-Americans to blend together, to preserve their cultures and to transform their religious beliefs and practices. This period also coincided with the revival of religious evangelization wherein many slaves were converted to evangelical religions like Baptists and Methodists. Evangelists encouraged the message of hope and salvation to the slaves, and advocated the idea that all Christians are equal in the eyes of God. The teachings of the scriptures appealed to the slaves because it inspired them towards hope and salvation and were particularly interested in the stories of deliverance from slavery of Moses’ Exodus out of Egypt. The Africans also found worships that were sim ilar to their own such as clapping, dancing, loud singing and evil spirit possession. Still, whites and the clergy kept on preaching the message of obedience and used Bible stories to justify slavery, and promoted the idea that they will be rewarded after life if they remain loyal and hard-working slaves. The blacks were not allowed to attend church worships independently by their masters for fear that they would plot rebellion. The blacks however were treated differently inside the church.

Effective Ways on How We Can Alleviate Sexism in Our Society Research Paper

Effective Ways on How We Can Alleviate Sexism in Our Society - Research Paper Example In reality, sexism is not limited in stereotyping the expected roles of a male and female role in this society. Unfortunately, transsexuals are also equally affected by the negative impact of strong sex discrimination. Feminist groups have long time been trying to fight the occurrence of sexism; specifically with regards to the unequal opportunity that is present between men and women at work, within educational institutions, and their expected role in our society (DaCosta Alleyne, 2004). In relation to the importance of gender equality, feminist movement continuously campaigns for women’s rights and interests which includes: (1) right to work, equal pay, and maternity leave; (2) right to vote; and (3) right to be protected from domestic violence, sexual harassment, and rape (4) (Humm, 1990, p. 278; Echols, 1989, p. 416, Cott, 1987, pp. 4 – 5). It is through the strong influence of feminist groups in the way people think that gradually eliminates the traditional perspectives on how women should act in our society. Over the years, feminist groups had significantly changed the modern ways of living from culture to law. Despite the government and private institutions’ effort to alleviate sex discrimination by promoting the importance of workplace and educational diversity and improving the existing laws on sex discrimination and chauvinism, sexism remains a serious social problem in our country. In line with the social consequences of sexism, almost all sociologists are using the three primary theoretical perspectives known as the symbolic interactionist perspective1, functionalist perspective2, and conflict perspective3 when analyzing the social phenomena behind sexism (Cliff Notes, 2010).  

Business & its Environment (2 questions) 1. Describe Ikea's strategy Essay

Business & its Environment (2 questions) 1. Describe Ikea's strategy 2.Evaluate Ikea's market entry stategy in North America - Essay Example (Brosi, Gabel, Buitt, & Stults, 2006) "Kamprad's humble beginnings (he was the son of a farmer) had created a unique IKEA culture that was founded on respect for money and an innovative mindset" (BII, 2006). Kamprad himself used his monetary assets frugally for even business purposes. His down to earth "attitude trickled down to the co-workers, who would ensure minimal wastage and cost cutting at every level and as a result, IKEA came up with products that were aesthetically designed and were still available at affordable prices" (BII, 2006). IKEA has always created well-designed and functional home products for people at low discounted prices. Yet this is not the only reason why people want to buy products from IKEA. Company's definition of Corporate Social Responsibility is very strong and it is built in every store around the world. They promote environment friendly products and supplies, have a green transport plan and use waste-to-energy technology. IKEA's 'IWAY' for minimum requirements for social, working, and environmental conditions point to the fact that green business is indeed smart business. (Webb, 2007) (Brosi, Gabel, Buitt, & Stults, 2006) IKEA has done well to build strategic alliances and franchises for expansion purposes.

Reproductive Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reproductive Rights - Essay Example II. Identification and Evaluation of Ethical Principles of Reproductive Rights Reproductive rights are controversial for several reasons. According to Bellieni and Buonocore (2006), some ethical principles which can be evaluated include: the potential abuse of womens’ bodies in a male-dominated medical profession; the debate over the validity of the embryo being seen as a ‘person,’ with regard to state and federal law; and the fact that studies have shown that in vitro fertilization has shown higher risks of birth defects such as cerebral palsy in children formed as a result of the procedure (pp. 93). Abortion is legal in the U.S., according to federal law. III. The Application of Principles to Ethical Issues with Various Implications One of the main arguments that naysayers usually make with regard to embryonic procedures is that embryos are actually people, and that scientists are ‘playing God’ by creating children in a scientific fashion—som etimes discarding embryos that are damaged, which to some people is unethical because a person’s life is being discontinued.

Contamination and Remediation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Contamination and Remediation - Essay Example Jackson and Lesage (1992) found that risks and threats to the environment and human health include corrosiveness, explosiveness, toxicity, combustibility and carcinogenicity. A site can also be called contaminated if an identified part of land has a higher identified contaminant in concentrations compared to the level of concentrations in a land that is non-contaminated. In the present era, site contamination has become a real issue as it produces various critical impacts regarding environment, water, human health, and economy of any specific country. Contamination of sites has become a problem due to increased redevelopment of agricultural and industrial land. Assessment of a contaminated site is usually done by using a five-staged approach. The five stages include preliminary site assessment, detailed site assessment, remedial action plan, remediation of the site, and validation of the remediation process. In preliminary site assessment, inspection of the site is conducted in collaboration with the site management staff including owner of the land. Site history review is done by the inspection team and some samples of soil of the suspected site are also taken by the team in order to prepare an initial report which comes in use if symptoms of site contamination are found in the results of the report. Then in the next stage, comprehensive and detailed assessment of the collected soil samples is done in order to know the extent of presence of hazardous substances in the soil. The results of the assessed samples indicate whether the site actually needs a remediation process or not. If the results are positive, the inspection team moves towar ds the third stage which is remedial action plan stage. In this stage, planning is done regarding the suitable remediation process by analyzing the site remediation strategies and actual contaminated area of the site. Human

Portlend Cancer Center Case Essay Example for Free

Portlend Cancer Center Case Essay The model calculates the NAL (or NPV) and IRR of the lease for both parties on the basis of relevant input data. The invoice price and lease rental payments must be the same for both parties, but the other input variables may be different for each party. The model also examines the differential profitability to the lessee between conventional and per procedure leases. The model consists of a complete base case analysisno changes need to be made to the existing MODEL-GENERATED DATA section. However, all values in the student version INPUT DATA section have been replaced with zeros. Thus, students must determine the appropriate input values and enter them into the model. These cells are colored red. When this is done, any error cells will be corrected and the base case solution will appear. Note that the model does not contain any risk analyses, so students will have to create their own if required by the case. Furthermore, students must create their own graphics (charts) as needed to present their results. Both instructor and student versions contains a sheet (Figure 1) that plots lessees NAL, lessors NPV, and total contract value versus the size of the lease payment.

Is Beer Becoming More Concentrated Essay Example for Free

Is Beer Becoming More Concentrated Essay At first glance, the UK brewing industry might appear to be highly competitive, with many pubs in close proximity to one another and with many brands of beer and lager offered for sale. However, in reality most pubs are owned by the major brewers. Tied houses, as they are called, account for about 40 per cent of a brewer’s turnover, and sell only a limited range of the beers and lagers that are available. Consumer choice is clearly constrained. The oligopolistic nature of the brewing industry can be seen when we consider the market shares of the leading brewers (see table). In 1985 the three largest brewers held 47 per cent of the market. By 2001 this had grown to 73 per cent. What is also significant is that small independent brewers, which generally operate within a local or regional market, have seen a dramatic fall in their market share. With this huge growth in the market power of the major brewers have come large rises in the price of beer (even after taking inflation and tax increases into account). Prices in the UK have risen faster than anywhere else in Europe. Market shares of the largest brewers | |1985 | | |2005 | | |(%) | | |(%) | |Bass |22 | |Scottish-Courage |27 | |Allied Lyons (Carlsberg) |13 | |Coors (Carling, Worthington) |20 | |Grand Met (Watneys) |12 | |! nbev (Bass, Beck’s, Stella) |19 | |Whitbread |11 | |Carlsberg UK (Carlsberg, Tetley’s) |13 | |Scottish and Newcastle |10 | |Diageo (Guinness) |6 | |Courage |9 | |Anheuser-Busch (Budweiser) |2 | |Others |23 | |Others |13 | |Total |100 | |Total |100 | |3-firm concentration ratio |47 | |3-firm concentration ratio |66 | |5-firm concentration ratio |68 | |5-firm concentration ratio |85 | 1987, the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, the forerunner to the Competition Commission (see section 6. 6), investigated the brewing industry and in 1989 issued the ‘Beer Orders’, requiring the large brewers to sell many of their pubs. The objective was to increase competition as smaller brewers and other companies and individuals bought these pubs and then stocked a range of beers. However, the hopes were ill-founded. The pubs that were sold were the least profitable, and many have since closed. There is thus now less competition between pubs. Also, about 40 per cent of UK pubs are now owed by large pub chains. The Beer Orders also required that over 10 000 pubs owned by the big breweries should stock ‘guest beers’ from rival breweries. But the big breweries responded by selling most of these pubs. In pubs not owned by the big breweries, and where there is the threat of genuine competition, the big breweries often supply their beers at lower prices, thus making it impossible for the smaller breweries to compete. The brewers, finding a reduction in their scope for achieving economies of scale from vertical integration (owning both breweries and pubs), have sought to gain economies of scale from horizontal integration (having a larger share of total brewing). Mergers and takeovers in the brewing industry have been common. For example, in May 2000 Interbrew (the Belgian brewer and owners of the Stella Artois brand) acquired Whitbread, the UK’s third largest brewer, and a month later acquired Bass, the second largest. This gave Interbrew nearly one third of the market. The acquisitions were referred to the Competition Commission, which recommended a break up of the new giant: a recommendation accepted by the government. In response, at the end of 2001 Interbrew (now called !nbev) sold most of the Whitbread division, including brands such as Carling, Caffrey’s and Worthington, to the US brewer Coors. In the light of this splitting of Interbrew, and feeling that this proved that competition policy was effective, the government in 2002 decided to scrap the Beer Orders. This was greeted with dismay by small independent brewers, which were already reluctant to expand, faced with the power of such massive competitors in both production and retail, with heavily advertised brands gaining larger and larger shares of the market. Small independent brewers are understandably reluctant to expand, faced with the power of such massive competitors in both production and retail, with heavily advertised brands gaining larger and larger shares of the market. |Questions | |1. What are the barriers to entry in (a) brewing; (b) opening new pubs? | |2. Do small independent brewers have any market advantages?

Cytochrome P450 and Breast Cancer

Cytochrome P450 and Breast Cancer Cytochrome P450 The cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are a superfamily of haem-containing mono-oxygenases involved in the oxidative metabolism of a wide range of xenobiotics and endogenous compounds including steroids in the body.(40, 41) These membrane-bound enzymes are found primarily in the liver, sited in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) of hepatocytes.(42) CYPs are also found, to a lower extent, in extra-hepatic tissues such as the small intestine, kidney and lung where they carry out enzymatic biotransformation of foreign chemicals.(43) In human liver, three main CYP families (CYP1, CYP2 and CYP3) are heavily involved in drug metabolism.(44) Phase 1 metabolism reactions such as oxidation, reduction and hydrolysis of substrates introduce functional groups into drug molecules. The intermediate metabolites then enter Phase 2 reaction which involves conjugation to produce inactive polar metabolites for elimination from the body.(30) Most P450 metabolisms deactivate substrates to form inactive intermediates for elimination; paradoxically, CYPs can convert substrates into active intermediates which contribute to cellular toxicity or carcinogenicity.(30, 43) + Figure 11: The microsomal monooxygenase P450 system. Cytochrome P450 incorporates one atom of oxygen to the substrate (RH), forming a hydroxylated product (ROH); and incorporates another atom of oxygen to form a water molecule. NADPH serves as a coenzyme in the system. The hydroxylated product can then undergo Phase 2 reactions to produce conjugates which are catalysed by a variety of enzymes such as gluthathione transferases.(43) Cytochrome P450 and Breast Cancer CYPs are involved in the metabolism of a wide range of substrates including carcinogens and anticancer drugs.(43) CYPs can convert anticancer drugs into inactive metabolites; or activate mitogenic compounds such as the oestradiol metabolite 4-hydroxyestradiol.(45) It was established that metabolism of the carcinogen benzopyrene by CYPs may generate products which can cause specific mutation in the p53 gene and initiate cancer.(46) The microsomal monooxygenase P450 system (MMO) generates ROS which, at high levels, can induce cellular oxidative stress which affects cancer cell proliferation.(47, 48) Expression of individual CYPs were observed in different types of human cancers including breast cancer.(43) However the knowledge on the role of CYPs in cancer cells is limited. This has attracted increasing interest of experimentalists in the investigation of the effect of CYP-mediated metabolism in cancer cells. Over the years, overexpression of CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 are the most profound findings in the field of pharmaco-oncology.(44) CYP1A1 catalyses the metabolism of oestradiol to inactive 2-hydroxyestradiol for excretion from the body.(41, 49) In contrast, CYP1B1 mediates conversion of oestradiol to 4-hydroxyestradiol which is capable of producing ROS and contributes to breast carcinogenesis.(41, 49) Previous study has reported that oestradiol can regulate CYP1B1 expression in MCF-7 cells through ER-mediated pathway.(41) Another study treated MCF-7 cells with aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist which induces P450 enzymes to catalyse 4-hydroxylation of 17ÃŽ ²-estradiol.(50) Higher CYP1B1 mRNA levels and increased hydroxylation activity of 17ÃŽ ²-estradiol were observed in breast tumours. (50) This correlates with another study which had shown that CYP1B1 protein was absent in normal breast tissue.(51) Murray et al. had identified the presence of CYP1A and CYP3A in 40% and 22% of the breast tumours respectively.(52) Another P450 subfamily CYP2C was also reported to be present in both normal and breast tumour tissues at similar levels.(53) These evidences further support the hypothesis that expression of individual CYPs in breast cancer cells might play a role in breast tumourigenesis. If the hypothesis is confirmed to be true, the levels of individual CYPs in breast tumour can become a good marker in providing diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in breast cancer treatment. CYP2C8 Figure 12: The structure of CYP2C8, a haemoprotein from the cytochrome P450 superfamily. Figure adapted from reference (54). CYP2C8 is a member of the CYP2C subfamily which accounts for 7% of the total microsomal CYP content.(55) CYP2C8 mediates Phase 1 oxidative metabolism of about 5% of drugs in the liver.(55) Sited mainly in the endoplasmic reticulum of hepatocytes, CYP2C8 mRNA was also detected in extra-hepatic sites such as the kidney, brain, uterus and mammary gland.(56) In a study, 10 breast cancer tissue samples were analysed using specific primers for RT- PCR for the expression of CYP2C8.(57) Interestingly, CYP2C8 mRNA was detected in all the samples analysed.(57) Another study has detected CYP2C8 mRNA in breast cancer cells and CYP2C8 knockdown suppressed the growth of breast cancer cell lines MCF-7, T47D and MDA-MB-231.(58) Anti-cancer drug Paclitaxel and carcinogen benzopyrene are the main substrates of CYP2C8 in enzymatic metabolisms.(43) CYP2C8 primarily catalyses 6ÃŽ ±-hydroxylation of Paclitaxel, a mitotic inhibitor used in malignant tumour, into inactive metabolite for elimination.(59, 60) Results from several studies had shown that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CYP2C8 gene, especially the CYP2C8*3 variant allele which is more common in Caucasians, results in alteration in CYP2C8 enzymatic activity.(61, 62) Dai et al. had reported that subjects homozygous for CYP2C8*3 had decreased 6ÃŽ ±-hydroxylation Paclitaxel metabolism compared to subjects with wild-type CYP2C8 gene.(62) As a result, although more likely to achieve therapeutic response from Paclitaxel treatment, breast cancer patients who are CYP2C8*3 carriers have a significant increased risk of neuropathy due to the narrow therapeutic window of Paclitaxel.(60, 61, 63) Besides, it was also reported that CYP2C8*3 variant caused defective metabolism of an endogenous CYP2C8 substrate, arachidonic acid, into epoxyeicosatrienoic acids which promote invasion in vitro and angiogenesis in vivo.(62, 64) In mice, overexpression of CYP epoxygenase in the metabolism of arachidonic acid had resulted in metastasis of MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells to the lungs associated with angiogenesis.(65) In another study involving 652 breast cancer patients in Southern Sweden, CYP2C8 polymorphism was studied against early breast cancer-related events to investigate the impact of polymorphism on breast cancer-free survival after diagnosis. (64)The result had shown that CYP2C8*3 variant resulted in shorter disease free survival in 297 ER-positive patients with invasive tumours treated with Tamoxifen, probably due to the role of CYP2C8 in drug metabolism.(64) In addition, researchers also found out that CYP2C8*3 carriers with breast tumour larger than 20mm had more than twofold higher risk of lymph node involvement.(64) Despite studies had detected the expression of CYP2C8 in breast cancer cells, its role in breast cancer is still not widely known. It has been hypothesised that overexpression of CYP2C8 may influence proliferation of breast cancer cells due to its role to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) as a by-product of the process of breast cancer drugs’ metabolism. Furthermore, CYP2C8 polymorphism might result in inter-individual variation in tumour progression and therapeutic response to anticancer treatments. The expression levels of CYP2C8 in breast tumours might therefore be a good target in designing new anticancer drugs. Quercetin: The CYP2C8 Inhibitor Figure 13: The chemical structure of the CYP2C8 inhibitor Quercetin and its derivatives. Figure adapted from (66). Quercetin is a flavonoid found in a variety of polyphenols such as fruits, vegetables and plants.(67) As a competitive inhibitor of CYP2C8, Quercetin inhibits the 6ÃŽ ±-hydroxylation of taxol catalysed by CYP2C8.(68) Quercetin was reported to inhibit cell proliferation of several human cancers such as leukaemia, gastric carcinoma and breast carcinoma.(68) Currently Quercetin is under Phase 1 clinical trial for anticancer treatment. (68) Quercetin showed a dose-dependent inhibition on cell growth of ER-positive MCF-7 breast carcinoma which could be reversed by removal of Quercetin from culture medium or by addition of 17ÃŽ ²-estradiol to the cells treated with Quercetin.(69) In another recent study, researchers had shown that Quercetin induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in a time and concentration-dependent manner in cell line MCF-7 (refer Figure 15).(67) The results had suggested that Quercetin might be a promising anticancer drug although its exact mechanism on inhibiting cell proliferation is not fully understood. Quercetin’s effect on CYP2C8 activity and ROS production might explain its role in inhibiting carcinogenesis. Table 1: The effect of Quercetin on the cell cycle and apoptosis of MCF-7 cells shown in a study carried out by Deng et al. Quercetin inhibition on cell growth activity was dose-dependent. The concentration of Quercetin was also found to be positively correlated with apoptosis rate of the cells.(67) Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) Reactive oxygen species are the by-products of normal respiration process in the mitochondria.(70, 71) Apart from mitochondria, ROS is also produced from biochemical reactions that use oxygen molecules, such as the P450 monooxygenase system (MMO) in the endoplasmic reticulum.(70) Free radical ROS are highly reactive oxygen molecules which carrying an unpaired electron in their outer shell and seek for another electron in order to become stable.(72) Some examples of ROS include superoxides, peroxides and hydroxyl radicals.(72) A recent study had demonstrated increased intracellular ROS levels in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells following overexpression with CYP2E1.(48) This suggests that an alteration in the levels of the P450 enzymes might play a role in the production of intracellular ROS hence proliferation of cancer cells. Figure 14: The monooxygenase P450 cycle. Binding of substrate (RH) leads to conformational change which favours the reduction of ferric iron (Fe3+) in P450. An addition of single electron from NADPH to P450 via NADPH-P450 reductase converts Fe3+ to ferrous iron (Fe2+). An oxygen molecule binds to the Fe2+RH to form the Fe2+O2.RH complex. Addition of a second electron from either the NADPH-P450 reductase or the cytochrome b5 and a proton form a Fe2+OOH.RH peroxide complex. The complex then accepts a second proton which leads to cleavage of the Fe2+OOH.RH complex into ferric oxene substrate complex, (FeO) 3+.RH and a water molecule. The ferric oxene extracts a hydrogen atom from the substrate to yield a pair of radicals Rà ¢-  and Fe2+OHà ¢- . The last step involves binding of Rà ¢-  with the hydroxyl radical OHà ¢-  to generate the hydroxylated drug (ROH) to be realised from the complex. The P450 is then regenerated in its initial state.(73) Diagram adapted from refere nce (74). At low levels, ROS maintains normal physiological functions such as modulation of signal transduction pathways and cell proliferation.(75) However high levels of ROS can cause cellular toxicity, lipid peroxidation, DNA damage, cell proliferation arrest and apoptosis.(76-78). The antioxidant defence systems in cells comprise of a group of antioxidant compounds such as Vitamin E, superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase which function to cope with the high intracellular ROS levels. However, an excessive production of ROS or a lack of antioxidants can disrupt the balance and result in oxidative stress. (72) Intracellular oxidative stress can cause DNA damage, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and apoptosis.(77, 79) Oxidative stress caused by elevated levels of ROS is implicated in cancer as it is associated with alteration in DNA sequence which leads to activation of proto-oncogenes or inactivation of tumour suppression genes.(77) Such mutations may initiate cancer and provide malignant cells with advantageous characteristics as described in Figure 1 ‘Hallmarks of cancer’ to facilitate growth and metastasis.(25, 77, 80) Increased DNA base damage resulted from hydroxyl radical attack has been reported in inflammatory breast cancer.(81) Figure 15: High levels of ROS in cell results in DNA damage, misfolded proteins, lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis. The antioxidant defence systems counteract with the excessive production of ROS. An imbalance between ROS generation and antioxidant action can result in oxidative stress and threaten cell survival. Diagram adapted from reference(82).        

L.A. Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur Essay -- Monster Autobiography L.A.

L.A. Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur Kody Scott grew up in South Central L.A. during the nineteen-sixties and seventies, soon after the creation of the Crips. Raised in poverty without a father, and a full family raised solely by his mother, Kody Scott led the stereotypical â€Å"ghetto† life, a poor and broken home. However he does not blame this on his own personal decision to join the Crips while only eleven year’s old. The allure of the respect and â€Å"glory† that â€Å"bangers† got, along with the unity of the â€Å"set†(name for the specific gang) is what drew him into the gang. Once joined, he vowed to stay in the â€Å"set† for life, and claimed that banging was his life. After many years of still believing this, he eventually realized that the thug life was no longer for him, and that gangs were a problem on society and the â€Å"Afrikan† race(page 382-383). In his book â€Å"Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member†, he tells of his life story and how he came and left the gang life. For thirteen years he was a member of the Eight Tray Gangsters, a set of the Crips, and throughout the book he explains, sometimes in full detail, the life he led while in the gang and his many times in jail and prison. These life stories he tells, include drive-byes, shootouts in supermarkets, parks, streets, houses etc., fist fights, group beatings, kidnapings, doing drugs, selling drugs, car-jacks, amputation, robbery, friend’s deaths, enemies’ deaths, being shot, knife fights, police abuse, jail riots, jail rapes and any other part of the gang life possible. Now if possible, imagine that this all happened within thirteen years, and to a teenager. These crimes, more specifically the brutal ones, are what got him his nickname â€Å"Monster Kody†. None of this really affected him though, until when in jail, he was c onverted to a Muslim, when he changed his name to Sanyika Shakur. However, it took him a while to realize that what he was doing was wrong and it was not what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Although he now realized this, it wasn’t because of religion really, but more for the survival and advancement of the â€Å"Afrikan† race, as he was now becoming more and more politically and morally conscious(page 277). After coming and going out of prison, he was struggling between the two lives he was trying to lead, one as a banger and the other as a leader for the â€Å"Afrikan†... ...left the gang life behind in order to raise his family in a safer environment and also to settle his conscience down and feel better about himself. In conclusion, Kody Scott a.k.a. Sanyika Shakur, used this book as a tool to help let society know the dangers of the gang life, and possibly some advice to help prevent gangs from growing and spreading, and also to prevent his past from becoming somebodies future. Which is best summed up in his last paragraph from the book in which he states: â€Å"How do we come to grips with the fact that this thing has gotten way too real, out of control like some huge snowball running down a hill, threatening to smash and kill all in it’s path, including those who originally fashioned it? Time is of the essence, and every thinking person with a stake in life-especially those involved in the fighting-should put forth an effort, something more concrete than a â€Å"media truce,† to deal with this tragedy. The children deserve to have a descent childhood where they live. They shouldn’t have to be uprooted to the suburbs to experience peace. We cannot contaminate them with our feuds of madness, which are predicated on factors over which we have no control.†

Analysis of Ma Jodes Character in The Grapes Of Wrath :: essays research papers

For this essay on John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, I have chosen to do a character analysis. The character that I chose is Ma Jode. I have chosen Ma Jode, because I think she is one or the most important characters in the book. Ma Jode is the most important character because she is very strong-minded. Ma and the family know that she is the backbone of the family and she is very strong-minded, so if she shows any concern or weakness, the family may fall apart. If there is anything on Ma’s mind she must not show any sign of it around the family. Ma might be just as frightened with doubts and fear as the rest of the family, but she always maintains a strong figure or leader. In order for things to go Ma’s way, she must push for them. There are many situations were Ma has to push and put order back and continue strong leader as she is displayed as. An example of were Ma must stay strong is when the family agrees to let Tom and Casey stay behind, to fix the Wilson’s car, without her approval, and she thinks that that will break up the family. After that incident, she pretty much replaces Pa’s place as the head of the family. Another big situation is when she is threatening a police man with a pan, and she tells the family there leaving the government camp. Pa’s gets pissed because his power became lessened due to Ma’s leadership, Pa says â€Å"Seems like the times are changing.† Ma’s loves her family so much that she often sacrifices he own well being to help out the family in any way that she can possible do it. An example of her doing so, is when Grandma is dying. The family stops at the boarder of California and she fears that if the guard know the grandma is dead, they wont let them in, so she lies to the guard and tell them that grandma is very sick and she needs to see a doctor. Ma sits next to grandma for the rest of the night. That is a big sacrifice for the family, because she had to lay next to a dead person all night just to get her family through to California. During the hole journey for the Jode family Ma is the strongest, and upheld character of the book.

the title of Vijay Tendulkars SILENCE THE COURT IS IN SESSION :: essays research papers

SILENCE THE COURT IS IN SESSION 1) TITLE- The original title of the play is SHANTATA! COURT CHALU AHE. The words of the title are very common in law courts where the honourable judges pronounce the words to bring back order and decorum if the parties concerned or the mob present in the court become unruly or create chaos and commotion. In other words the very words SILENCE THE COURT IS IN SESSION indicate the absolute authority of the judge in the court room to decide upon the manners of others. The judge has also the final authority to pronounce contempt of court in case of breach of discipline. In a civilized society the court system is in vogue for the sake of justice. The judiciary is considered to be one of the four main pillars of democracy. In the present play Vijay Tendulkar chooses a term of judicial register as the title of his play to make a powerful comment on a society with a heavy patriarchal bias that makes justice impossible and that converts the august judicial system into an instrument of oppression of women and the vulnerable. Ideally justice can be provided only if the judge and the judicial system are objectively detached. But the same objective detachment can become the face of a very repressive and dehumanized system if the persons involved in the process of justice are themselves devoid of human value and compassion. In the present play we find how Benare becomes the victim of sadism of his male counterparts. The audience is made to witness a mere enactment of what is a rehearsal of sorts of a mock-trial to be staged later in the day. But what begins as a harmless game begins to assume a grim aspect before long. At first all the characters vie to be the accused in the mock-trial. Then, on Sukhatme’s suggestion they decide to make Benare the accused. It is notable that Benare is allotted the role of accused in her absence. As soon as Benare enters the room singing, and wiping her face on the towel, she is caught unaware by Ponkshe,†Miss Leela Benare , you have been arrested on suspicion of a crime of an extremely grave nature, and brought as a prisoner before the bar of this court.† Kashikar, assuming the role of the judge accuses Benare of the crime of infanticide. The way Benare is made the accused without her consent shows the functioning of the patriarchal system.

Editorialist Essay Example

These calls to action suggest that the liberality of the government is getting so out of hand that if the American people don't take a stand, conditions in the country will continue following the downward pattern that they currently are. In ‘Freedom Lost,† an article about new legislation restricting the freedom of the American public, Reilly writes, â€Å"We Americans deed to stop this nanny state stuff,† referring to how Americans do not provide any resistance to the new laws.This call to action suggests that it is Americans' fault that laws hurting their own freedom are being passed, and as such it is up to them to find a solution to this problem. Reilly calls the audience to action in â€Å"The Big Con† as well. The first sentence of the editorial is simply, â€Å"Please listen up,† immediately drawing the readers in, as well as suggesting the severity of what is to follow. Reality's calls to action, like those mound in â€Å"Freedom Lost† and â€Å"The Big Con,† unite the audience for his cause, and provide a degree of reader involvement in the editorials as well.Aside from addressing the audience through blame and calls to action, Reilly often appeals to the logic of his readers. These appeals frequently include statistics, such as in â€Å"The Big Con† when he writes, â€Å"The American taxpayer will fork over about $571 billion to pay for educating children†, and â€Å"the Country spends close to $16,000 per student every year On primary wrought college education,† later stating that this is â€Å"the highest per-students spending rate in the world. By including indisputable facts such as these, Reilly establishes the fact that there is logic behind his argument, rather than him just speaking his mind. A similar appeal can be found in â€Å"Just Say Yes† that condemns the liberal American government. He writes, â€Å"Almost 30 million Americans [are] currently categorized as â €˜substance abusers',† this large number demonstrating how poorly the American government is dealing tit illegal drug users. A third example of an Reilly establishing the logical credibility of his argument appears in † Freedom Lost†.On the topic of state governments being far too liberal with their passage of new legislation, Reilly writes, â€Å"In California, Gob. Jerry Brown has signed into law an astounding 876 new mandates,† and follows this with examples of what the laws prohibit citizens from doing. Examples such as these prove that there is logical ground on which Reality's arguments are based on, making it clear hat his points are at least partially valid when supported with logic.Bill Reilly is one of the most widely recognized conservative columnists in America today, voicing his opinion in various forms of media, from television to social media to editorials and more. His implementation of rhetorical devices in his writing leads to a unique t one that some find appealing, and others find offensive. Regardless of whether one favors or opposes Reality's views, it is undeniable that he is adept at writing editorials that will incite heated political discussion.

Study on Ht Dna

A PROJECT REPORT ON PROFILE STUDY ON DNA/HT’S EXCLUSIVE READERS. AT Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd. The Times of India BY SAAD BHATI ROLL NO-P11014 PGDBM 3RD SEMISTER FOR POST GRADUATION DIPLOMA IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT- MARKETING BATCH 2011-2013 CENTRE FOR MANAGEMENT – PGBDM BANDRA, MUMBAI – 400050 DECLARATION I Saad Bhati student of PGDBM – Marketing (Semester II) at Centre for Management hereby declare that this Project entitled â€Å"PROFILE STUDY ON DNA/HT’S EXCLUSIVE READERS†. has been carried out by me under the guidance of Mr. .Roque rodrigues and Ms krupal Valia as per the norms prescribed by the University .And that I have not engaged in plagiarism of any kind from published / non published works. I further declare that the information presented in this project is true and original to the best of my knowledge. DATE: PLACE: Mumbai ( SAAD BHATI ) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT With deep satisfaction and immense pleasure I am presenting this report on †Å"PROFILE STUDY ON DNA/HT’S EXCLUSIVE READERS†. This survey process could not have been successful without the motivation provided by the employees at Times of India, Mumbai CST office. It is my proud privilege to have got an pportunity to work with an esteemed organization like Times of India. The encouraging work environment and culture has enabled my learning. They were always ready to provide constant support and give their intellectual inputs to guide me through this enriching endeavor. I would like to thank them for the keen interest they have taken in clarifying all the concepts and the underlying fundamentals. At the onset I would like to express deep heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Vikesh Walia (Vice President TOI) for giving me an opportunity to work on this project in Times of India.I would like to thank Mr. Sunil Gore (Associate Vice President TOI) for providing me with suggestions and help when required. I devote my special and sincere thanks to Mr Roque Rodrigu es & Ms Krupal Valia for providing me the guidance and valuable advice, without whose constant support and feedback this project would have been a mere idea without a form or content. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the TOI staff, Mumbai CST office who helped me by giving the moral support to accomplish the project successfully. I extend my sincere thanks to Prof.Neelam Mathur (Mentor), all the faculty members whose guidelines helped me in the completion of this report. Last but not least I would like to thank all those who were involved directly or indirectly in the completion of the project. Working at Times of India has been the most pleasurable experience and has also been a great learning experience. Thank You CERTIFICATE TABLE OF CONTENTS Sr. No. | TOPIC| Page No. | | Acknowledgement| | | Contents| | | Executive Summary| | | Introduction| | | Industry Profile| | | Company Profile| | | History| | | Objective Of The Project| | | Research Methodology| | Analysis & Interpretation| | | Findings| | | Conclusion| | | Recommendations| | | Annexure| | | Bibliography| | EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The project deals with the profiles of readers of Hindustan times and DNA . To understand the psyche of DNA and HT’s exclusive readers. The project focuses on the class of HT / DNA’s reader’s & their reading habits. The project also helps us to understand why they are subscribing to HT/DNA. It also helps us know the reason for which the subscribers are switching over to other newspapers like and what plan of action should be undertaken to compete in the newspaper industry.The research design implemented in this project is – (a) Research Approach – Exploratory Research. (b) Sampling Method – Non-Probability Sampling. (c) Sample Size – 200 responses of English newspaper readers in Mumbai, of which 100 are DNA readers & 100 are HT readers. (d) Research Methodology – Interview person on one to one basis using st ructured questionnaire. INTRODUCTION Every person normally starts his day by reading the Newspaper in the morning. In these modern days; instead of having many other options like 24Ãâ€"7 News Channels, Online news, Mobile updates etc.The importance of the newspaper is not yet changed in the life of people. Newspaper always treated as most reliable, analytical, trusted news source but definitely the content of the newspaper has been changed over the period of time. Generally newspaper reading habit in the house starts with the traditional family newspaper. The perception of the reader about newspaper start from writing style, editorial, layout, feel of the newspaper & convenience of reading etc. It does make people to resistant to change their newspaper brand from one to another unlike FMCG product or to replace it with the electronic news.Its take years to cultivate a newspaper brand in to the family. Most of the time the family newspaper or 1st choice newspaper of the family is th e regional newspaper Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati etc. Secondly is the English newspaper. The 1st and the 2nd choice of newspaper normally reflect into their socio economic status. English is an international language. Everybody not only in India but also throughout the world wants to cope with English language. Mumbai, being a metropolitan city & the financial capital of India.Analyst says that, majority people read English in Mumbai but only a few of that majority buy English newsprint of any kind. This study put lights of many of the facts & figures. Today morning’s newspaper publishing is a competitive and became a very complex market. The morning newspapers compete with each other and with other media such as TV, radio, the internet and other on-line services. In order to be competitive in the media landscape of today, morning newspapers need to improve the production and the distribution of newspapers as well as other processes within the newspaper companies.This study has been undertaken to understand the newspaper industry majorly concentrating on Mumbai region analyzing the Three major market players; The Times of India, Hindustan Times & DNA INDUSTRY PROFILE There are varieties of News papers available in Mumbai in all languages like English and Local Languages like Hindi, Marathi, Urdu, Malayalam, Tamil, Gujarati for Daily Samachar and news Updates which are available at lots of News paper stalls and Railway Book store around Mumbai Costing at around 2 to 3 rupees each depend on their cost.You can read all type of news like Political news, Local news, Financial and Economical updates like Rate of Gold, Silver and International Currency rates etc. List of English Newspapers: The Times of India, Economic Times, Financial Express, Indian Express, Mumbai Mirror, Mid-day, DNA, Business-Standards, Hindustan Times and Free Press Journal. List of Hindi Newspapers (Urdu newspapers): Hindi Midday, Tehalka news, Navbharat Times, Humara Mahanagar, Aaj Ka Ana nd, YashoBhoomi, Dopahar, Saamna, Hindmata, Mumbai Sandhya. List of Gujarati Newspapers: Gujarat Samachar, Mumbai Samachar, Divya Bhasker, Sandesh, Guajarati Midday, JanmaBhoomi.List of Marathi Newspapers: Loksatta, Maharashtra Times, Navshakti, Navakal, Vartahar, Saamna (saamana), Sakal, Sandesh, Lokmat, Divyabhaskar, Mumbai Mitra, Navabharat times, Sandhyanand, Punya Nagri, Samrat, Ratnagiri news, Mumbai Chaufer. Other Languages Newspapers: Kanada Times, Karnataka Malla, Udaya, Vani. Market Share of Mumbai English Dailies Analyst says that 3. 5million people read English in Mumbai but only 1. 2 million buy English newsprint of any kind. Mumbai had only six English dailies till 2005. â€Å"TIMES OF INDIA† is an unbeaten king of Mumbai English newspaper market COMPANY PROFILE * |The Times of India (TOI) is an English-language broadsheet newspaper that is widely read throughout India. It has the largest circulation among all English-language newspapers in the world, across all formats (broadsheet, tabloid, compact, Berliner and online). It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. which is owned by the Sahu Jain family. In the year 2008, the newspaper reported that (with a circulation of over 3. 14 million) it was Certified by the Audit Bureau of Circulations as the world's largest selling English-language Daily newspaper, placing as the 8th largest selling newspaper in any language in the world.According to the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) 2010, the Times of India is the most widely read English newspaper in India with a readership of 70. 35  lakhs (7. 035  million). This ranks the Times of India as the top English newspaper in India by readership. According to ComScore, TOI Online is the world's most-visited newspaper website with 159 million page views in May 2009. HISTORY OF â€Å"TIMES OF INDIA† The Times of India came into being on November 3, 1838 and was known as â€Å"The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce†. Initi ally the paper served only the British residents of western India.Published twice a week on every Saturday and Wednesday, The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce contained news from Europe, America and the sub- continent and was circulated between India and Europe via regular steamships. 1838: The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce is launched by a British syndicate. 1855: Telegraph service starts in India and the paper signs an agreement with Reuters for â€Å"raising news coverage and lowering subscription rates. † 1861: Paper is renamed The Times of India after it acquires two smaller rival papers. 1902: Paper moves into its current offices opposite Victoria Terminus. 915: Price for the paper is cut from four annas to one anna as new rotary machines increase supply. 1946: Paper becomes Indian-owned and the editorial policy becomes openly nationalist. 1949: Matrimonial ads, known as â€Å"Catches and Hatches,† are introduced. 1950: Paper's crest is changed from th e lion and unicorn symbol of imperial Britain to two elephants, and anew credo – Let Truth Prevail – is adopted. 1991: The Times of India is chosen as one of the world's six greatest newspapers by the BBC. 1996: Timesofindia. com launched. 1997: Mumbai edition carries its first color photograph. 003: Delhi edition becomes the first paper in India to go all-color. The daily circulation of Times of India is more than 2 million Shades of Times of India TOI in Electronic Media A 24 hour English news channel, TIMES NOW has been started couple of years back by a joint venture between Reuters and the Times Group. The company also owns a lifestyle TV channel – Zoom and a radio channel – Radio Mirchi. One of India's leading radio channel – Radio Mirchi is available in Delhi, Mumbai and other important cities of India. Times Group in MerchandisePlanet M:Times Retail with Planet M outlets offer merchandise from music to designer watches, books and cafes. Time s Group Events The Times group organizes a number of fairs and exhibitions time-to-time all over the country. Times Utsav Consumer fairs, Times Ascent Job Fairs and Education Events are the fair and exhibitions organized by the Times group. The Times Group sponsors Miss World and Miss Universe events and played host to a galaxy of stars at the Film fare Awards. The group also organizes The Economic Times Awards for Corporate Excellence or the Brand Equity Quiz. Times Group in Social ServicesThe philanthropic arm of the Times group, the Times Foundation, offers Non-Government Organizations , institutions ; others organizations all over India, a good platform to converge and address the country's developmental needs. TOI on Internet Times Group offers Internet services worldwide that covers everything from art to airlines, knowledge events to telecom and integrated marketing,. The site is visited by millions of users from India and other countries of the world. Websites of Times group are : http://www. timesofindia. com (The Times of India) http://www. economictimes. com (Economic Times) ttp://www. indiatimes. com (India times) http://www. epaper. timesofindia. com (TOI e Paper) http://www. syndication. indiatimes. com (Times Syndication Service) http://www. educationtimes. com (Education Times – A comprehensive education portal) http://www. timesascent. in (Times Ascent – A HR community portal) http://www. timesjobs. com (Times Jobs. com – A job portal) http://www. simplymarry. com (Simply Marry. com – A matrimonial portal) http://www. magicbricks. com (Margi Bricks – A real estate portal) http://www. radiomirchi. com (Radio Mirchi) Products under Times of India Umbrella TOI Sister Publications Economic Times – A Financial daily * Nav bharat Times – Hindi Daily Newspaper * Maharashtra Times – Marathi Daily Newspaper * Mumbai Mirror – Morning newspaper from Mumbai * Femina – Women's magazine p ublished in association with BBC * Filmfare – English Film Magazine published in association with BBC TOI Supplements The Times of India comes with several city-specific supplements, such as Delhi Times, Bombay Times, Lucknow Times, Bangalore Times etc. These city supplements carry entertainment news, gossips, page3 party news, photographs and other lifestyle related happenings in metros and big cities.Other major supplements of TOI include: Times Wellness : Carries health related news and also provides solution of your grievances by experts. Education Times : Education Times is weekly supplement focused towards students and acts as a counselor and advisor for student community. Times Ascent : A weekly supplement Times Ascent seeks to introduce more understanding of Human Resources and corporate life related stories. Also carries the advertisements of various kinds of jobs in India and abroad. Zig wheels: Zig wheels is a supplement related to auto-mobiles and latest developme nt in the industry.Times Property: The weekly supplement has real estate and property news. Times Life : Times life comes once in a week carrying news about life of personalities and famous people. Times Classifieds: Carries advertisements regarding jobs, buy and sell of items etc. Times Matrimonial: Feature marriage advertisement of boys and girls looking for match. Rouge: A weekly supplement Times en Vogue : A weekly supplement Products of Times of India CURRENT SENARIO The Times of India is published by the media group Bennett, Coleman ; Co. Ltd.This company, along with its other group companies, known as The Times Group, also publishes The Economic Times, Mumbai Mirror, Pune Mirror, the Navbharat Times (a Hindi-language daily broadsheet), the Maharashtra Times (a Marathi-language daily broadsheet). The Times is self-declared as a liberal newspaper, and is sometimes described as irreverent. The present management of The Times Group has been instrumental in changing the outlook of Indian journalism. In India, as is elsewhere in the world, the Editor of a newspaper has traditionally been considered as the most notable position in a newspaper set up.The Times of India, however, changed this in the early 1990s, in keeping with the management policy of treating the newspaper as just another brand in the market. The main newspaper and its many sub-editions are now run by editors who are appointed within the ranks and the company gives equal chance to everyone to occupy the editor's seat. The Times Group also places equal focus and importance to every department and function – which has made it a professional entity and ensured its place as the most profitable newspaper in the country. In late 2006, Times Group acquired Vijayanand Printers Limited (VPL).VPL used to publish two Kannada newspapers Vijay Karnataka and Usha Kiran and an English daily Vijay Times. Vijay Karnataka was the leader in the Kannada newspaper segment then. In January 2007, the Kannada edition was launched in Bangalore and in April 2008 the Chennai edition was launched. Their main rivals in India are The Hindu and Hindustan Times, which hold second and third position by circulation. There was a serious backlash against the paper's irresponsible coverage following the verdict of Ayodhya disputed land case. This also provoked serious criticism about the paper's poor news standards in Twitter.The Times Group| | | Corporate directors| Indu Jain  Ã‚ · Samir Jain  Ã‚ · Vineet Jain  Ã‚ · Sahu Jain  Ã‚ · Sahu Ramesh Chandra Jain  Ã‚ · Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain| | | Brand Newspapers, magazines and websites| The Times of India  Ã‚ · The Economic Times  Ã‚ · Maharashtra Times  Ã‚ · Navbharat Times  Ã‚ · Mumbai Mirror  Ã‚ · Pune Mirror  Ã‚ · Kolkata Mirror  Ã‚ · Bangalore Mirror  Ã‚ · The Times of India – Kannada  Ã‚ · Times Private Treaties  Ã‚ · ET Chandigarh   Zig Wheels| | | Times Global Broadcasting| Times Now  Ã‚ · ET Now  Ã‚ · Z oom  Ã‚ · Lead India | | | Times Internet| Indiatimes portal  Ã‚ · TimesofMoney| | | Times Infotainment &Entertainment Network India| Radio Mirchi  Ã‚ · Absolute Radio  Ã‚ · 360 Degrees  Ã‚ · Times Outoors  Ã‚ · Mirchi Movies Limited| | | Times Business Solutions| TBSL  Ã‚ · Times Jobs  Ã‚ · SimplyMarry  Ã‚ · MagicBricks  Ã‚ · Yolist   Ã‚ · Ads2Book  Ã‚ · PeerPower| | | World Wide Media| Filmfare  Ã‚ · Filmfare Awards  Ã‚ · Femina  Ã‚ · Femina Miss India  Ã‚ · Top Gear India  Ã‚ · Hello  Ã‚ · BBC Good Homes  Ã‚ · Femina Hindi  Ã‚ · Grazia  Ã‚ · What to Wear| | | TIML Radio| TIML Radio Limited| HISTORY OF â€Å"DNA† Daily News and Analysis  (DNA) is an Indian  broadsheet  published in the English language from  Mumbai,  Ahmedabad,  Pune,  Jaipur,Bangalore  and  Indore  in  India.The broadsheet was launched in July 2005 and targeted a young readership. DNA is owned and managed by Diligent Media Corporation, a  jo int venture  between  D B Corp Ltd. (Dainik Bhaskar) and  Essel Group. A high-profile  advertising campaign  with the  tagline, â€Å"Speak up, it’s in your DNA†, preceded the birth of  Daily News and Analysis  in 2005. The situational context into which the publication was introduced was described by the Indian media as tumultuous, with price cuts and competitive activity occurring.In an announcement on the front page of DNA on February 1, 2010, Aditya Sinha,  editor-in-chief, announced that DNA would drop it's â€Å"edit page† a  benchmark  occasion in the newspaper's history. DNA's decision was considered to be a bold action and attracted much criticism in the journalism field. DNA subsequently began providing, where appropriate, expert opinion and  comments  in different pages of the newspaper. In October 2011, as per the MRUC's (Media Research Users Council)Indian Readership Survey (IRS) Round II determined DNA’s total reade rship to be 12. 2 lakh in Mumbai and an average issue readership (AIR), across its six editions, of 8. 24 lakh. IRS also ranked DNA as no. 6th among the Top Ten English Dailies in India. DNA is the second most read English broadsheet in the city of Mumbai. The country’s youngest English newspaper continues to set a scorching pace, registering 86% growth in AIR over the five years since the IRS survey in the second half of 2006, nearly doubling the issue readership from 4. 44 lakh. DNA also has the highest percentage of readers (36. %) in the 30-49 age group in Mumbai among the English dailies, and the second highest percentage of readers who are graduates (52. 2%) or fall in the socio-economic classes A and B (73. 5%). On February 11, 2007, DNA announced that its paid circulation had reached 400,000 in Mumbai. It had previously reached 300,000 in October 2006. In May 2006, DNA authorized Ernst & Young to certify its circulation figures. E & Y submitted its report in July, put ting its paid circulation at 270,000. DNA is currently published from Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad,Jaipur and Indore.DNA has stopped publishing from Surat. The supplement typically contains information about happenings around a certain city, contests, games and puzzles, comics, jokes, recipes, as well as coverage of international issues such as global warming and ill-treatment of animals, children's problems like bullying and heavy homework, various facts and news, and children's contributions such as poems, essays, articles on their life, letters to the editor, and drawings. SUPPLEMENTS OF DNA AFTER HRS DNA AFTER HRS is an entertainment newspaper which covers news about bollywood, page 3 parties and buzz in town. DNA PROPERTYDNA PROPERTY is a weekly supplement it gives details about real estate properties around the country. DNA SPORTS DNA SPORTS is a daily supplement which covers all sports news national as well as international. HISTORY OF â€Å"HINDUSTAN TIMES† Hind ustan Times  (HT) is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded in 1924 with roots in the  Indian independence movement of the period (â€Å"Hindustan† being a historical name for  India). It is the flagship publication of  HT Media Ltd. Hindustan Times is one of the largest  newspapers in India, by circulation. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1. million copies as of 2010. The Indian Readership Survey (IRS) 2011 revealed that HT  has a readership of (37. 37 lakhs), placing it as the second most widely read English newspaper in India after  The Times of India. It has a wide reach in northern  India, with simultaneous editions from: New Delhi,  Mumbai,  Kolkata,  Lucknow,  Patna,  Ranchi,  Bhopal and  Chandigarh. The print location of  Jaipur  was discontinued from June 2006. HT  launched a youth daily,  HT Next, in 2004. The Mumbai edition was launched on 14 July 2005 and the Kolkata edition w as launched on early 2000.Other sister publications of  Hindustan Times  are  Mint  (English business daily),  Hindustan  (Hindi Daily),  Nandan  (monthly children's magazine) and  Kadambani  (monthly literary magazine). The media group owns a radio channel,  Fever, and organizes an annual Luxury Conference which has featured speakers like designer  Diane von Furstenberg, shoemaker  Christian Louboutin,  Gucci  CEO Robert Polet and  Cartier  MD Patrick Normand. Hindustan Times  is owned by the KK Birla branch of the Birla family. Hindustan Times  was founded in 1924 by  Master Sunder Singh Lyallpuri, founder-father of the  Akali movement  and the  Shiromani Akali Dal  in  Punjab.S Mangal Singh Gill (Tesildar) and S. Chanchal Singh (Jandiala, Jalandhar) were made in charge of the newspaper. Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and  Master Tara Singh  were among the members of the Managing Committee. The Managing Chairman and Chief Patron w as Master Sunder Singh Lyallpuri. K. M. Panikkar was its first editor with  Devdas Gandhi  (son of  Mahatma Gandhi) on the editor's panel. The opening ceremony was performed by Mahatma Gandhi on 26 September 1924. The first issue was published from Naya Bazar,  Delhi  (now Swami Sharda Nand Marg). It contained writings and articles from C.F. Andrews, St. Nihal Singh, Maulana Mohammad Ali,  C. R. Reddy  (Dr. Cattamanchi Ramalinga Reddy), T. L. Vaswani, Ruchi Ram Sahni, Bernard Haton, Harinder Nath Chattopadhyaya, Dr Saifuddin Kichlu and Rubi Waston etc. â€Å"Sadar Panikkar launched the Hindustan Times as a serious nationalist newspaper. As an Oxonian, historian, and litterateur, Panikkar must have hoped to make his paper eventually more than an Akali sheet. He became the editor and funds flowed freely from activist Akali patrons. He exerted himself strenuously, but the paper made very little headway.In two years Panikkar could not take the print order any higher than 3,000. By then the Akali movement appeared to lose steam and funds dried up. The paper was saved from an untimely demise when Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya stepped in to realise his vision of a newspaper in Delhi. † – TJS George, Lessons in Journalism, 2007, Viva Books, New Delhi. Malaviya raised Rs. 50,000 rupees to acquire the Hindustan Times along with the help of nationalist leaders Lajpat Rai and M. R. Jayakar and industrialist G. D. Birla, who paid most of the cash. Birla took full control of the paper in 1933.The paper continues to be owned by the Birla family. It has its roots in the  Indian independence movement  of the first half of the twentieth century and even faced the noted â€Å"Hindustan Times Contempt Case (August–November, 1941)† at  Allahabad High Court. It was edited at times by many important people in India, includingDevdas Gandhi  and  Khushwant Singh. Sanjoy Narayan, has been appointed the editor in chief of the paper and w as due to take over in August 2008. Recently the editorial page has seen a major makeover and has been named â€Å"comment† to bring in more flexibility and some-what less seriousness to the page.HT MUMBAI EDITION HT Mumbai  has an eight-page daily lifestyle supplement (in tabloid format) called  HT Cafe. It has its education supplement called â€Å"HT Education† on Wednesdays. The paper also comes with a magazine on Sundays called  Brunch. The Mumbai edition is managed by Mohit Ahuja, an alumnus of NMIMS, Bombay. The resident editor in Mumbai is  Soumya Bhattacharya. OWNERSHIP The Delhi-based English daily  Hindustan Times  is part of the KK Birla group and managed by  Shobhana Bhartia, daughter of the industrialist  KK Birla  and granddaughter of  GD Birla.It is owned by  HT Media Ltd. The KK Birla group owns a 69 per cent stake in HT Media, currently valued at Rs 834 crore. When Shobhana Bhartia joined  Hindustan Times  in 1986, she was the first woman chief executive of a national newspaper. Shobhana has been nominated as a Rajya Sabha MP from Congress Party. Along with  Hindustan Times,  HT Media  owns  Desi martini,  Fever 104 FM, and  Mint (newspaper). HT SUPPLEMENTS HT BRUNCH An exclusive lifestyle magazine, every Sunday. The readers of HT wake up to Brunch every Sunday morning, which is one of best-loved offerings from its stable.In a magazine format and clearly about ‘the good life’, it covers stories around food, fashion, shopping, travel, health & wellness, books & movie reviews, celebrity talk, lifestyle etc. One of the biggest draws of Brunch is the bouquet of columns by prominent journalists like  Vir Sanghvi  (food & travel), Sanjoy Narayan (music) and  Rajiv Makhni  (technology). This universally appealing brand has the core target group vested in upwardly mobile young families, looking for enhancing their lifestyle quotient. HT CAFE The entertainment & lifestyle suppleme nt, every day.The Hindustan Times reader wakes up to a bundle of fun, frolic, entertainment and masala everyday called HT City (in Delhi) and HT Cafe (in Mumbai). One of the strongest drivers of readership, the daily entertainment supplement enjoys almost universal salience and readership. The buzzy daily supplement has redefined lifestyle and entertainment space in newspapers, packing a punch with daily dose of Bollywood, Hollywood, Fashion, Relationship, City and Campus. The supplement offers an array of daily sections catering to different tastes – health & wellness, gadgets, travel, motoring and food.One of the biggest draws of the supplement is the Weekend Planner on Fridays that the young people of Delhi & Mumbai refer to as a guide to living it up in the city. HT EDUCATION Education Supplement, every Wednesday (earlier known as HT Horizons). HT Education offers the much needed guidance and mentorship to the students, which really helps them in choosing the best in educ ation leading to a great career. HT Education is a supplement dedicated to serving the needs of not only student community from 10th to post graduates, but also the parents who are concerned about their child’s future.The supplement is a source of comprehensive info around – career options, admission and scholarship information, college profiles, guidance and expert counseling. It’s a one-stop guide to the students to prepare for their most exciting phase in life. HT ESTATES Real Estate supplement, every Saturday. HT Estates as a supplement partners and corroborates the readers with information that helps them buy or sell their properties. This supplement comes with the newspaper every Saturday. The supplement offers countless options on property buying and selling.Along with that the supplement also enlightens both the buyers and sellers on legal aspects of realty transactions. Specifically for buyers the supplement offers array of information on realty trends, loan rates, etc. INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT Title of the Project: â€Å"PROFILE STUDY ON DNA/HT’S EXCLUSIVE READERS†. Objectives of the Study: To understand the psyche & the profile of DNA and HT’s exclusive subscribers Process: * To prepare a list of DNA and HT’s exclusive subscribers (zone wise) * Conduct a survey of 200 readers to understand profile / reading habits / demography / preference. To understand the 5 p’s of DNA/HT subscription schemes. * Compilation and evaluation of the subscriber’s insights and psyche Research Methodology: * Data collection method : Survey * Data Collection : Primary data collection * Data collection tool : Questionnaire * Target group : Exclusive DNA/HT Subscriber’s * Sample size : 200 Areas covered : Mumbai- Urban, suburban, Navi- Mumbai & Thane District. QUESTIONAIREName:-_______________________________ Age:_______ Occupation: -__________________________ Contact no:________________ Area__________ _ Family size____ Email ID:_______________________ Income Group: 1lakh 1-2 lakh 2-3 lakh 1year 1-2years 2-3years

An Introduction for Ryanair

INTRODUCTION Background in Brief Ryanair was established by the Ryan family with a staff of 25. Its first route was launched in 1985 with a 15-seat aircraft ferrying passengers between Waterford in Ireland and London. In 1986, Ryanair launched its route from Dublin to London to challenge British Airways and Aer Lingus, the two dominant airline carriers on that route, by offering fares at lower prices. With two routes in operation, Ryanair carried 82,000 passengers in its first full year of operation. By 1993 Ryanair has carried over 1 million passengers.In 1995 Ryanair overtook Aer Lingus and British Airways to become the biggest international scheduled route carrier in Europe. The Organization Today Ryanair now operates more than 1,500 flights per day from 57 bases on 1,500 low fare routes across 28 countries. It connects 178 destinations and operating a fleet of 305 new Boeing 737-800 aircraft. In 2012, Ryanair had a team of more than 8,500 employees and carried over 78 million pas sengers. Ryanair’s main business is to provide â€Å"low-fare-no filling† airline services.Ryanair also offers various ancillary services including in-flight sale of beverages and food, car hire services, internet-related services etc. To expend its network, Ryanair, which already owns 29. 82% of Aer Lingus in 2012 announced its intention to acquire Aer Lingus by making an all cash offer of â‚ ¬1. 30 per share for its entire share capital. Ryanair recorded a profit of â‚ ¬503 million in 2012 fiscal year, increased 25% compared with year 2011 despite a â‚ ¬367 million rise in fuel costs. Revenues rose 19% to â‚ ¬4325 million as traffic grew 5% to 75. 8 million passengers. Ryanair’s return on equity (ROE) is increased from 12. 7% to 16. % in fiscal 2012. In addition, the company’s free cash flow is increased from â‚ ¬-610. 9m to â‚ ¬702. 7m due to high net income and reduced capital expenditure. Mission Ryanair' mission is to â€Å"become Europe’s most profitable lowest cost airline by rolling out our proven ‘low-fare-no-frills’ service in all markets in which we operate, to the benefit of our passengers, people, and shareholders†. To emphasis its focus on low fares, low frills, the CEO has stated, in response to criticisms of Ryanair's sub-standard customer service, that â€Å"any worthwhile passenger service commitment should involve commitments to low prices and high punctuality†.Ryanair has the cost minimizer's aim of generating the most benefit to both its shareholders and its passengers through offering the lowest fare service. It offers customers the choice of exactly which services they want to pay for rather than forcing them to pay a high price for the bundle of services the airline wants to offer, as legacy carriers usually do. Passengers benefit from paying less money by selecting and purchasing only the services they need. As a result, Ryanair is able to attract more cus tomers, which helps Ryanair to grow its market and profits. Goals and Objectives Generate greater passenger traffic through offering low fare services. †¢ Expand the air passenger market and network by opening up new bases and routes. †¢ Capture a larger market, such as by entry to the US airline market. †¢ Gain additional profits through increasing passenger traffic while keeping its cost base low. †¢ Maintain its low cost leadership position through continued cost efficiencies. Stakeholders There are many stakeholders involved in Ryanair’s business. As Table 1 shows, they have different expectations toward and demands on Ryanair. TABLE 1: Organizational Stakeholders Stakeholder Group |Group Demands / Attributes | |Product Market | | |Competitors |They want to carry more passengers at higher fares and would like to reduce Ryanair's market share. | | |They would like regulation to force Ryanair to offer travel agent commissions. | |Travel Agencies |They would like to organize Ryanair staff. | |Customers want the lowest fare price, and luxury services at no extra cost. | |Trade Unions |Boeing, Airbus would like to Ryanair orders at list prices. Airports would like regulations allowing | |Customers |them to charge higher fees to airlines, and to collude on capacity management. | |Suppliers |Legislators want to avoid high levels of controversial public complaints, and want higher airport and | | |route taxes. | | | |Government | | |Capital Market | | |Shareholders |Shareholders want to see Ryanair’s market and profit increased. |Banks |Banks want Ryanair to make loan payments in full on time. | |Leasing Company |They want Ryanair to lease more planes, i. e. expand routes. | |Organizational Market | | |Employees |Employees want higher income and better benefits | |Managers |Managers want to effectively use the human and capital resources of the company to meet the goals and | | |objectives set by top executives. |Top Executi ves |Maintain Ryanair’s cost-leadership position to gain profit while looking for more opportunities to | |(Michael O'Leary) |further expand its market | EXTERNAL ANALYSIS General Environment Demographic Segment: Airline travel passengers are mostly aged 18 to 65. Among them, passengers of age 25 to 55 years account for almost 75% of the total. The ageing of the post-1945 baby boom generation has reduced the numbers in the older higher income segment of this demographic.The resulting tendency is for a greater proportion of air travellers to be younger and less affluent and more oriented toward lower cost transport as opposed to seeking a luxurious flying experience. Political/Legal Segment The political and legal issues that concern Ryanair include regulations of regional and national governments and the European Union (EU), various legal actions, terrorism and security. Because many airlines are fully or partially owned by national governments, the airline industry has been affected by political regulation of both operation and ownership.For example, the EU regulations charging all airlines for their carbon emissions, and the rules on flight and duty time limitations, both increase the operating costs of Ryanair. Furthermore, O'Leary's ambition to start an ultra-low cost transatlantic airline using Aer Lingus planes and US airport landing rights has been blocked by the European Commission's Merger Office. The Commission has refused to allow Ryanair to go ahead with purchase of control of Aer Lingus. In addition, the threat of terrorism has increased insurance and security costs in the airline industry. Economic SegmentThe global economic recession and fuel price increases have greatly affected the European airline industry. The recession has impacted the purchasing power of consumers. Ryanair’s low cost strategy has enhanced Ryanair’s ability to compete in these conditions. Through offering low fares, Ryanair enables airline passengers to continue travelling despite the economic crisis. The floating exchange rate also has a direct effect on Ryanair’s profitability. Ryanair collects fares in various currencies and has its expense mainly in US dollars for fuel and in Euros for labour.In addition, the number of airline passengers could decline if their national currency loses value. Ryanair uses futures and options to hedge its fuel price, foreign exchange risks, and financing interest cost. The price for 90% of Ryanair's forecast fuel requirements for fiscal 2013 is hedged. Hedged prices for 2013 are significantly above 2012 prices. Socio-cultural Segment Due to changes in traveller’s behavioural  and psychological patterns, the European airline industry has changed from traditional patterns.People’s perspective towards air travel has been changed by the low cost revolution of air fares in Europe. Air travel is no longer being seen as expensive and is now accessible by low income people. Consequ ently passenger traffic in the Europe airline industry has increased. Ryanair's initial routes from Ireland to England were intended to provide a service to ethnic Irish people who had migrated to England to work due to lack of jobs in Ireland, but who still had most of their family in Ireland and wanted to visit often. Technological SegmentAdopting advantageous technologies has helped Ryanair constantly reinvent its processes to maintain its low cost advantage. For example, by using its online booking system, Ryanair reduced its distribution costs by eliminating travel agency commissions. Better technology has also allowed other transportation industries to cut costs such as the innovation of lower fuel consumption cars and high speed trains. These changes both increase the competitiveness of the substitutes for airline travel and also increase the complementarity of airline and other travelling tools.Global Segment Globalization increases the demand for international air travel. T here are an increasing number of people travelling between counties for work or to take vacations in foreign countries. Industry Environment Bargaining Power of Suppliers The bargaining power of Ryanair’s aircraft suppliers is relatively high. Because Ryanair wants very low prices and many special conditions on aircraft purchases, so Boeing has refused to extend their supply contract with Ryanair, and Airbus has not been interested to seriously negotiate with Ryanair.Moreover, the switching cost of changing supplier for Ryanair is moderately high due to the significant amount of expense needed in terms of pilot, mechanic retraining and spare parts inventories. Ryanair is reportedly negotiating to buy the new C919 aircraft being developed by COMAC, a Chinese manufacturer, due to its greater amounts of seats and the lower fuel consumption. This availability of this substitute increases Ryanair’s bargaining power with Boeing. Ryanair’s bargaining power with its sup pliers of airport services is high, due to the current overbuilding of regional airports.Bargaining Power of Buyers The bargaining power of Ryanair’s buyers is high. The competition in the European short haul airline market is very intense, and many airlines have cut their cost in response to deregulation and availability of new cost saving technologies. Though Ryanair offers travel fares to passengers at very low prices, there is low switching cost for customers to change to another airline. The lack of brand loyalty in the air travel market increases buyer’s bargaining power. Threat of EntryThe threat of new entrants in the European short haul air travel market is high due to the relatively low cost of entry and the commodity nature of the capital required. However Ryanair has achieved economies of scale which would be difficult for a new entrant to achieve. Ryanair has a large network which would require a moderately large capital investment to duplicate. Availabili ty of access to some routes is another barrier for new entrants due to the intense competition for primary routes and primary airport landing rights for some routes. Threats from Substitute ProductsThe threat of substitute products and services for Ryanair is relatively low. Substitute services of Ryanair include trains, ferries, cars, as well as other low fare airlines. However, according to the record, it was shown that usually the tickets of train, bus or ferry are more expensive than Ryanair’s flight tickets. According to Ryanair's 2012 financial report presentation, Ryanair's average ticket price including bag is â‚ ¬45 (2013Q3 â‚ ¬50) and its closest price competitor's average ticket price is â‚ ¬71 (2013Q3 â‚ ¬79). This shows the threat to Ryanair's from substitute low ost airlines is relatively low as they are unable to achieve Ryanair's economies of scale and offer similar fares. Competitive Rivalry The competitive rivalry for Ryanair in the airline marke t is high. Its competitors include Aer Lingus, easy Jet, Air Berlin, Whizz, IAG/British Airway, and Lufthansa etc, the carriers which also offering low fare flights. Many airline companies have lowered the prices of airfares to avoid losing more market share. Competitor Analysis An analysis of major competitors, Aer Lingus, Easy Jet and British Airways is shown in Table 2.TABLE 2: Competitor Analysis | |Aer Lingus |Easy Jet |British Airways | |Future Objectives |Aer Lingus focus on generating revenue per |Easy jet wants to build strong |British Airways want to become the | | |seat rather than maximization of load |number 1 and 2 network positions |world’s leading premium airline by | | |factor as well as more emphasis on |while maintains its cost advantage. offering the best customer services. | | |partnerships and connectivity. | | | |Current |Moving to discount airline model, focusing |Easyjet focus on primary airports, |British Airways focus on satisfied | |Strategy |on pr imary airport routes. Focus on serving|and especially slot constrained |customers.It provides high level | | |Irish travel to visit relatives in New |airports, to provide service on the|premium tickets and offers first class| | |York, Boston and Chicago areas of US. |top 100 routes in Europe |ticket holders access to premier | | | | |lounges. | |Assumptions |They assume that low fares are mbedded in |They assume passengers want |They assume that customers will like | | |the Irish market place. |convenience. |to pay more for a better and | | | | |outstanding service. | |Capabilities |Aer Lingus operates 43 planes with an |Easy Jet has 214 planes flying 605 |British Airway has a fleet of over 245| | |average age of 7. 3 years.Carries about 10 |routes serving 133 airports with 23|aircraft over 600 destinations | | |million passengers per year on 92 routes. |bases, which makes it the 4th |worldwide. It operates in engineering | | | |largest short haul carrier in |provides engineering se rvices to BA | | | |Europe with 8% market share. |and many other airlines. |General Notes |Aer Lingus is the lowest fare long haul |EasyJet focuses on low fares |It is the flag carrier airline of the | | |airline in Europe, partly due to having to |without removing the services which|UK & the largest airline in the UK | | |compete with Ryanair on 46 routes. |are standard on most airlines. |based on fleet size. | Analysis of Interaction of External Force In summary, the external environment provides Ryanair both opportunities and risks.Though some political issues limited its operation and the intense competition in the airline industry poses some threats to Ryanair, the company has great opportunities to grow. The demand for air travelling is increasing as the reduction in fares has expanded numbers of passengers who can afford air travel, and existing travellers are choosing low cost carriers due to the economic recession. Ryanair has put itself in the right position to generate pa ssenger traffic and market shares. INTERNAL ANALYSIS Resources Tangible ResourcesAirports: Ryanair has established distribution channels with low cost and uncongested airports, which enable it to deliver a 25 minute turnaround, which helps to create Ryanair’s competitive advantage. Not only secondary airports, Ryanair’s primary airports also delivered it a great value. Locations: More than 1,500 routes across 28 countries in Europe and North Africa to 178 airports (of which 57 are ‘bases’, where Ryanair bases aircraft and crew). Aircraft Fleet: Ryanair has a fleet consisting of a single aircraft type, the Boeing 737-800.The average age of its 305 aircraft is around 4 years, which is younger than the 9-11 years of typical European airline carriers. This gives advantages in terms of fuel efficiency, maintenance costs and customer perception. Ryanair also benefits from its planes higher seating capacity (189 seats per aircraft, compared with Easyjet’s 156 on A319s and 174 on A320s). Financial Resources: The financial resources of the company come from the Ryan family, shareholders, investors and creditors. In addition, Ryanair has a high cash flow balance, which enables it to make emergency adjustments or further investments.In addition, Ryanair has the Aer Lingus shares with a market value of â‚ ¬150 million which could be converted to cash. Organizational Resources: Very sophisticated and precise controlling and coordinating systems to allow high operational efficiencies including shorter aircraft turnaround times than competitors. Technological resources: Online booking and checkin system which allows near elimination of airport checking counter costs. Intangible Resources Human Resources: Ryanair employs approximately 8,388 employees, as of March 31, 2012, including 1,636 pilots and 2,867 cabin crew employed on a contract basis.Ryanair’s Brand Recognition: Ryanair has a strong brand image as a cost leader and no-fri lls carrier. Rights: The landing rights and airport terminal slot rights for Ryanair as well as the government approvals to fly each particular route. Innovation Resources: Ryanair's senior management team has a strong capacity to constantly innovate and to cut costs by negotiating with suppliers to pressure for supply cost reductions and to change service routes to drop high rising cost suppliers in favour of low cost suppliers. The senior management team has the capacity to innovate by nbundling the components of major airline service and offering the components individually allowing travellers to choose lower cost combinations. Innovative use of secondary airports distant form major cities allows Ryanair to profitably offer ancillary car rental and bus and accommodations services through the online booking and ticketing system. Capabilities Primary activities Inbound Logistics: Ryanair’s main supplier, Boeing, provided Ryanair discount reported as approximately one third o ff for purchasing aircraft.Ryanair outsources the labour, airport services, and employee training they need at low cost. Operations: Ryanair provides â€Å"low cost no frills† airline service. About 50% of Ryanair’s flight crew are contractors employed only when required. Ryanair uses uncongested airports and only makes point to point trips. Outboard Logistics: Ryanair has quick 25 minute aircraft turnaround times. Ryanair has developed an online booking, ticketing, and confirmation system which eliminated the role and margin of travel agents taking the Ryanair service direct to the traveller.Marketing and Sales: Ryanair has the biggest website in Europe which allows them to do the marketing- internet sales. They also generate ancillary revenues by selling products in flight and encouraging customers to buy alliance services such as hotel bookings, car rentals and travel insurance etc. Service: Ryanair provides limited free services to passengers, and a full variety of onboard and travel services is available to customers for purchase. Customers decide which services they want to pay for. Support ActivitiesManagement Information Systems: Ryanair has efficient MIS systems to minimize airport turnaround times and to very tightly control on-board fuel inventories to minimize the cost of carrying excess fuel carried any flight. Firm Infrastructure: Ryanair has 57 bases. The cost of Ryanair airports are low due to its use of airports are mostly uncongested secondly airports. Ryanair has only one type of aircraft (Boeing 737-800). Therefore, Ryanair only trains pilots to fly one type of plane, which cut costs of training employees.Human Resource Management: In order to reduce costs, Ryanair pays relatively lower salaries to employees than other airline companies. The employees are paid by the hour on contracts. Ryanair employees get no benefits from Ryanair, but pilots like Ryanair because they can build their hours of experience quickly and be promote d to senior pilot positions. Technological Development: Use of online booking by Ryanair reduced their costs. In addition, by introducing self-check service to the passengers, Ryanair was able to reduce staff and cost. Procurement: As Ryanair only provide services, they have to outsource the material they need, such as fuel and equipment as well as leasing some operated aircraft. Core Competencies Ryanair has the following core competencies based on the VRIO framework: | |V |I |R |O | |Fleet of 294 -737-800s |Very fuel efficient and |Boeing list price of $90 |No competitor has as large |Ryanair has organized a 1500| | |about 4years average age so|million per plane or $26. |a fleet of short-medium |route network and short | | |low maintenance costs |billion for a similar fleet|haul fuel efficient jets |turnaround times to maximize| | | | | |the flying time of the fleet| |Supply chain management and |Forcing irports to compete|Very costly to imitate the |Competitors try to do this |Or ganized to operate the | |operations management |on fees for Ryanair's |scale of Ryanair's |also but Ryanair does it |fleet of 737-800s on | |including MIS systems |business and forcing Boeing|operation of 1500 routes |better |whatever routes offer low | | |to reduce prices on their |between 178 airports, so | |costs | | |huge order of 737-800s are |smaller network operators | | | | |keys to Ryanair's low cost |have less bargaining power | | | | |structure |with airports | | | |O'Leary's strategic vision, |O'Leary's strategy is the |Not available in the market|There is only one O'Leary |O'Leary is dedicated to | |marketing strategy and PR |basis for the company's | | |building â€Å"ultra-low-cost† | | |profitability.His | | |airlines | | |controversial PR saves | | | | | |millions in advertising | | | | | |costs | | | | Performance: Ryanair’s performance compared with its main competitors: | |Ryanair |Easyjet |Aer Lingus |British Airways | |Revenue |US$6. 35B |GBP 3. 85B |â‚ ¬1. 39B |â‚ ¬16. 1 B | |Operating Margin |15. 3% |8. 1% |3. 94% |3. 2% | |Profit Margin |12. 54% |6. 62% |2. 44% |3. 49% | |ROA |5. 59% |4. 74% |1. 90% |3. 44% | |ROE |18. 99% |14. 58% |4. 07% |13. 21% | |Market Cap |US$11. 51B |GBP 4. 18B |â‚ ¬0. 679 B |US$ 6. 7 B | STRATEGYBusiness Level Strategy Ryanair follows a cost leadership strategy. By controlling the cost of operations, Ryanair has a low cost base, which enables it to offer the lowest fares to passengers with acceptable service across Europe. Corporate Level Strategy Ryanair has a low-level of diversification. Ryanair's dominant business is passenger transport, with ancillary revenue from its ancillary services. According to Ryanair’s 2012 annual report ancillary revenue accounts for about 25% of the total revenue, while 75% of revenue come from is major business, which is scheduled airline service. International Strategy Ryanair follows a global strategy.Ryanair offers standardized services to all passengers across Europe, while the strategic decisions centralized in headquarters office to achieve economies of scale. Ryanair does not customize its products to individual national or regional market demands. Cooperative Strategy Ryanair has cooperative or alliance relations with a broad range of hotel and other accommodation providers, as well as with airport car rental companies and airport bus transport companies. Ryanair offers the services of these companies through the Ryanair website and the companies rebate a portion of the revenue to Ryanair. SYNTHESIS Ryanair has the strengths, and weaknesses, and faces the opportunities and threats as shown in Table 3: Table 3: SWOT Analysis |Strengths |Weaknesses | |Customer Service |Low Fares: The advantage of Ryanair’s low cost base |Low Frequencies: Ryanair offers less frequent flights on some | | |allows it to offers the lowest average fares in |routes and often schedules departures at low demand times, | | |European shor t haul markets. It was report that |which may not be convenient to passengers, but provides lower | | |Ryanair’s fares are about 37% below those of easyJet. |costs and faster turnaround times. | | | |Brand Perception: Recently published surveys vote Ryanair to be| | |Unbundling Services: Unbundling of inflight services |one of the weakest brands in the European airline industry. | |allows Ryanair to expand the travel market by serving|Ryanair offers limited free services to passengers and the | | |lower willingness to pay customers, which supposedly |media portrayal of Ryanair is often of a mean and | | |is a large segment of Ryanair’s home market in |money-grabbing. | | |Ireland. | | | |Punctuality: Ryanair has the best punctuality | | | |compared to other airline companies, since Ryanair | | | |only offers point-to-point short haul service. | | |Financial Resources |Cash flow: According to Ryanair’s 2012 annual report,|Seasonality of Earnings: Many Ryanair ’s customers are vacation | | |Ryanair has Euro 3. billion in cash, which allows it |travellers who tend to travel in the July to September period | | |to make further investment. |so Ryanair’s earnings are highly seasonal. | |Network: Economies |Ryanair flies more than 1,500 routes across 28 | | |of Scale |countries in Europe and North Africa, 178 airports of| | | |which 57 are bases. It carried almost 80m passengers | | | |in year 2012 with a market share of 12%.It has the | | | |lowest cost per passenger, which is one third lower | | | |than its major competitor EasyJet. | | |Network: Secondary |Due to the use of secondary airports and its |Many secondary airports are many kilometres away from a major | |Airports |excellent operations systems, Ryanair has a 25 minute|city, which may cause travel inconveniences to passengers. | | |turnaround times, which allows the airline to | | | |maximise aircraft utilisation. | |Fleet |One type of aircraft, the Boeing 737- 800 |Fleet is not certified for transatlantic service expansion | | |Largest short haul fleet in Europe 305 aircraft | | | |Average age of fleet 4 years (9 to 11 years for | | | |competitors) gives better fuel efficiency, and lower | | | |maintenance costs. | | |Executive Management|Introduced a series of innovations to achieve low |Portrayed by the media as mean and uncaring. | |costs and economies of scale | | | |Eliminated check-in desks; put advertising on | | | |boarding passes and overhead bins; persuading | | | |passengers not to check in hold baggage | | | |World leading skill in negotiating low cost supply | | | |agreements | | |Management Systems |Highly efficient MIS and standard operating | | | |procedures to efficiently operate at lowest costs. | | | | | | | |Opportunities |Threats | |Customers |The CEO of Ryanair has talked of plans for a |Ryanair’s competitors may learn how to imitate its value chain | | |long-haul transatlantic service under a n ew company |and copy its operation strategy.In addition, by focusing on | | |named â€Å"RyanAtlantic†. Purchase of Aer Lingus is a way|efficiency, Ryanair may overlook changes in customer | | |of gaining landing rights at New York, Boston and |preferences. | | |Chicago airports, which are favorite destinations for|By using the cost-leadership strategy, Ryanair needs to carry | | |Irish people travelling overseas to visit their |the risks of losing competitive advantages due to the dramatic | | |relatives. In addition, Aer Lingus has transatlantic |change of technology. | | |certified aircraft. | |Supplier Competition|Ryanair has the opportunity to get a better deal on |Airport and navigation charge increases: Increased airport | | |aircraft ordering. Ryanair has indicated interest in |charges in Spain’s AENA airports and Italy's ATC airport will | | |buying the C919 aircraft as a strategy to negotiate a|boost the ex-fuel unit cost. | | |better deal with Boeing. |Air t ravel taxes: Increases in air travel taxes reduce the | | |Stansted Airport: Ryanair cut its flights at Stansted|demand of air travel.Airport travel taxes are charged | | |Airport as a result of increased airport charge |independently of ticket price and therefore make up a higher | | |increases, and offered that if the airport charges |percentage of lower priced short haul tickets. Ryanair's costs | | |are reduced Ryanair will reverse the reductions in |are affected proportionately more by these taxes than are its | | |service levels and frequency at Stansted Airport to |higher fare competitor's costs. | | |transport about one million more passengers per day |Fuel price and currency: The price of fuel is highly volatile. | |by using spare fleet capacity shifting some flights |The international oil market is priced in US dollars so fuel | | |and routes from competing airports to Stansted. |expenses are in US dollars. Ryanair does not have US dollar | | | |revenues, and therefore mu st hedge its US dollar costs against | | | |its British Pound and Euro revenues using futures, options, and| | | |currency swap. |Government |Regional or local governments build airport capacity |Possible regulatory backlash in response to bad publicity about| | |in excess of local flight demand to attract tourism |service levels | | |dollars provide an opportunity for Ryanair to obtain | | | |very low cost or subsidized airport services. | | SWOT Matrix | |Strengths |Weaknesses | |Opportunities |Low cost base and low fares help to attract passengers |Low flight frequencies reduce the appeal of Ryanair | | |and grow its market. services for some travellers | | |Ryanair’s strong cash flow enables it to make further |Low level of free services reduces the attractiveness of | | |investment in aircraft |Ryanair flights for some travellers | | |Ryanair's strategic negotiating ability allows it to take|Unfavourable publicity causes regulator resistance to | | |advantage of secon dary airport suppliers to provide air |Ryanair operations | | |services to major cities at low cost | | |Threats |Large pan-European network allows Ryanair to shift |Revenue seasonality with lower winter time cash flows | | |business out of regulatory jurisdictions which raise |could make fuel price fluctuations more problematic | | |travel taxes or airport fees |because fuel prices tend to have a seasonal peak during | | |Ryanair's expertise at hedging fuel and exchange rate |October to January | | |fluctuations allows it to minimize the impact of oil |Ryanair’s disregard for customer luxury and convenience | | |price fluctuations compared to legacy airlines |could worsen declines in customer numbers during periods | | | |of economic prosperity when higher income levels give all| | | |travellers more choices of travel service level. | SWOT Fit with StrategyRyanair’s cost leadership business strategy is built on (1) senior management’s strength at negotiating lo w cost supplier agreements, and (2) unbundling air travel services from basic transport fares to allow lower willingness to pay customers to choose lower cost service. The cost leadership strategy and ability to negotiate lowest cost supplier agreements also puts Ryanair in position to exceed competitors network scale and thereby achieve competitively superior economies of scale. Ryanair’s focus on cost leadership minimizes the negative effect that their disregard for customer inconvenience could have on a differentiated supplier. In summary Ryanair’s strategy is a good fit with its strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVESAlternatives 1. Shift to primary airports and move upmarket by focusing on primary airports and increased customer service levels and fares, competing more closely with EasyJet. 2. Expand secondary airports network, with the same customer service level but the lowest price. 3. Expand secondary airport network and upscal e the customer services with a bit higher price. 4. Expand Network to US through buying Aer Lingus. 5. Expand Network to US Irish destinations by buying planes, routes and airport slots. 6. Develop a greenfield network in a non-European regional market. Criteria for Analysis of Alternatives †¢ Increased Profit / ROE †¢ Financial Feasibility Maintain low cost leadership / Increase Economies of scale †¢ Government Issues Evaluation of Alternatives | |Government Issues |Profit/ ROE |Economic of Scale | Financial |Total Point | | | | | |Feasibility | | |1. Shift to Primary Airports (Increase |3 |2 |2 |2. 5 |9. 5 | |Price) | | | | | | |2.Expand Secondary Airport Network |4 |5 |5 |4 |18 | |(Low Price) | | | | | | |3. Expand Secondary Airport Network |4 |3 |3 |3. 5 |13. 5 | |(Upscale Services) | | | | | | |4. Expand Network to US through buying |1 |5 |5 |5 |16 | |Aer Lingus | | | | | | |5.Expand Network to US Irish |2 |3. 5 |4 |3 |12. 5 | |destinations | | | | | | |6. Develo p second Network in |3 |Short run: 2 |Short run: 2. 5 |2 |Short run: 9. 5 | |non-European regional market | |Long run: 5 |Long run: 5 | |Long run: 16 | Explanation of Evaluation: 1. Issues of government approval of new runs and cost of buying airport slots.As the primary airports will charge higher fees and tend to be more intensely competitive, the cost and fare price will be increased with a higher customer services level. The primary airport routes are served by many discount fare and major airline feeder service competitors 2. The lowest cost way to achieve additional economics of scale. 3. Shifts the company cost structure to a higher cost curve and may reduce its economies of scale. 4. Issue of European Commissions Merger office disapproval 5. Combination of regulatory issues and cost of acquiring transatlantic certified aircraft. 6. High start-up cost for a greenfield network and time required to build up revenue and profit. Recommended AlternativeBased on the evaluation, the best alternative for Ryanair is to continual to develop its network serving secondary airports, as it will generate more profit while and achieve greater economies of scale. Short Term Continue with company’s current strategy of expanding the network of secondary airports served. Maintain current levels of customer service and continue to emphasize the value of the levels of customer service provided to the Ryanair customer niche to avoid regulatory backlash. Long Term The secondary airport network in Europe will eventually be saturated by Ryanair’s expansion and to continue growing faster than demographic growth Ryanair will have to expand into other markets.The recommended alternative is to make greater accommodations to the European Commission Merger Office regarding routes where Aer Lingus and Ryanair currently compete in order to gain the Merger offices approval for Ryanair to buy Aer Lingus. This will allow Ryanair to expand to the US market with guaranteed prof its from the Irish traveller traffic visiting relatives in Boston, New York, and Chicago. Further the cost to buy the additional Aer Lingus shares to give Ryanair controlling a share in Aer Lingus is very inexpensive compared to other overseas expansion options. If the European Commission Merger Office does not give approval then Ryanair should consider development of an alternative regional network. IMPLEMENTATION Action PlanExpand the secondary airport network by expanding service to the Balkans, Macedonia and Morocco. |Time Line | |   |April |May |June |July | |Average fare: |Euro 50 |Euro 51 |2% |Low competition in new route area allows | | | | | |higher fare level | |Costs per passenger excluding |Euro 27 |Euro 25 |-7. % |Using excess plane capacity so reduces | |fuel: | | | |average fixed cost | |Revenue per passenger: |Euro 51 |Euro 51 |0% |Travellers in the new route area very frugal. | |Passengers per year: |75. 8 million |79. 6 million |5% |New route volume | |ROE: |16. 9% |18. 4% |1. 5% |Higher utilization of aircraft results in | | | | | |higher ROE | By meeting the figures in the Target column Ryanair will have succeeded in expanding its revenues, profits and economies of scale.