Category: Comparative Analysis

Comparative Analysis of Zara, Raymond Ltd, Indian Terrain and Tommy Hilfiger

Zara

Zara could be a Spanish vesture and accessories complete and could be a extremely recognized complete of the Inditex cluster. Few vesture brands invariably update with the information of the most recent fashion and continue with it. they’re of upper quality and nevertheless, affordable. Zara had ab initio started off as atiny low store in Espana and is currently the world’s largest merchant. Amancio solon, the founding father of Zara is that the fourth richest man within the world.

Ortega established a dress-making factory, Inditex, in the year 1963.After ten years, he had started a small store named as ‘Zorba’ in La Coruna, Spain along with a budget of a meagre 30 Euros. He then changed the name as ‘Zara’ with no other particular intention. That is how the world’s favourite fashion brand of today was born. Zara had slowly expanded from the town in Spain to the rest of the country and then later to Portugal. By the 1990’s the store had expanded into the United States, France and most of the European countries. Today, Zara has close to 6500 stores is existing in across 88 countries around the world.

Zara is the highly successful brand of today. It had beaten all other fashion brands and became the favourite brand for the people who liked to keep up with fashion. Ortega was famous for his view on clothes that are the perishable commodities; which people would love to use. After the usage of the clothes. People would throw them away, just like yoghurt or bread. It is often mentioned that he produces ‘fresh baked clothes’ that would survive the changing street fashion trends for not more than a month or two. When an individual goes to the store after a long time, then they would be changed.

The secret behind Zara’s success is that it always keeps it up with the change in fashion trends. The brand keeps a close look of how there is a change in fashion every day. It makes new designs for its products and puts them in the store in a week or two. Most of the other fashion brands would take six months to get their designs into the market.

Zara is known to be one of the eco-friendly companies. It uses solar panels and wind turbines in the headquarters in La Coruna. Zara is also one of the few clothing brands that produces hundred percent toxic free clothing.

Raymond Limited

Raymond Ltd is the largest integrated manufacturer of fabric in the world in Maharashtra. It has nearly 60%of the market share suiting in India. It is also the India’s biggest woollen fabrics maker. The textile division of the company has a distribution network of quite 4,000 multi-brand outlets and over 637 exclusive retail shops in the domestic market itself. Suitings are available in India in over 400 towns through 30,000 retailers and an exclusive chain is present in over 150 cities across India. Its products exports to over 55 countries including U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan and the Middle East. It has over 20,000 design and colours of suiting cloth which makes it one of the largest collection of designs and colours by single company. It is listed as India’s most trusted apparel brand by The Brand Trust Report in 2015.

It is incorporated as the Raymond Woollen mill during the year 1925 by Thane Creek. Lala Kailashpat Singhania took over the Raymond Woollen Mill in the year 1944. In 1958, with lot of hardwork and efforts Mr.Vijaypat Singhania made this small fabric company into a world renowned brand. In the 1968, Raymond had set up a readymade garments plant at Thane. In Nov 2015 Raymond announced that Sanjay Behl would be taking on M Shivkumar as chief financial officer.

The Raymond has been one of the outstanding performance, of recognition and of accolades, over the years. Raymond is the largest exporter of the fabrics and readymade garments to 54 countries including Australia, Canada, USA, the European Union, Japan and Saudi Arabia. Raymond has been awarded the ISO 9001/ IS 14001 certification by the Bureau of Indian Standards, for the design, manufacture and supply of woollen and wool-blended worsted fabrics.

Raymond is the world’s largest manufacturer of the steel files. Over half of the output is exported.Even the Cement Division has not lagged behind. Raymond Cement has won the National Productivity Council awards five years.In 1993, the Business World – MARG Survey of India’s most respected Companies rated Raymond in the Top Ten. And in 1994, they moved up to No.6 (No.2 in quality and No.3 in innovativeness). What is particularly gratifying is the basis of the studies – ratings were given by executives in industry groups – they were evaluated by their own competitors.

Even as far back as 1985, the Harvard business school Association of India, along with The Economic Times, gave Raymond prime the highest corporate Performance Award from among 101 top giants in the private sector. Raymond account for over a third of India’s entire worsted woollen production. Its headquarters is in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

Indian Terrain

Indian Terrain Fashions limited is an India-based company, which is engaged in the business of the manufacture and sale of apparel. It even offers work wear and casual clothing for men. It even offers products for men under the brand name, Indian Terrain. The company offers a wide range of garments, including shirts, trousers, t-shirts, shorts, sweaters, jackets and denims. It also offers casual clothing for boys under the brand, Indian Terrain BOY. The Company retails across the country over 800 multi brand outlets.

In the year 2000. Indian Terrain Fashions Ltd is among the leading retailers in India. The company is engaged in selling thegarments in the local market by setting up the exclusive brand retail outlets across india by carrying on business as retailer, importers, dealers in all kinds of suiting, shirting, cotton and man made synthesis knitted fabrics, apparel, home textiles and fashion accessories.

The company’s products are sold through various channels through their own stores and retailed through National Store Chains (NSC)/ Multi Brand Outlets (MBO). Currently, the brand offers a wide range comprising of shirts, trousers, knits, jackets and sweaters. Indian Terrain’s clothing and way products sport a lively attitude to match its like minded customers.

In september 2010, as per the scheme of arrangement, the Indian tract division of Celebrity Fashions Ltd was transferred to the company on a going concern basis with effect from April 1, 2010.

Tommy Hilfiger

Tommy Hilfiger is an American premium clothing company, manufactures apparel, footwear, accessories, fragrances and home furnishing. The company was founded in 1985, and today is sold in department stores and over 1400 free-standing retail stores in 90 countries. In 2006, private equity firm Apax Partners acquired Tommy Hilfiger for approximately $1.6 billion, and in May 2010, PVH Corp. (NYSE: PVH) (then known as Philips van Heusen) bought the company. Global sales in retail through the brand in 2013 were US $6.4 billion, and $6.7 billion in 2014.

Tommy Hilfiger has a breadth of collections including Hilfiger Collection, Tommy Hilfiger Tailored, men’s, women’s and kid’s sportswear, denim, accessories, and footwear. In addition, the brand is licensed for a wide range of products such as fragrances, eyewear, watches and home furnishings. Tommy Hilfiger is influenced by classic American fashion, or more specifically what the company dubs ‘preppy with a twist’. It targets customers in the 25 to 40 year-old range. Tommy Hilfiger Styles vary from formal suits to casual wear, with a focus on what the Tommy Hilfiger Group website describes as the ‘precision fit, premium fabrics, updated cuts, rich colors and luxe details.

In March 2012, ABC aired a report that 29 workers had died in a factory fire in 2011 in Bangladesh, with the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation included among the factory’s clients. PVH Corp. issued a press release in response, stating they would commit $1 million to a two-year program to help facilitate safety programs.The company, however, announced they would not abandon their manufacturing in Bangladesh. In 2014, PVH was consulting about investing in Ethiopiain relation to Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, with labor rights among the key talking points. In 2016, the India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN) reported that textile workers in Bangalore were working in conditions akin to slavery. Clothing companies H&M, Inditex, C&A and PVH publicly committed to ‘improving the lives of workers in Bengaluru’ after the report, while PVH also announced it would severally investigate and establish new guidelines for its suppliers.

In 1985, to help him launch his first collection, Hilfiger hired advertiser and graphic designer George Loisto make a billboard for the center of Times Square in New York City. Instead of models, the ad featured the initials of three well-known fashion designers—’PE’ (Perry Ellis), ‘RL’ (Ralph Lauren), ‘CK’ (Calvin Klein), and announced that ‘TH’ (Tommy Hilfiger) was the next great menswear designer. The billboard created a stir in the fashion press, and succeeded in creating awareness of the Hilfiger name.[6] In subsequent years Hilfiger and Lois collaborated again on other ads for the Hilfiger brand. Hilfiger courted the new hip hop market in the 1990s, and rappers like Puffy and Coolio walked during its runways shows.

From 2002 to 2006, Tommy Hilfiger owned the naming rights to the Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach Theatre amphitheater on Long Island, one of the more popular music venues in the US. Starting in 2010, in collaboration with New York advertising firm Laird & Partners, Tommy Hilfiger Corporation launched the advertising campaign ‘The Hilfigers’. The campaign features a fictional family of Hilfigers wearing the brand’s wear in fun preppy venues. The spring and summer collections of 2015 were displayed at a marriage in Sonoma, California, followed by associate degree American football game sports stadium for fall and winter.

The brand created the publicity tour ‘Prep World’ in the year 2011, which featured specialty pop-up shops in Paris, New York, London, Stockholm, LA, Madrid, Milan, the German island Sylt, and the Belgiantown of Knokke. Tommy Hilfiger made personal appearances with author and preppy expert Lisa Birnbach. The brand’s 30th anniversary was in 2015, and the company celebrated the occasion with a fashion tour. Among other events, in Beijing in May 2015 the brand recreated their New York Fashion Week runway show internationally for the first time.

HRM Modeling and Models: Comparative Analysis

Improving economic efficiency and effectiveness is one of the priority goals of the leadership of any organization the implementation of which almost always affects the human resource management system. The main functions of management (planning, organization, implementation, motivation, coordination, control) are actually aimed at streamlining and regulating personnel activities, at increasing the efficiency of using human potential through certain methods and models.

Many analyses of literary sources show that the views of specialists on affective and efficient models of human resource management are very different (Bhatnagar & Sharma, 2004). Some researchers believe that there is a close integration of personnel management policies with business strategy, that employees of an organization are a mean, that needs to be properly managed and which should be used without special regrets, to achieve goals and obtain material benefits. Others believe that it should not be such a top-down approach. The majority of specialists, however, emphasizes that the methods of human resource management should vary depending on the solutions chosen for implementation, the state of the labor market, established social norms, postulates of the national culture and many other factors. Because of the importance of the context of the company and people, HRM models are rapidly developing and getting widely spread to fulfill the needs of organizations around the world (Wright & McMahan, 1992). In this essay I will discuss, compare and contrast some of HRM models.

First model is Kaizen method of continuous incremental improvements, which was originally developed in Japanese management. The Kaizen system in human resource management is an additional form of staff motivation, in the event of achievement of certain results of the organization as a whole or its specific division, and also taking into account the individual contribution of the employee to the final results. The Kaizen system focuses on the quality of personnel, because the quality of products and services depends on the personnel. This system involves in the process of improving every employee – from the leader of the highest level, to the ordinary employee. Every employee of the organization suggests small improvements on a regular basis. Proposals are made not sporadically for a month or a year, but constantly. Most of them are not global in nature, but are some minor improvements. This is the essence of the Kaizen system – a large number of small, insignificant improvements leads to a significant improvement in quality (Stone et al., 2010).

Kaizen system is based on five key elements. In order for it to work normally and be an effective tool for improving quality, the organization needs to create conditions for their implementation. These key elements are:

1. Teamwork – all employees must work as a team to achieve a common goal and the desired improvement in performance;
2. Self-Discipline – Kaizen requires each employee to increase their self-discipline in all aspects of labor;
3. Improved Morale – regardless of whether the company succeeds in implementing the changes or not, staff should strive to maintain high morale;
4. Quality Circles – information sharing and interaction within the quality circles allows employees to evaluate the effectiveness of their work based on comparison with the work of others, and thus try to improve their work;
5. Improvement Suggestions – give employees the opportunity to freely offer improvements regardless of the rank held in the management system.

A key factor in a company using Kaizen is attention to the management process. Companies that use Kaizen, like any other, are equally eager to get financial results, but they are guided by the following consideration: if the processes in the company are normal, if they are designed to stimulate employee involvement, then the desired results will come inevitably.

Second model is ‘Overcoming Resistance to Change’ by Kotter and Schlesinger. Strategic changes promise much to some people in the organization in terms of career and professional growth prospects and threaten others who may fear losing their position in the organizational hierarchy or lose their position altogether. Therefore, people in organizations respond to the prospects for strategic change in different ways: some of them become active supporters, others – opponents. Groups facing the need for change face the prospect of changing informal connections, communication channels, behavioral stereotypes and norms. Therefore, they respond easily to calls for resistance to change. Resistance to change by individuals and groups can often be the only and yet powerful force holding back the development of an organization (Coetsee, 1999).

Kotter and Schlesinger offer six approaches to deal with personnel’s resistance to organizational change:

1. Education and Communication. Getting an idea of the upcoming strategic changes helps to realize the need for these changes and their logic. The information process may include one-on-one discussions, group workshops or reports.
2. Participation and Involvement. If strategists involve potential opponents of the strategy at the planning stage, then they can often avoid resistance. In an effort to get involved in the implementation of strategic changes, their initiators listen to the opinions of the staff involved in this strategy, and subsequently use their advice.
3. Facilitation and Support. Support can be provided as an opportunity to learn new skills, free time for employees to learn, just to be heard and get emotional support.
4. Negotiation and Agreement. Providing incentives to active or potential opponents of change.
5. Manipulation and Co-optation. Manipulations in this case involve the selective use of information and the conscious presentation of events in a certain order advantageous to the initiator of the changes.
6. Explicit and Implicit Coercion. Forcing people to reconcile with strategic changes through a hidden or overt threat, or through a real dismissal or transferring to lower-tier jobs.

Third model is the theory of team roles by Raymond Belbin. It is based on the fact that any organization should take advantage of teamwork, where everyone plays only their own role. An important condition for the successful functioning of the team is its clear structure. Then each team member performs his own duties, does not interfere with the other, and at the same time all areas of activity are occupied (Driskell, 2017).

Belbin believed, that nine roles have to be present in the team:

• Chairman – a confident person who uses all his experience in business and clarifies goals, encourages decision making and distributes tasks;
• Teamworker – a cooperative person, who acts softly and diplomatically and is perceptive in nature, listens carefully, builds relationships and eliminates tensions;
• Resource investigator – enthusiastic, sociable extrovert, exploring opportunities and building contacts, which he believes can be useful at some stage;
• Plant – is a creative person with a rich imagination, sometimes too much, and able to offer new ideas;
• Monitor Evaluator – thinks clearly and knows how to track the dynamics of progress towards the goal, studies all options and gives reasonable judgments;
• Specialist – a focused person who knows how to get to work, has rare knowledge and skills that he can share with others;
• Shaper – brings the dynamics to the work and due to the pressure provided contributes to success;
• Implementer – a disciplined, reliable, conservatively thinking and skillfully working person who implements ideas in practice;
• Completer/Finisher – a person who carefully, thoughtfully and responsibly does his job to achieve the best results in time.

By receiving profiles of each team member and understanding which roles (one or more) he or she can play, we can see how all positions in the team are closed, whether there are areas that are closed several times, and those for which there are not enough people.

Even though all three of these models serve different purposes and deal with different problems, they have a common goal. These three models are aimed to help achieve full realization of labor and creative potential which leads to overall economic success and meeting the personal needs of employees. In this case it is done through management by motivation, objectives, delegation and ensuring the implementation through solving the resistance. In other words, they complement each other and help solve several shared and individual problems.

Kaizen cannot succeed in an organization with bureaucratic thinking, filled with rules and procedures, and people who will resist any changes. Kaizen’s strategy will also not work where change is punishable and blocked, formally or unofficially, eradicating any improvement initiatives. Thus, for the introduction of Kaizen technology in the enterprise, there may be a reluctance of employees to change something. They would be much more satisfied with the performance of their duties and nothing more. In this case, model for overcoming resistance to change of Kotter and Schlesinger ensures the implementation of the Kaizen model.

The model ‘Overcoming Resistance to Change’ by Kotter and Schlesinger itself is not perfect and every approach has its own drawback. So, the most common mistake of managers is to use only one or a limited number of approaches regardless of the situation. Successful implementation of the strategy in an organization is always characterized by the skillful application of a number of the listed approaches, often in various combinations. However, successful implementation is characterized by two features: managers use these approaches based on their strengths and weaknesses and realistically assess the situation – this is where Belbin’s delegation of roles can be very important and helpful.

Belbin’s ‘Team Roles’ does not address the important issue of interpersonal relationships that exist within a team. Many teams that look exemplary only on paper cannot function normally in real life, since in practice there is no proper coordination in the actions of their members. In this case, Kaizen can be helpful by ensuring that teamwork, self-discipline, improved morale, quality circles and improvement suggestions are present. This is where the cycle of these three models closes.

Overall, although three models discussed in this paper serve different purposes, Belbin’s model, Kotter and Schlesinger’s approaches and Japanese ideology of Kaizen complement each other and have an overall similar goal, which is to help achieve full realization of labor and creative potential and consequently improve company’s performance and results.

References

1. Bhatnagar, J., & Sharma, A. (2004). The Four Pillars of the Proposed Strategic HRM
2. Dimensions Model. Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 40(1), 95-113. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.ranepa.ru:3561/stable/27767940
3. Coetsee, L. (1999). From Resistance to Commitment. Public Administration
4. Quarterly, 23(2), 204-222. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.ranepa.ru:3561/stable/40861780
5. Driskell, T., Driskell, J. E., Shawn Burke, C., & Salas, E. (2017). Team Roles: A Review and Integration. Small Group Research, 48(4), 482-511. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496417711529
6. Stone, K. B. (2010). Kaizen Teams: Integrated HRD Practices for Successful Team Building. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 12(1), 61–77. https://doi.org/10.1177/1523422310365333
7. Wright, P. M., & McMahan, G. C. (1992). Theoretical Perspectives for Strategic Human Resource Management. Journal of Management, 18(2), 295–320. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639201800205

A Comparative Analysis of Marketing Mix of Two Major Competitors in an Industry

Introduction

Marketing mix are actions and tactics that a company uses for the purpose of promoting its brand or its product in the selected target market. The application of marketing mix adopted by various companies depends on the size of their business, the location, the advertising strategies chosen by them and a range of other factors It is called a ‘mix’ because each and every component of marketing mix affects the other. Therefore, the total mix should be appropriate for the target customer.

The elements/ components of marketing mix are comprised of 4P’s namely product, price, promotion and place. Nowadays businessmen do consider additional 3P’s namely pace, packaging and positioning.

• Product. Anything that is offered in the market by a brand is called a product. It can be anything as long as it can generate customer satisfaction.
• Price. The price is the value that which the brand intends to sell the product. Pricing of the product depends on various factors and proper value of the product is important to generate high sales and profits.
• Promotion. Promotion is like advertisement where the company undertakes operations to promote its products to target customers in target markets.
• Place. Place means the activities that the company undertakes to make the product available to the consumers/ customers
• Pace. Pace means speed. It is the speed at which marketing tactics are determined and necessary actions are taken.
• Packaging. Packaging is how the product is packed before it is sold to the audience.
• Positioning. This element of marketing mix aims at creating a distinct image of the product/brand in the mind of the customer.

For the purpose of this assignment, a comparative analysis of marketing mix of Maggi and Sunfeast Yippie noodles is written below.

Marketing Mix of Nestle’s Maggi Noodles

As kids and as adults we have always heard Maggi noodles advertising themselves as ‘2-minute noodles’. This yellow packet of noodles has always been a savior to all the teenagers at home and the ones who stay far away from home. Maggi is manufactured by Nestle. Nestle also has other innumerable products like soups, sauces and various other flavors of Maggi noodles.

Product in Marketing Mix of Maggi

Maggi has innumerable products of its own in the market. These products are curated keeping in mind the needs and tastes of all the customers. The various products that are loved by almost every person are Maggi 2 Minute Noodles, Maggi Vegetable Multigrain Noodles, Maggi Vegetable Atta Noodles, Maggi Cuppa Mania, Maggi Oats Noodles.

Place in the Marketing Mix of Maggi

Maggi follows a distribution channel that starts from Nestle that goes to the distributer then the retailer and finally the consumer. Maggi has always had an excellent system of distribution. It has always made sure that the product reaches each and every corner of the world. For example, if you go to the Himalayas, you will find people making and selling Maggi that those places. Therefore, it is evident that the distribution of this product plays a very important part in the success of this product.

Price in the Marketing Mix of Maggi

Maggi uses the penetration pricing strategy because it clearly knows how to penetrate markets everywhere. It has kept a low price all these years because the consumers are mainly the middle-class group people. Therefore, by making the product affordable, volumes of the product are purchased in turn giving huge profits.

Promotions in the Marketing Mix of Maggi

When Nestle launched Maggi in India, its promotional activities aimed at creating awareness amongst kids and women. Toys and utensils were offered as gifts along with the packet of these noodles. This step made it a household name instantly. As we know the famous tagline is also the smartest timeline in the advertising industry. Ironically, no one could coo Maggi in 2 minutes, but people love the fact that it is a quick and an excellent snack.

Tools Used for Sales Promotion of Maggi: 1) Scratch and Win Offers (to introduce new products in the market); 2) Coupons (to attract new customers and retain existing customers); 3) Price Off Offers (to meet and overcome the challenges set by the competitors).

Pace in the Marketing Mix of Maggi

There are clear indications that India is a growth market for Nestle. Nestle India will keep the pace of spending on advertising and marketing activities up in 2020 as was the case in 2019. Therefore, the brand is in a position of aggressive growth strategy.

Packaging in the Marketing Mix of Maggi

Over all these years Maggi has always been packed in a yellow plastic packet with noodles and a packet of its masala in it. The packet of each Maggi has instructions as to how to prepare the noodles, the nutrition value, the ingredients and the manufacturing and expiry date.

Positioning in the Marketing Mix of Maggi

The Indians do not consider noodles as a proper meal. So, Maggi has positioned itself in the ‘snacks’ category. Therefore, over all these years, the brand has developed its identity as a instant food packet with taglines such as ‘2 minutes noodles’ and ‘Easy to cook, good to eat’.

Marketing Mix of SunFeast Yippie Noodles

The advertisements done for Yippie stated that these noodles were made from the need for better noodles. They were made with a different scientific process that did not allow lumping of the noodles. With such a thought, these noodles were introduced in 2010. It is a complete Indian brand and faces cut to cut competition with Nestle’s Maggi noodles.

Product in the Marketing Mix of Sunfeast Yippee Noodles

Sunfeast Yippee Noodles is made up of Aashirvaad Atta with a blend of different spices. Yippee Classic Masala and Yippee Magic Masala were the first products to be launched in 2010.The brand launched its first pasta in tricolor in the year 2013 and its Power up Atta Noodles in the year 2016.

Place in the Marketing Mix of Sunfeast Yippee Noodles

Sunfeast Yippee Noodles also has its spread to parts of India. For the first time, it was introduced in consumer markets in the city of Bengaluru which is the headquarter of its parent company. It uses the distribution channel of its parent company to reach consumer market easily and conveniently.

Unlike Nestle’s Maggi, Sunfeast Yippee Noodles uses the oldest distribution method of manufacturing plants to distributor to stockholders to the retailer and from there to consumers. The company depends quite heavily on its carrying and forwarding that manage to transport the products from one point to another efficiently.

Price in the Marketing Mix of Sunfeast Yippee Noodles

Sunfeast Yippee Noodles belong to a cut-throat industry with very strong competitors. It has to handle its pricing strategy very delicately so as to beat its competitors at their own game. The company has adopted a competitive pricing policy and kept its prices at par with the prices set up by its rival.

Promotions in the Marketing Mix of Sunfeast Yippee Noodles

With target customers who look-out for a healthy in-between-meals snack when hungry, Sunfeast Yippee Noodles believes in the heavy advertisement to market its products in the consumer market. It has launched several ad campaigns via print, digital and visual media to attract and maintain its customer base.

Pace in the Marketing Mix of Sunfeast Yippee Noodles

It looks like Yippee Noodles is relying more on word of mouth. Therefore, the marketing spend is not high as it should be.

Packaging in the Marketing Mix of Sunfeast Yippee Noodles

Yippie Noodles always keeps on changing the packaging os its noodles with respect to the flavor of the noodle. The packet contains noodles and the packet of masala. Similar to other products, this packet also contains has instructions as to how to prepare the noodles, the nutrition value, the ingredients and the manufacturing and expiry date.

Positioning in the Marketing Mix of Sunfeast Yippee Noodles

Like Nestle’s Maggi Noodles, Sunfeast Yippie Noodles has also positioned itself as instant noodles with different taste and with no lumping even after thirty minutes of cooking. Yippee magic masala came in a market with a slogan of ‘Long Non-Sticky Noodles’ to ensure that the customers know that the noodles are true to its word.

Conclusion of the Assignment

Maggi went through all the stages of product life cycle starting from the introductory stage in the year 1982 with no competition at al and high costs. The increasing demand for instant noodles placed Maggi on the growth stage in the year 1985, when it reached heights of sales. With low production costs and generation of high profits it went into the maturity stage. The controversies and ban on the product sent Maggi to the decline stage which later went up again after the relaunch in India as customers demanded it even more. So even with lots of competition and ban put on it, Maggi is still a convenience product and manages to stay in the customers minds of its customers as ‘2-minute instant noodles’. While in the case of Yippie, these Noodles comes from the house of ITC, a brand known for its wide distribution and many products. As a result, Yippee Noodles has deep pockets and it just has to be present in the market so that it wins the market share slowly yet surely. A major problem facing Yippee Noodles is that the market acceptance for the brand is very low. The noodles market is quite populated with Maggi being present in this market. As a result, Yippee Noodles which is a late entrant to this market has not found much acceptance in the Indian Market.

Learnings from the Assignment

What I have learnt while writing this assignment is that, a major strength of Yippee Noodles is that the market is itself growing. The consumption of instant noodles is on the rise because of more and more people liking Noodles for breakfast or for evening snacks. Moreover, because these noodles can be made within minutes, people love the instant availability of a tasty snack. However, the rural distribution/penetration is poor which is a strong point of Maggi is its rural distribution which is missing in the case of Yippee Noodles. Although urban presence is high, rural distribution is quite low. A major threat to the establishment of Yippee Noodles is the dominance of Maggi in the Instant noodles segment. One of the main action plans for Yippee Noodles should be to create a better brand image. Because Yippee Noodles is an Indian brand, it can understand the Indian mindset much better than other companies. Hence, more variety which is localized is expected from Yippee Noodles. By doing this, it can capture the market which is not covered by competitors. Lately, Maggi has utilized this strategy to excellent advantage. Maggi however was recently banned because of excessive lead content in its noodles as a preservative. Such a ban has created health awareness against all noodle brands in the minds of consumers. Health awareness has also resulted in people picking wheat-based noodles much faster than normal noodles. And instant noodles like Yippie should take advantage of this situation.

WhatsApp Vs Telegram: Comparative Analysis

WhatsApp and Telegram are two highly coveted and extremely popular cross-platform messaging apps that have been designed with the sole intention of facilitating quick and easy communication between its users, whilst promising to respect their privacy; a desirable and necessary trait in this day and age.

Whilst WhatsApp and Telegram may at first appear similar, there are some important differences between the platforms that are worth knowing about. Apart from the obvious point that WhatsApp has a far greater number of users than Telegram, at least for now, one key difference between WhatsApp and Telegram is their differing attitude to users’ privacy and data. Whilst WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption for all of its services, Telegram only does so when ‘Secret Chats’ (the end-to-end encrypted mode in Telegram) are enabled. Once users enable Secret Chats, however, they are able to send ‘self-destructing’ messages and photos which can be set to completely disappear after a specific time period.

As most messaging platforms do, WhatsApp and Telegram both boast similar features such as picture-in-picture viewing and stickers. Telegram also has the capacity to save images and send any type of files of up to 1.5GB which is supported across multiple platforms; a feature that WhatsApp has restrictions on.

Another innovative new feature created by Telegram is its self-installed bots, which facilitate app attributes like sending relevant information about the weather or useful new articles to users. They can also set personalized scheduling reminders, play music and create to-do lists, providing an ‘assistant-esque’ approach to cloud-platform communication.

Using Your Data

Alongside storing basic data such as your phone number and having access to your contacts, WhatsApp tracks its users’ location, analyses their user habits, accesses their blocked contacts and more so as to optimize user performance. You can see the full list for yourself by clicking on ‘Request Account Info’ on the ‘Account’ portal in your WhatsApp settings.

By default, Telegram does not use end-to-end encryption, meaning that (at least in theory) Telegram could access its users’ messages. However, end-to-end encryption can be manually activated by enabling ‘Secret Chats’. Once Secret Chats has been authorized, users’ data is secure and they can benefit from all the usual features of end-to-end encryption. Users also have the ability to prevent messages from being forwarded and the option of putting their messages on ‘self-destructing’ mode when Secret Chats is switched on.

Group Chats

Group chats have completely revolutionized the way we communicate with our friends, families and colleagues (to name a few). And WhatsApp is no exception to this rule. In fact, WhatsApp is a leading messaging tool for this specific feature. Whilst standard text messaging apps allow personal communication with friends and family on a relatively small scale, there is scope for large group chats on WhatsApp. By simply opening the app, selecting ‘more options’ and starting a ‘new group’, users have full reign of inviting a range of contacts of up to 256 members into a private group chat where they can communicate free and instantly with one another. The creator of the group is regarded as an ‘admin’, responsible for admitting – or even rejecting – members to the group.

As a cloud-based messaging app, Telegram also has the ability to connect its users via group chats. However, the app has gone that one step further and presented a platform that cultivates mass-communication on a grand scale with group chats of up to 200,000 members. There are two ways to join a group chat. One is by clicking on a link. The other is by seeking out and joining a specific group. To join via an invite link, the user must have an existing Telegram account (available directly from the app itself or on a desktop program). In order to find a specific group, users will have to use their initiative and scour the Internet to discover a group that suits their specific interests. Once this has been identified, users can click on the link and get connected. Private chats will require access by the admin of the group who will approve your request before communicating.

Last Time Seen and Online Status

WhatsApp’s online status allows users to see the last time someone within their contact list was active on the platform and whether they are currently using the app. Important to note: online status does not signify that a contact has read your messages (usually indicated by two blue ticks). It simply shows that they are active on the messaging platform. WhatsApp does allow users to hide their online status from everyone through the app settings for both iPhone and Android devices.

Like the default WhatsApp, Telegram measures a user’s online status based on their activity within the app. This platform also provides users with the ability to hide their online status from their contacts for Android, iPhone and laptop devices.

Self-Destructing Messages

As the name would indicate, self-destructing messages are messages that can be set to delete (or ‘self-destruct’) after a set period of time. WhatsApp authorizes users to send self-destructing messages to add an additional layer of protection and security when communicating on the app. This self-destructing feature enables the message to remain visible for a maximum of 7-days – thereafter it’s a distant memory. To enable this, users can simply open up the respective WhatsApp chat, select the contacts name where they will be able to see a ‘disappearing messages’ option available. By tapping the option, users will be able to trigger the self-destruct option and warrant the 7-day ticking time bomb. There are a few caveats with this option. If, for some reason, the receiver on the disappearing message decides not to open the WhatsApp chat, the message will still be visible within the notification bar. Moreover, any disappearing messages that are forwarded when the feature is off won’t be erased.

Telegram also permits its users to send self-destructing or ‘disappearing’ messages, so long as users have enabled Secret Chats. Secret Chat is a style of end-to-end encryption available within Telegram that enables users to set self-destruct timers on messages, identifiable by a lock icon next to the chat. As they are client-to-client encrypted, which means only the sender and receiver can view the messages, the conversation cannot be forwarded or screenshot to anyone else – giving users ultimate privacy when communicating.

Animated Stickers and GIFS

Animated stickers and gifs are compatible on WhatsApp messaging platform. They appear along the normal sticker packs within the sticker store and are available on both android and IOS devices. There are a few drawbacks to the overall capacity of the stickers, particularly when compared to its telegram counterpart. This is because many animated sticks and GIFS are dynamic, so they occupy more storage than static images. What this means for users is that any animated sticker which exceeds WhatsApp storage limit (100MB limit for media files) will neither be sent nor forwarded to any contacts. Another GIF aspect that can disappoint the users is that the animated stickers have the ability to play once as opposed to a continuous loop (as seen on Facebook messenger and Telegram). In order to replay it, you will have to scroll up and down on the respective conversation.

Telegram has introduced a new format and upgrade to its animated sticker features, coined by the app’s engineers as the TGS format. The benefits of these stickers for users are two-fold: fast loading times and great quality images, all whilst taking up less bandwidth on consumers electronic devices. They use less battery and run 60 frames a second for a smooth and sleek back-and-forth communication. The app’s open platform inspires users to get artsy with their animations and create their very own stickers to share with their friends, family and beyond – surpassing the conventional emojis and GIFS found on your typical social media platforms.

Folders and Saving Options

WhatsApp’s latest update now allow users to store ‘private folders’ within the app for the following: WhatsApp Images, WhatsApp Video, WhatsApp Animated Gifs, WhatsApp Audio, WhatsApp Documents. This new feature is an additional encryption tool available within the app, allowing users to hide media such as images, videos, gifs, audio files and documents downloaded specifically from their WhatsApp chats. As opposed to being visible within the phone’s gallery, the files are hidden by a no-media file, that is only accessible by manually changing the ‘file manager’s settings’ within your phone.

One of the more fruitful features associated with WhatsApp as a communication app is the fact that all messages are automatically backed up and saved daily to your phone’s memory. Depending upon your phone’s settings, you can also periodically back up your WhatsApp chats to cloud devices such as Google drive. If you uninstall WhatsApp from your phone but you do not want to lose any important chats or messages, the platform enables you to manually back up your chats before uninstalling.

A major feature permitted by Telegram is its ability to sort and organize conversations into different sub-sections and folders. As active users who may be part of a variety of group chats, this feature allows them to stay abreast of their messaging notifications without needing to archive them. They can simply navigate to the three-dot menu on their telegram chats and select ‘add folder’ to begin the compiling process. Another interesting feature, that Telegram provides, is the ability to save messages for future use. As opposed to having to download the file, Telegram allows users to save the message and keep it within the platform itself. The Saved Messages chat is always displayed at the top of the list in the sharing and forwarding menus. This makes it easy to save your favorites while maintaining an organized messaging platform. Saved Messages are easy to find: they are accessible both from the Chats list and from the side panel on Android Settings on iOS.

Conclusion

In summary, both messaging platforms boast an array of features that work remarkably for their consumers. Despites WhatsApp ginormous database of 2 billion people in over 180 countries, Telegram is a message app that is continuously on the rise, rapidly expanding in growth with over 500 million users (a 25% increase in just under a year).

Where Telegram lagged behind in terms of video calling, the latest version of the app supports both voice and video calls and can do so on multiple devices – whether it be mobile or desktop.

Undeniably, consumer concerns regarding data, privacy and security are at an all-time high, which is where WhatsApp’s verified end-to end encryption is a prudent feature that consumers are instantaneously drawn to. Although, uncertainty surrounding WhatsApp’s new privacy policies in recent months has certainly propelled telegram into a new cloud-communicating space that may not otherwise have seen such an expansion. And with the likes of signal, another free, privacy-orientated online messaging app which has many of the same features as WhatsApp and Telegram (utilizing end-to-end encryption by default and also providing for ‘disappearing’ messages) encroaching the space – there’s certainly no shortage of messaging apps and services to choose from.

The Double Life of Veronique’ Vs ‘Mean Girls’: Comparative Analysis

The two films I chose were ‘The Double Life of Veronique’ and ‘Mean Girls’. These two movies are about identity love and human intuition. While these films have many differences, they also have many comparisons. They share a theme of identity crisis. These films both use the internal battle with oneself in order to make a plot thicken and make the audience think. The battles the characters face are societal issues and self-identity dilemma.

In ‘The Double Life of Veronique’ there were two women who both had a passion for music who lived in two different places, Paris and Poland. These women may have lived in separate places but when Weronika died it made Veronique feel a sense of grief and absence in life. After Weronika’s death, Veronique took her students to a musical performance and it played the song by Van den Budenmayer that Weronika performed the night she died. Later that night Veronique is woken up by a phone call with no one speaking, but she hears a choir singing the music of Van den Budenmayer in the background. The following day, Veronique drives to her dad’s house where she reveals that recently she felt she was alone and that someone was gone from her life. Even though Weronika was dead she still lived on in the subconscious of Veronique. The directors focus of duplicity was subjective because it was where two identities become one and benefit both personalities.

In ‘Mean Girls’, Cady the new girl came to high school looking to fit in after being home-schooled in Africa. She becomes friends with two socially stranded individuals, Janice and Damian. Cady then decides to join the most infamous and popular group in school, the ‘Plastics’ to try to sabotage the leader of the group. In that process of invading the group Cady becomes a ‘plastic’. Cady’s relationship begins to fall apart between both groups. She starts to realize the horrible person she has become in order to fit in at school. She no longer wants to be socially accepted. She wanted to find her old self again but a more mature version.

The similarities between the movies are that both Weronika and Cady faced were that they would drop anyone in order to get to their goal, whether it is performing or social acceptance. The similar qualities of these two characters are the Achilles heel in the plot because the need to perform and the need to be accepted kills them socially and physically. ‘The Double Life of Veronique’ and ‘Mean Girls’ both show the difference between emotion and logic, reality and fantasy.

There are many differences between ‘The Double Life of Veronique’ and ‘Mean Girls’. In ‘Mean Girls’ Cady felt a need to be accepted by the students in her high school. She wanted to fit into the societal norms and climb up the social ladder created by the high school population. This led to her to become someone she was not and to lose the friends she had made while being in school. In ‘The Double Life of Veronique’ the main character Veronique felt that she had an emotional and mysterious connection with the unknown. The differences in the two were complementary, while Weronika would leave to chase her dreams, Veronique would stay with someone for comfort and be tricked easily.

The filming styles were also different in the two movies. In ‘The Double Life of Veronique’, director Kieślowski used the color yellow to create a warm them and a sense of unity between Veronique and Weronkia and black to represent Weronika’s death. He also used colors and camera filters to create an atmosphere that is ethereal. The elements portrayed was a fantasy and supernaturalism. The elements make you look deeper and pay more attention to the hints given in the beginning. In the beginning, the mom of the two little girls tells them to look, to watch, to pay attention to small details. It was insight as to what we would have to do throughout the film. The filming styles of ‘Mean Girls’ included flashbacks and many what if scenes. There was a difference between the ‘girl world’ and the ‘animal kingdom’. This showed us what happened with drama-filled situations in the real world or ‘girl world’ versus how it would happen in the ‘animal kingdom’. The use of bright lighting shows the type of expressions used. The light could also represent an insight into revealing the truth about the characters and their secrets and lies will come to the light. The use of the colors light purple, grey, red, blue and pink represent, power, extravagance, mystery, leadership, strength, loyalty, intelligence, and feminism.

The directors used many objects and symbols, motifs and allegories to purposefully convey the themes of the two movies. The objects and lessons used in ‘Mean Girls’ were the Burn Book, math, and queerness, royalty and the color pink. The Burn Book is a symbol of all the animosity that the junior girls at North Shore High harbor toward one another. It contains a page and photo for each student, becoming almost like an evil counterpart to a normal yearbook. The Burn Book becoming public dramatizes what would happen if everyone simultaneously learned what everyone else was saying behind their back: total chaos. The math lesson Cady learns throughout the movie is a motif that reveals how high school social logic often runs contrary to developing one’s intellect and character. Damian and the Plastics discourage Cady from pursuing the math team, and the only student to encourage her is an awkward student named Kevin. Cady in fact conceals her own intelligence in order to make herself more likable to Aaron and the Plastics. Cady’s revival of interest in math and participation in the math tournament at the end of the film signifies a larger decision on her part to concentrate on developing herself into a mature, intelligent individual. The queerness, and openness in the movie between the characters Janis and Damian. They are considered are outsiders at school because they are unlike the heterosexual students around them, they are expressing their gender and sexuality in fierce ways. The comparison of royalty in ‘Mean Girls’ uses the fact that they form an exclusive clique that claims superiority over the rest of the school. The color pink played a big role in the movie also because pink symbolizes femininity, and the unfairly imposed rules that the Plastics used to express the color. The generality of the color pink represents the way expectations begin to take over Cady’s uniqueness.

The objects, motifs, symbols and allegories used in ‘The Double Life of Veronique’ were marionettes, reflections, the fallen ballerina and glass. The use of the marionettes was to tell the story of the two women and the idea of the puppet master reiterating their life story. The reflections represent a new point of view or another view of the characters. The glass represents an obstacle and hardships that were faced before and after. Weronika faced the fact that she had a weak heart and Veronique faced the heartbreak and absence of Weronika’s presence and not being loved back the same way. The fallen ballerina tells the life story from the perspective of the puppet master.

In conclusion, the films ‘The Double Life of Veronique’ and ‘Mean Girls’ are both similar and different and many ways. The films both share the theme of a lost identity. The directors interpret their meaning and many ways. They use the lighting and objects inserted into these films to create scenery and to give the films meaning and depth. All of the objects, literary devices, used in these two films give them free range to be defined and interpreted in many different ways.

Southwest Airlines and Delta Airlines: Comparative Analysis

A business must choose an efficient strategy in order to thrive in the present and in the future and it is “important to explore several strategic options, investigating each one carefully before making strategic choices” (Mahdi et al., 2015,) Looking at two organizations, Southwest Airlines and Delta Airlines are analyzed by looking at the external environment in which influences the company. The airline industry is a hyper-competitive industry and not all airlines are having fruitful finical performances due to some of these factors of gas prices and more competition. Another element to consider are is politics as this can play as a big piece to the operations of an airline. After the horrific terist attacks that took place back on the eleventh of September in two-thousand and eleven changed the way we travel. Security was heightened which has created longer times to get to your destination. The reason for this boost in security is due to the mandated policy from the government which has a cost associated to keeping these resources. One last thing that there is not much that can be managed is economic shifts. One example is the 2008 economical down fall that the United States went through which many people were not only losing their jobs, but their homes and had no extra money to do fun things, in which “the profits of major airlines were not only affected, but thousands of people were laid off” (Hagmann et al., 2015). One item that is a technology that must be evolving and keeping up with the times

For airlines that are slow to innovate, failure would be unavoidable, especially considering the fact that the aviation industry is not immune to economic pressures, both locally and internationally (Zou et al., 2014; Choi et al., 2015).

Social factors, such as holidaying abroad, changes in the nature of work (flexibility), aging population, and concern over the environment, continue to influence the nature and value of strategic management in the airline industry (Goetz & Sutton, 2017). Over the next three years, the popularity of international holiday destinations will rise due to an increase in disposable income, and greater awareness of foreign destinations will lead to a more diverse customer market. This means that airlines will be obliged to prioritize diversity in hiring and other human resource management activities. Changes in the nature of work will lead to increases in revenues as the number of premium travelers continues to rise with improved pay and living standards. An elderly population will mean that airlines must make the changes deemed critical when it comes to helping the elderly book flights and board them easily. Seats should be made more ergonomic. A growing concern for the environment is global warming, given that the airline industry is responsible for 3.5% of climate change, which might result in an overall increase in the demand for eco-friendly airlines (Hagmann et al., 2015; Baumeister & Onkila, 2017).

Technological factors, including information technology developments, developments in fuel efficiency, and product innovation and service excellence, have had a notable impact on both local and international airlines (Zou et al., 2014). Advances in information technology have made it possible for airlines to reach a large number of consumers and minimize the cost of marketing, such as the case with social media marketing and online booking (e-tickets) (Baumeister & Onkila, 2017).

The emergence of ticketless travel has been made possible by rapid advances in information technology, and it is expected that within the next three years, the emergence of new technologies like Internet of Things (IoT) will make it easier for airline companies to increase ticket sales via the internet, thus, minimizing operating costs related to ticket sales. It goes without emphasizing the fact that technological innovations continue to enable airlines to increase fuel efficiency, and it is expected that over the next three years the fuel bills of major airlines will be lower than 20% of operating costs. Fundamentally, technological innovation will result in a relatively lower cost of airline operations and improved efficiency (Baumeister & Onkila, 2017).

· How will these changes likely impact the companies you have chosen for analysis?

Delta Airlines is regarded as one of the best-performing airlines, and it is mainly known for its customer care, luxury, as well as a customer base comprising of upper-middle-class and business travelers. Southwest Airlines is known for its low-ticket prices, which have helped the company to expand to new market segments as well as increase its market share (Ward, Edmondson, & Matthews, 2017). Political factors shaped by recent trends in terrorism are more likely to impact both Delta and Southwest airlines since both operate within a highly regulated political environment. Stricter regulations and security measures will result in improved consumer confidence since compliance with the regulations will translate to an enhanced perception of safety among consumers, notwithstanding the high compliance costs within the industry (Hagmann et al., 2015). Price wars can prove costly for both Delta and Southwest since lower ticket prices will force the companies to cut costs using innovation and product development (Baumeister & Onkila, 2017).

Product development as a grand strategy involves a business modifying existing products to meet the needs of current consumers, for example. On the other hand, innovation entails a business creating customer acceptance of a new product or service through increased investment in R&D to introduce new products or services that meet unique needs (Pearce & Robinson, 2011). For both Delta and Southwest Airlines, product development and innovation will point toward to making massive investments in research and development. Regardless, with a strengthening economy, coupled with rapidly falling fuel prices, the operating profit margins of Delta and Southwest Airlines are expected to be over 15% within the next three years (Goetz & Sutton, 2017).

A strengthening U.S. economy will translate to favorable earnings to airlines like Southwest Airlines and Delta Airlines (Harzel, 2018). It is expected that a combination of low fuel prices and improved quality of service delivery will also allow Delta and Southwest airlines to deal with the rapidly changing economic conditions. Fuel prices are expected to comprise less than 20% of the airlines’ total operating costs over the next three years, but this only be achieved if the companies will be quick to innovate and develop its products and services (Choi et al., 2015).

Southwest Airlines and Delta Airlines operate predominantly within the domestic market, but social factors like holidaying abroad (increasing popularity of international holiday destinations) and changes in the nature of work (flexibility) will impact the firms in the sense that they have to dedicate more of their flights to foreign destinations. Also, increasing disposable income and greater awareness of international destinations will allow the firms to access a more diverse customer market (Hagmann et al., 2015). This means that airlines will be obliged to prioritize diversity in hiring and other human resource management activities. As noted above, the airline industry is responsible for 3.5% of climate change (Hagmann et al., 2015). It is for this reason that a growing concern for the environment due to global warming will force Southwest Airlines and Delta Airlines to adopt eco-friendly strategies, such as eco-friendly fuel usage and eco-friendly sources of energy to power their facilities (Zou et al., 2014; Baumeister & Onkila, 2017).

Both Southwest Airlines and Delta Airlines have in the recent past exhibited reliance on information technology and product innovation and service excellence. Advances in information technology will make it possible for the two companies to reach a large number of consumers as well as minimize the cost of operations, such as the costs linked to ticketing. Ticket-less travel and e-ticket coupled with the emergence of new technologies IoT will provide an excellent opportunity for companies to lower their operating costs. Technological innovations will enable the airlines to increase fuel efficiency further reducing their fuel bills, besides augmenting operational efficiency in a manner that helps improve the profit margins of the companies (Hagmann et al., 2015).

· Analysis of the chosen industry using one of the models presented in an article by Bereznoi (2015).

According to Bereznoi (2015), a business model as a “concept amounts to more than an arbitrarily constructed understanding of the basic mechanism through which a particular company operates” (p. 16). It can be well-thought-out as competitive tools that a business uses to curb the adverse impacts of competition within an industry. A model that best suits the airline industry is the innovative business model. This model is a particularly powerful tool with importance that has been highlighted by the failures of other companies, such as Kodak. The innovative business model puts greater emphasis on innovation, which entails a business creating customer acceptance of a new product or service (Pearce & Robinson, 2011). Based on this model, companies in the airline industry, such as Delta and Southwest should strive to be more innovative. Innovation is the beating heart of the airline industry (Hannigan et al., 2015; Bereznoi, 2015).

Since the Wright Brothers’ time, increased investment in R&D has enabled companies in the airline industry to innovate their products or services and enhance the efficiency of their operations, primarily by introducing new products and services that meet new needs of consumers who look beyond the price of a ticket (Hannigan et al., 2015). In a world struggling with global warming, airline companies must innovate to lower the percentage of their contribution to the problem, for instance, through green power. One of the most exciting innovations is electric-powered flight, which is expected to help airlines to minimize fuel costs (Hagmann et al., 2015).

Other innovations include the use of smart materials to boost aerodynamics as well as make planes faster, fuel efficient, and more durable, very high flying to reduce fuel consumption by minimizing drag and accommodating the use of smartphones to enable passengers to adjust light levels in their vicinity through the use of in-flight apps. These innovations are mainly aimed at augmenting customer experience, especially by accommodating both existing and new needs and expectations.

· Strategic choice recommendations for companies to successfully deal with the forces operating within the industry at the present time and in the near future.

Taking into account the forces in the remote environment that are likely to impact the aerospace industry within the next three years, Southwest Airlines and Delta Airlines should prioritize growth within the global tourism industry to enhance their market position (Hannigan et al., 2015). This would be an excellent approach to strengthening market share across the globe while taking advantage of new opportunities in emerging markets. Strategic alliances will allow the companies to access to international markets, thus, translating to enhanced competitive advantage (Ward et al., 2017).

Another recommendation entails minimizing operating costs through innovation and outsourcing (Ward et al., 2017). A combination of these approaches will allow the airline companies to deal with the high fuel prices that contribute to increased operating costs. An innovative business model will augment the companies in the airline industry to minimize the challenges linked to the remote environment (Goetz & Sutton, 2017).

Recognizing how strategic management encompasses a “set of decisions and actions that result in the formulation and implementation of plans designed to achieve a company’s objectives” (Pearce & Robinson, 2011, p. 7), firms in the airline industry should take into account the influence of political, legal, economic, social and environmental, and technological factors in formulating and implementing their strategic plans. In this regard, the management of both Delta Airlines and Southwest Airlines ought to consider factors like the strengthening U.S. economy, fuel prices, growth within the global tourism industry, and technological innovation to enhance market position as well as enhance the efficiency of their operations.

References

1. Baumeister, S., & Onkila, T. (2017). An eco-label for the airline industry? Journal of cleaner production, 142, 1368-1376.
2. Bereznoi, A. (2015). Business model innovation in corporate competitive strategy. Problems of economic transition, 57(8), 14-33.
3. Choi, K., Lee, D., & Olson, D. L. (2015). Service quality and productivity in the US airline industry: A service quality-adjusted DEA model. Service Business, 9(1), 137-160.
4. Goetz, A. R., & Sutton, C. J. (2017). US Airline Industry. Low-Cost Carriers:’ Emergence, Expansion and Evolution, 199.
5. Hagmann, C., Semeijn, J., & Vellenga, D. B. (2015). Exploring the green image of airlines: Passenger perceptions and airline choice. Journal of Air Transport Management, 43, 37-45.
6. Hannigan, T. J., Hamilton III, R. D., & Mudambi, R. (2015). Competition and competitiveness in the US airline industry. Competitiveness Review, 25(2), 134-155.
7. Hazel, R. (2018). Airline capacity discipline in the US domestic market. Journal of Air Transport Management, 66, 76-86.
8. Mahdi, H. A. A., Abbas, M., Mazar, T. I., & George, S. A. (2015). A Comparative Analysis of Strategies and Business Models of Nike, Inc. and Adidas Group with special reference to Competitive Advantage in the context of a Dynamic and Competitive Environment. International Journal of Business Management and Economic Research, 6(3), 167-177.
9. Pearce, J.A. & Robinson, R.B. (2011). Strategic management: Formulation, implementation and control (12th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
10. Ward, C. B., Edmondson, D. R., & Matthews, L. M. (2017). Delta Airlines: Not Exactly’ Flying High’. Journal of Critical Incidents, 10.
11. Zou, B., Elke, M., Hansen, M., & Kafle, N. (2014). Evaluating air carrier fuel efficiency in the US airline industry. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 59, 306-330.

Comparative Analysis Essay: Samurai Vs Knight

You are a feudal Knight who has traveled to feudal Japan. You visit a samurai, his daimyo, the shogun, and the emperor. Write a letter home explaining the similarities and differences you notice between these people and knights, lords, and monarchs.

• Weapons
• Armour
• Training

Weapons – Samurai

• They had a long and a short sword
• The swords were symbols of honor and status because only samurais, daimyo, and shoguns could carry them
• When a samurai lost his sword it was considered a great loss of honour
• They also carried bows and arrows
• The long sword was used in fighting
• The short swords were used to behead an enemy or sometimes they cut off their opponents’ nose
• If the samurai was dishonored (lost their sword) he was expected to commit ritual suicide, known as seppuku,
• In the 1500s onwards the samurais also carried guns

Armour – Samurai

• Laced together small pieces of leather and iron with silk thread
• The pieces were similar in looks to fish scales
• Together it made the armour flexible and weighed only 10kg
• Armour was decorated for easy identification
• Helmets had horns or frightening images to scare people as well as identify which clan the person was in
• Shaven head and the rest drawn into a ponytail

Training – Samurai

• Training sometimes consisted of walking barefoot in the snow or going long periods of time without food
• Every Samurai’s first duty was to honor and obey his master
• If a Samurai was defeated in battle, captured by the enemy or dishonored in any way they had to follow the code and commit ritual suicide, known as seppuku
• Seppuku was taken out by using their short sword to stab themselves in the abdomen and cut across the body from left to right
• Taking their life this way would prevent them and their family from public shame and disgrace

Weapons – Knights

• Knights owned a long sword, wooden lance with an iron tip, metal-headed mace, battle-axe, and dagger
• The sword was the most important weapon knights owned as it resembled the knight’s status
• The long sword was around 1 meter in length and was to be held with both hands

Armour – Knights

• Knights generally either fought in an army or were on guard duty in a castle

Training – Knights

• Knights begin training in their childhood
• A skillful knight was able to severely injure their armored enemy

Character Profile

Peyton – The name means ‘fighting man’s estate’

Age – 31 – has been training for 19 years

Status – Experienced knight

The Japanese are very different from us Europeans and it brings me great delight to inform you about my journeys in discovering more about the Japanese.

Yours sincerely, Peyton

References

1. Easton, M., Saldais, M., Smith, R., Dumovic, V. and Machar, C. (n.d.). Oxford Big Ideas Humanities 8.
2. Cartwright, M. and Cartwright, M. (2019). The Weapons of an English Medieval Knight. [online] Ancient History Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.ancient.eu/article/1238/the-weapons-of-an-english-medieval-knight/ [Accessed 29 Sep. 2019].

Comparative Analysis Essay: Ted Bundy Vs Jeffrey Dahmer

“We serial killers are your sons, we are your husbands, we are everywhere. And there will be more of your children dead tomorrow”, the serial killer Ted Bundy cautioned. Serial killers don’t kill out of greed or jealousy. So what makes a person not only murder, but murder multiple people over periods of days, weeks, and years? We will be looking at the lives of 4 different serial killers. Theodore, or ‘Ted’ Bundy, was one of the most notorious criminals of the 20th century. Bundy experienced a difficult childhood. He was shy, which made him a target of bullying. Around the age of three, he became fascinated by knives. He also had a strained relationship with his stepfather. As he grew up, he became rather intelligent and was popular with the ladies. Ted Bundy admitted to 36 killings of young women across several states in the 1970s, but experts believe that the final tally may be closer to 100 or more. The exact number of women Bundy killed will never be known. On January 24, 1989, Bundy was put to death around 7 a.m. at the Florida State Prison in an electric chair sometimes known as ‘Old Sparky.’ Outside the prison, crowds cheered and even set off fireworks after Ted Bundy’s execution.

Notorious serial killer and cannibal Jeffrey Dahmer was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. People described him as an energetic and happy child until the age of 4 when surgery to “correct a double hernia” seemed to effect a change in Dahmer. By his early teens, he was separated, suicidal, and largely friendless. Dahmer committed his first murder a little after he graduated high school. His victim was a young man by the name of Steven Hicks. Dahmer lured him to his parent’s house and killed him by launching a barbell into his head. He later disjointed the corpse and packed the body parts into little plastic bags, which he buried behind his parent’s house. When Dahmer was a little older, he enlisted in the army but was discharged due to his severe alcohol consumption. Dahmer killed a total of 17 people. Dahmer was sentenced to 16 consecutive life terms in prison. He was killed by a fellow inmate, Christopher Scarver, who claimed that Dahmer was driving him insane.

“We’ve all got the power in our hands to kill, but most people are afraid to use it. The ones who aren’t afraid, control life itself.” – Richard Ramirez

Dubbed the ‘Night Stalker,’ Richard Ramirez was an American serial killer who killed at least 14 people and tortured dozens more before being captured in 1985. As a child, Ramirez was influenced by his older cousin, Miguel, who had recently returned from fighting in the Vietnam War. They smoked marijuana together as Miguel told Ramirez about the torture and mutilation he had inflicted on several Vietnamese women, showing Ramirez some photographic evidence. At age 13, Ramirez witnessed his cousin murder his wife. Ramirez committed small theft crimes, but theft soon turned to violence. On June 28, 1984, 79-year-old Jennie Vincow, was sexually assaulted, stabbed, and killed during a burglary in her own home. What followed was a spree of brutal murders, rapes, and robberies, leaving dozens of victims in its wake. Ramirez eventually was linked to more vicious crimes. Ramirez was formally sentenced to death in the gas chamber on November 7, 1989, and was sent to prison in California to spend the remainder of his days. He spent 24 years on death row and died at the age of 53 from complications related to leukemia.

There have been countless serial killers throughout history, but Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and the Night Stalker are among the scariest ones. Ted Bundy was the “romantic” type of killer whereas Dahmer and the Night Stalker were ruthless murderers. Who knows, you could be walking next to a serial killer right now.