British Airways Marketing Report free essay sample

Current share price is 225 with a range of between 224 and 289. Marketing is ‘the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably. ’ BA used to operate in an oligopoly market however throughout the last century this has changed. Previously it was only large national companies that had enough money to provide flights however nowadays the market operates in perfect competition with high barriers to entry. BA can use marketing to promote their product, drive market share, anticipate customer requirements, satisfy customer needs and ultimately make a profit. The Marketing Mix The marketing mix is a combination of 4 P’s (product, price, place and promotion) that should be used in conjunction with each other to ensure a competitive edge over other companies. ‘The marketing mix is designed to produce mutually satisfying exchanges with a target market’. Product BA’s product in essence relates to the flights offered. However, the product can be drilled down into specific areas ranging from the airport lounges around the world, the ‘extras’ that you can buy on board such as model BA aeroplanes or even package holidays. We will write a custom essay sample on British Airways Marketing Report or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Each of these has been specifically tailored to meet customer expectations (which are highlighted in the section of the report titled ‘target market’). This part of the marketing mix focuses on how BA’s products are managed and in the Guardian case study article titled ‘BA, Iberia and American Airlines tie-up heralds new era of transatlantic travel’ dated 06/10/2010 it shows how BA have made an executive decision to link their websites with other companies to have the possibility to offer a higher number of routes (products) to their potential customers. Price Price is simply ‘the amount of money customers must pay to obtain a product’. BA’s price is generally higher than their competitors although this is because they believe they are offering higher quality. However, in recent times BA appear to be losing the price war against low cost budget competitors such as Ryanair and Easyjet. Following this, BA have undergone marketing strategies to reduce their price and carry out ‘sale discounted’ periods. BA demand immediate payment for their products, do not give credit terms or allowances. Promotion In the early days when BA was a nationalised company and the market was an oligopoly, they didn’t have to promote as much, as competition was minimal. However, with the growth of new players in the market BA have resulted to advertising in the following areas: tube stations (especially the Jubilee Line going towards Canary Wharf to target higher earners), newspapers (such as the Financial Times and Sunday broadsheets), airports (mainly in Heathrow and Gatwick – their primary hubs) and adverts between TV programmes, starting from September 2009 – such as the News, Politics programmes and factual documentaries. BA also use personal advertising techniques with their advert: ‘Come together it’s Christmas’. This uses emotional targeting to encourage people to buy their product to visit loved ones during this period. See Appendix 2. Place Currently BA do not operate from London Stanstead however a marketing decision could be taken to include this to their portfolio. This would give them a higher percentage of UK airport utilisation however a cost benefit analysis could prove this move to be not so advantageous. BA have recently ‘taken on’ Easyjet and are now offering a Gatwick-Marrakech route at discount prices. This gives customers higher choice and allows BA to remain competitive and attempt at satisfying the needs of those who want to pay less. Once BA have exhausted the 4 P’s, a S. W. O. T. Analysis will be completed to determine and examine internal strengths and weaknesses and, external opportunities and threats. S. W. O. T. Analysis Strengths The case study website article on ‘This is Money’ dated 24/01/2011 undoubtedly highlights one of the major strengths carrying BA at present. The merger between BA and Iberia has strengthened its financial position and is a step closer to ‘creating a multinational multi-brand airlines group’. BA take pride in their strong brand, high quality service and offer prestigious first class airport lounges to ensure that their customers are taken care of to the standard they expect for the prices they are paying. This is what has allowed BA to charge higher fares and gives them the image that higher class passengers are willing to pay for. By linking themselves to fellow competitors (American Airlines) and strengthening their position by joining the One World syndicate, BA have encouraged higher revenues from this tactical decision. Following the strong decline throughout the global recession, BA’s strength is ‘bouncing back’ according to the BBC News Article ‘British Airways in first profit for two years’. Although the rise in incomes and ultimately rise in profits was linked to higher cargo fares, BA were able to successfully cut costs and meet their carbon emissions targets also. Weaknesses Despite the above, BA has been renowned for strong continual losses as highlighted in the other BBC News Article ‘British Airways reports ? 164m loss’. The losses were mainly caused by the volcanic ash cloud and staff strikes both resulting in the cancellation of thousands of flights. It’s reported that just ’15 days strikes had cost the airline ? 142m’. The strikes had also had a negative impact on their declining reputation making some people not wanting to fly with them anymore. BA’s reputation was also hit when they were sued ? 10K by competitor Virgin for accessing their private files and consequently trying to poach business. If this wasn’t bad enough, in 2009 BA were fined a massive ? 110m for price fixing – known as a ‘cartel’ and this is illegal. Although passengers accept that flight travel can be dangerous, BA adds to its weakness with its own incidents. These range from a mid-air collision in 1 976, a pilot being sucked out of the aircraft when a windscreen exploded and in 2008 a BA plane at Heathrow missed the runway and crash-landed. More recently, BA has been investigating prices of flights to some destinations that were being charged at 10 times the normal price owing to a ‘system error’ online. This is going to make people think twice when booking with the company. Opportunities While the above 2 sections focus internally, opportunities and threats highlight those factors that can influence BA externally. The lifting of the recession in recent months has allowed passengers to review their spending habits and hopefully create higher disposable income in households and allow the ‘loosening of the belt’ for those corporate company credit cards. BA need to carefully position their marketing strategies at the right time in order to capture these people with that bit of extra money to spend and the report will focus on this issue in the following few pages. BA sold its Gatwick hub airport for ? 1. 5bn, although this was reportedly at a loss (as BA originally paid ? 10. 1bn for it 3 years prior), it gave BA the opportunity to invest its interests elsewhere and concentrate on a smaller number of airports. BA also sold its interest in the London Eye – now sponsored by EDF, to focus on other projects. Threats BA has been hit by threats in recent years ranging from terrorism, bad weather, volcanoes and more recently the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the civil unrest in Libya. Numerous flights have been cancelled to the Libyan capital Tripoli costing BA millions of pounds. Following this, BA has been forced to cancel their entire summer 2011 season of flight programmes. The events in Japan have also affected BA’s programmes with flights to Tokyo disrupted. The case studies provided highlight how BA ‘went into meltdown’ following the heavy snow suffered in the UK during December 2010. The conditions caused hundreds of flights to be cancelled for both cargo and passengers and the title of the article ‘British Airways says bad weather could cost it ? 50m’ sums up the situation perfectly. The terrorist events in the USA in 2001 still continue to make passengers nervous of flying, especially Trans-Atlantic and this is always going to be a sensitive subject that BA would find hard to market against. By doing so, they would not want to seem like they are publicising terrorism but at the same time have concentrated their marketing strategies on the highest standard of comfort and ‘relaxability’. A final threat is shown in an article by the Telegraph where BA is ‘attacked’ by a social media Facebook campaign where Gatwick workers have criticised BA’s Terminal 5 at Heathrow calling it ‘shambolic’ and the page was even designed with videos showing the CEO of BA wrestling with baggage and trolleys. This damages BA’s reputation and makes a mockery of their brand. All of the factors mentioned above in the marketing mix and S. W. O. T. Analysis are important for BA to consider however if the company does not have a target market to aim their products at, the company would not be able to survive. British Airways Target Market and Positioning Strategy In order to ensure BA’s products are directed at the correct audience to maximise revenues and profits, careful market research needs to be invested in to find a target market. ‘The basis of target marketing is market segmentation’; which splits the market into groups of potential customers that have the same characteristics. From the 3 marketing strategies, it’s believed that BA use a ‘differentiated strategy’ as they focus on several specific areas of the market to target. The characteristics below offer ome possibilities that link all of BA’s customers together. Watch the News on television Celebrities Speak a 2nd language Middle/Upper Class Holiday in non-European destinations Read non-fiction In full time employment or retired Have higher disposable incomes By segmenting the customer base to determine a ‘target market’ BA split the market depending on the following variables: * Demographic – age, gender * Geographic – where the target is based * Geo-demographic – size of households, number of cars etc.. depending on location * Psychographic – lifestyle, attitudes Behavioural – the relationship between the target market and the product As the points show in the circle above, BA focus their marketing strategies on those that have higher income and appear in the middle/upper classes of the population, this is evident from the prices of their products and the quality of the service offered. Both genders are targeted equally with the age range (generally) being between 35 to 65. The BA advertising strategies are positioned to target those situations that their customers can relate to and dream about – i. . luxury holidays, comfortable flights and a reliable service. This concentrates on the behavioural variable. Geographically, as BA is a British company, the target market is centralised in the UK however following partnerships with fellow companies such as American Airlines for example, a wider global base is reached. BA have positioned their product away from their low cost budget competitors acknowledging that they offer a more luxurious alternative to cheap travel. Their positioning strategy can lso be seen in the ‘product class membership’ which again, separates BA’s service away from the Easyjets and Ryanairs. By doing this, BA have created their own competitive advantage and have taken an alternative route to satisfy other customers needs that are not centered around saving money. Marketing Recommendations In order for BA to evaluate how successful their target market strategies and their positioning tactics are, the report recommends that the company should see how many levels of ‘Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs’ are being satisfied from a purchase of a BA flight. This can be seen in Appendix 3. Psychological needs: SATISIFIED: shelter from the cold, provision of food and oxygen * Safety needs: SATISIFIED: provision of a safe environment and reassuring customers * Belongingness and love needs: N/A * Esteem needs: N/A * Self-actualization needs: Possibly relevant to those who are over-coming their fear of flying. Secondly, BA could conduct marketing research to determine ‘why’ customers buy their products in the first place. This could be conducted as a quick questionnaire either in-flight when the customers are all in one place at the same time or as a mandatory set of questions when booking flights. This will help BA to see what criteria are satisfied during the stage of the ‘buyer decision process’. There are 3 possibilities however the report recommends that BA would come across the most popular varible below: * Routine Response Behaviour: Customers who are frequent flyers, possibly members of the Executive Club, they are aware of the low cost competition however have a loyalty towards BA and favour their service. Appendix 4 shows where the report deems BA’s product to currently be in the market. By carrying out the market research above and with the new strong group behind the company, the brand could move backwards in the graph and back and return to the growth stage. This can also be said of Appendix 5, by moving BA from a question mark in the Boston Matrix and positioning it in the ‘star’ category. The report recommends BA to further extend their marketing strategy to concentrate on ‘holidays’ and not just flights. This links closely with an interview carried out by ‘Marketing Week’ and BA’s Head of Marketing, Richard Tams. ‘We are devoting more and more of our reativity in any given campaign to talking about holidays’. BA should extend this further and working with tourist boards of exotic countries to promote cheaper package holidays with the support of the Government in those ‘further to reach’ luxurious locations. Tams states ‘we are looking to move BA. com to much more into the space of a t ravel website rather than a flights website’. The report strongly agrees with this marketing strategy and would fully support BA’s proposals. This widens their product mix and allows a larger more diverse target market to be captured. Conclusion The report has analysed the company British Airways firstly concentrating on the product mix and a S. W. O. T analysis. The report has described the company’s target audience and commented on the current positioning strategy of British Airways. The report has concluded with marketing recommendations that could be put in place to ensure the long time success of the company. Future events that British Airways will have to be aware of include the UK Government adjusting passenger air tax and carbon emission regulations. 2,682 words. Bibliography All referenced throughout. Books Jobber, D. 2001 4th edition ‘Principals and Practices of Marketing’, McGraw Hill International, P 810 * Kotler, P. 2010 9th edition ‘Principals of Marketing’, Pearson * Lamb, C. 2009 6th edition ‘Essentials of Marketing’, Neil Marquardt * The Chartered Institute of Marketing, LSBU lecture notes Websites All accessed between 24/03/2011 and 30/04/2011 * www. bbc. co. uk /news * www. dailymail. co. uk/travel/article-1369100/Libya-action-hits-British-Airways-flights. html * www. guardian. co. uk * www. google. co. uk/finance? q=PINK%3ABAIRY * www. iagshares. com www. letsstartthinking. org/quickreference/maslow-need-hierarchy. asp * www. marketingweek. co. uk/sectors/travel-and-leisure/airlines/qa-with-ba-marketing-head-richard-tams/3019560. article * www. news. airwise. com/story/view/1300492770. html * www. news. cheapflights. co. uk/ /ba-takes-on-easyjet-on-gatwick-marrakech-route * http://phx. corporate-ir. net/External. File? item=UGFyZW50SUQ9ODMyOTJ8Q2hpbGRJRD0tMXxUeXBlPTM=amp;t=1 * www. telegraph. co. uk/travel/3366187/British-Airways-staff-attack-passengers-on-Facebook. html * www. thisislondon. co. k/standard/article-23431527-london-eye-looks-for-new-sponsor-as-ba-pulls-out. do * www. thisismoney. co. uk * http://uk. reuters. com/article/2009/10/21/uk-baa-idUKTRE59K1D820091021 * www. utalkmarketing. com/UTMImages/2/BA_terminal5_2. jpg Append ices 1. ) Group structure of IAG 2. ) BA advert 3. ) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs 4. ) Product Life Cycle 5. ) Boston Matrix [ 1 ]. www. iagshares. com [ 2 ]. http://www. google. co. uk/finance? q=PINK%3ABAIRY [ 3 ]. Lamb, C, 2009 ‘Essentials of Marketing’ 6th edition. Neil Marquardt,

The Best ACT Prep Websites You Should Be Using

The Best ACT Prep Websites You Should Be Using SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips When you think ofTwitterorInstagram, your first thought probably isn't aboutACT prep. But you can actually find veryhelpful ACT information on these sites and several others. Rather than relying solely on heavy ACT prep books, you can lighten your load by moving your ACT prep online. You'll find lots of free resources on everything, from test content and key strategies to high-quality practice questions. This guide will go over the besttest prep websites you should be using if you're aiming to ace the ACT. But first, a word on the perspective Ihave when it comes to ACT websites. Disclaimer: How ACT Websites Can Help You You might be wondering how objective a guide from an online ACT prep company can be about recommending other online ACT resources. To give full disclosure, I personally think PrepScholar has the most insightful and relevant ACT guides available online. We delve into every aspect of the testing process, such as choosing your test dates, understanding the scoring process, knowing exactly what's on each section, and using time-saving comprehension strategies to maximize your scores.We also take a holistic approach to test prep, keeping in mind that every student has different goals and schedules and can come from any grade in middle school or high school. That being said, there are several other websites that are important to explore and learn from as you prep for the ACT. Rather than limiting yourself to one source of information, you can best prepare yourself and boost your scores by taking advantage of all free online ACT resources. This guide is meant to help you find the best ACT websites for the following: Logistics, such as choosing your test dates and registering for the test Understanding the content and format of the test Learning strategies Locating the highest-quality practice questions that will get you ready for the ACT First, let's take a look at the official ACT website and the parts of it that are most useful to you. Official ACT Website The official ACT website is where you'll register for the ACT. Here, you'll create an account with a username and password, and then upload a photo of yourself. Besides test dates and registration, the ACT website offers a useful overview of accommodations, what to take with you on test day, and college and financial planning. Since you can find more in-depth information about mostof these areas elsewhere, I'd say the most useful part of the ACT website for test prep is its official sample questionsfor the English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing sections. After you create an ACT account, you can find an ACT Question of the Day, which can be useful to start early and study a little at a time. The site also offers a useful ACT study guide in both English and Spanish. If you don't mind spending a bit, you can also purchase the ACT Online Prep Program for $39.95. This program haslessons in English, Reading, Math, and Science; it also has two Writing prompts and sample essays. Itoffers some degree of personalization and keeps track of your progress so you know what you've studied and what you still need to review. Practice questions from ACT, Inc., are extremely useful ,as they are official questions directly from the test makers and thus the truest representation of what you'll encounter on the ACT. However, they're not updated very often, and the website has a relatively small number of ACT practice questionsavailable for free. I recommend answering these only after having done some other prep first as a way to gauge your level and figure out what you still need to improve. Another drawback of these ACT practice questions is that your answers are evaluated after each page; this formatdoesn't simulate the timing or pacing of the actual ACT. The ACT website is useful for general information and the limited number of practice questions it offers, but you'll want to look elsewhere for strategy.While this website offers a few test-taking tips, it's pretty surface level and not customized to different students. Since ACT, Inc., doesn't want to give away test-taking secrets or strategies for seeing through their tricks, the official site is not going to offer much in the way of this kind of guidance. So what other sites can you use to find strategy as well as additional high-quality ACT practice questions? These are the best sites for drawing upyour ACT game plan. Best ACT Websites for Strategy If you've searched for ACT resources online, you've probably noticedthat there are a lot more sites devoted to the SAT than the ACT. Even though the ACT is just as popular among students, the test-prep resources don't seem to havequite caught up yet. That's why you'll often search for ACT vocabulary and get referred to lists of obscure SAT vocabulary words, or try to find ACT Questions of the Dayonly to realize they're not all that specific to the test. In terms of ACT-specific content and strategy guides, I believe that PrepScholar far outstrips the competition in its level of detail and authenticity.As we'll discuss more below, though, you can also find some helpful strategies for ACT Reading, English, and Writing on Erica Meltzer's blog, The Critical Reader, and learn about the purpose of the ACT and the approaches you can take through Sparknotes. PrepScholar ACT Guides PrepScholar offers a wide variety of in-depth guides with specific, realistic ACT examples. We break down exactly what's tested on each section and give yousuggested study schedules to help you manage your time as well as strategies for guessing.What's more, we customize our advice to make it relevant to students of all grade levels and with all different target scores and schedules. Here are some of our especially helpful guides that break down exactly what's tested on each section of the ACT: What's Actually Tested on the ACT English Section? What's Actually Tested on the ACT Reading section? The 4 Types of ACT Reading Passages You Should Know What's Actually Tested on the ACT Math Section? What's Actually Tested on the ACT Science Section? The 3 Types of ACT Science Passages While these guides offer some strategy along with explanation of ACT content, you can find others that are specifically oriented toward teaching you strategies and helping you master the test: The Ultimate Free ACT Study Guide: Tips, Strategies, and Practice The Best Way to Review Your Mistakes onACT Questions The 31 ACT Critical Math Formulas You Must Know The Complete Guide to ACT Grammar Rules Time Management Tips and Section Strategy on ACT Science ACT Vocabulary | Words You Must Know How to Write an ACT Essay: Step Exactly How Long Should You Study for the ACT? 6 Step Guide Should You Guess on the ACT? 5 Guessing Strategies How to Get a Perfect ACT Score, by a 36 Full Scorer In offering you these links, our hope is thatall students will have access to the resources they need to succeed in high school and achieve their post-secondary goals. We also welcome comments and emails and try to respond to your questions and input as soon as possible. If PrepScholar's approach resonates with your ACT goals and learning style, then you should check out our ACT prep 5 day free trial. This gives you access to the full ACT prep program. At the end of the five days, you can call it a day or choose to sign up for the rest of the test prep program. The best way to make the most of these ACT guides is to try out the strategies they suggest using sample problems and timed practice tests. You can thendetermine which ones best help you comprehend the material in a deep and efficient way. Erica Meltzer's The Critical Reader Erica Meltzer posts helpful, though sometimes short, blog posts about the Reading, English, and essay sections of the ACT. They are accessible and offer tips and tricks beyond what you would find on the official ACT website. Some particularly helpful posts include the following: A suggestion for managing time on ACT English Worry about when you DO need a comma, not when you don't Do ACT Reading passages in order of most to least interesting Shortcut: paragraph "main function" Reading both this blog and PrepScholar's guides will expose you to different strategies so you can determine which ones work best for you. For instance, Meltzer suggests that students read entire passages before answering questions, which is not necessarily the advice we give for reading ACT passages. By exploring content across various sites, you can learn more than one approach and customize the advice to best fit your learning style and needs. Sparknotes and the ACT If the ACT were better served online, thenSparknotes might not have made the list as an especially useful ACT website. 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While official practice questions are the best ones for test prep, there are a lot of high-quality practice questions from well-known test-prep companies. These sites are a good start for finding free online (both official and unofficial) ACT practice questions. PrepScholar Resource for Official ACT Practice Tests Our convenient guide lets you download and print all official ACT practice testsalong with their answer keys.These are real tests administered in past years, so they're exactly like what you'll see on test day! Once you've printed out a practice test, find a quiet room and time yourself as you take it. After you finish, go back and analyze your strengths and weaknesses. You can also check out ourfree five-day trial for our ACT prep program to access tons more practice questions. PowerScore This prep website lets you download four official ACT practice tests with answer keys (these are the same tests we've compiled above). Once again, try tosimulate testing conditions to get a sense of time management and the real test experience.You should also pay close attention to how ACT questions are worded and arranged. Since there are no answer explanations here, you'll have to try to analyze your own mistakes and figure out what your errors in reasoning are for any questions you get wrong. Varsity Tutors Unlike the official practice tests you'd have to print and score yourself, Varsity Tutors offers free ACT questions you can do online and get automatically scored. These questions are helpful for reviewing concepts and reinforcing content knowledgebut less so for gaining familiarity with how actual ACT questions are structured and worded (since they're not official practice questions). Khan Academy Even though Khan Academy's test-prep videos are mainly for the SAT, they contain plenty of advice you can apply to the ACT as well. Check out our guide to using Khan Academy for ACT prep to learn exactly how to use this resource. Khan Academy has numerous videos explaining different math, science, and reading subjects, and many people find that they learn more from watching a video compared to just reading. Try Khan Academy out to see whether it's a good ACT prep resource for you. Overall, although the ACT is not as well served online as the SAT is, you can still find a number of good resources for test-taking strategy and practice questions, in the form of bothofficial tests and practice questions. But what else should you do to make the most of these resources and get prepared for the ACT? How to UseACT Websites Effectively First off, to best use the official ACT website, you'll want tocreate an account by filling out your personal information and uploading a photo. Make sure to write down your username and password since you'll be creating a lot of online accounts during the college process and don't want to find yourself locked out of your account! When it comes to PrepScholar's guides, Erica Meltzer's blog, and the other sites discussed above, simply visit them and get reading and practicing. As with theACT StudentTwitter account, you can follow PrepScholar on Twitter and Facebookor subscribe to our newsletter for helpful test-prep and college-admissions information. One site I didn't mention for test prep is College Confidential. This useful forum lets you discuss test prep and the college process andgain a sense of community among both students and parents. By sharing your questions and stories, you can get valuable insight and support as you work toward achieving your ACT goals. Above all, I highly recommend searching for and trying out strategies that you think will work best for you. Unfortunately, the official ACT website doesn't publicize many strategies that'll give you an edge on the test. There are manyvaluable approaches you can use as you prep for the ACT. Make sure toexplore these online resources and figure out what works best for you so that you can achieve your best ACT scores! What's Next? The guides on ACT strategyI mentioned above are just a few of the guides PrepScholar offers- and that we're continually adding to every day. Browse more guides on general strategies for taking the test and ones specific to Math, Science, English, Reading, and the essay. You can also learn more about the exact content and format of each ACT section, such ashow much science you actually need to know to master the ACT Science section. Are youwondering when you should sign up to take the ACT for the first time? This guide describes the most important considerations to help you choose the best test date for you. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points?We have the industry's leading ACT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and ACT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today:

Promotion of diversity and equality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

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HLTH 252 DB1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Mussolini's War Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mussolini's War Speech - Essay Example Such regimes flourished during the politically uncertain period in Europe following the First World War. Italy and Germany were the most important centers of such fascist governments. The arguments that are provided by Mussolini for the war against Ethiopia, a country which they had failed to subdue for around a century are not scientifically valid. Economically and as far as military might was concerned, Italy would not have been able to hold up against the might of the Allied powers alone, who supported the League of Nations, which had condemned the attack on Ethiopia (Italy in the Second World War). Mussolini’s claim that â€Å"to acts of war†, he would â€Å"reply with acts of war† (Mussolini Justifies War Against Ethiopia) is thus, based on his needs to rouse his countrymen and gain their support rather than a scientifically legitimate claim on his part. The text talks of the need to invade Ethiopia at a point of time when the sentiments of the international community were against such an invasion. Italy did not really have the ability to stand against such opposition as was proven in a disastrous manner by the Second World War. Mussolini’s claims are based on hope and intuition and not on reports of diplomatic understanding. They are also directed at invoking the intuitive nationalist sentiments of the Italians rather than an appeal to their sense of rational understanding. Mussolini reasons with himself about the chances of his victory- while talking of France and Great Britain, he speaks about the improbability of their doing so. This is a case of inductive reasoning whereby he uses particular examples to prove that a certain event would not come about. He also rejects responsibility for any act of violence that may follow an act of violence upon Italy. This is an example of causal reasoning whereby he talks of retribution on the part of the Italians would be the effect of violence on the part of others. Mussolini here shies away from responsibility and this was one of the important characteristics of the fascist regimes that developed during the interwar years. The regimes that came up during this period led their people into war; they were, however, unable to ensure that their people would come out of the war unscathed. Italy and Germany spent many years following the Second World War trying to recoup from its effects. The process of rebuilding took great efforts on the part of the German and Italian people. When Mussolini says that the people of Italy had been impressed by the work of the fascists, he means it to be an example of deductive logic. When he says that fascism was a spectacle that history had not seen till then, he means it to be the premise that along with the premise of the effectiveness of fascism led to the twenty million people of Italy gathering together in support of Mussolini and the institution of fascism. The techniques of logic and reasoning are employed in a very effective and convincing manner by Mussolini. The power of oratory that shines through his entire speech was a feature that was very important in his journey to success. This was important in the consolidation of his power of Mussolini over the people of Italy. The Italian people were swayed in a manner that was similar to the way in which the Germans were swayed by Adolf Hitler in later years. The promise of economic development was a major reason as to why people were misled in

The Metallurgy Options for Tubing

The Metallurgy Options for Tubing The metallurgy of tubing is a very important factor while choosing tubing for a particular environment. Generally the tubing is made up of carbon or low alloy steels, martensitic stainless steel, Duplex stainless steel or other corrosion resistant alloys like Nickel-base alloy etc. METALLURGY FOR TUBING: Carbon steel is an alloy of carbon and iron containing up to 2% carbon and up to 1.65% manganese and residual quantities of other elements.Steels with a total alloying element content of less than about 5% but more than specified for carbon steel are designated as low alloy steel.Carbon steel is the most common alloy used in oil industry because of its relatively low cost. Though corrosion resistance of these steels is limited still they have been used in oil industry since long satisfactorily. They are suitable for mildly corrosive environments like low partial pressure of CO2 low partial pressure of H2S. A material selected for a particular environment may not remain suitable in the case the environmental conditions change.CO2 can cause extreme weight loss corrosion localized corrosion, H2S can cause sulphide stress cracking and corrosion. Chlorides at high temperature can cause stress corrosion cracking and pitting of metals, while low pH in general increases corrosion rate. For example the following material are considered to be resistant to sulphide stress cracking : Low and medium alloy carbon, containing less than 1% nickel. AISI 300 series stainless steels (Austenitic) that is fully annealed and free of cold work. The following materials have been found to have little or no resistance to sulphide stress cracking: AISI Grades 420 and 13% Cr martensitic stainless steel. All cold finished steels including low and medium alloy steels, many variety of stainless steel. The limitations of Carbon steel, 9-Cr-1 Mo, 13-Cr, Duplex stainless steel are encountered in various environments and downhole operations. METALLURGY OPTIONS FOR TUBING: The various metallurgical options examined for tubing and other downhole equipment are Carbon Low Alloy Steels, 9 Cr-1Mo steel, 13% Cr stainless steel, Duplex Stainless steel and nickel based alloys. A brief of the suitability and limitations of these materials in various environments encountered in oil and gas wells: 9Cr-1Mo steel. This steel is immune to stress corrosion cracking in the presence of chlorides like other nickel free low alloy steels. Corrosion resistance of this steel in the presence of H2S is poor. Hence it is not used in tubing metallurgy commonly. 13Cr Stainless steel. This steel can be used upto 100 atms CO2 partial pressure and upto 150 degree Celsius temperature with chloride upto 50 gms/L. This martensitic grade is known to be susceptible to sulphide stress cracking in sour environment.This material is generally used for sweet wells where minimum souring is expected. Duplex Stainless Steel. Duplex SS has excellent corrosion resistance in CO2 environment. The limitation of their usage is their susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking at high temperature and limited resistance to sulphide stress cracking, when H2S is present in the produced fluid. Nickel Based Alloys. Nickel based alloys are required to be used in extremely corrosive conditions involving very high partial pressure of H2S and CO2 along with presence of free sulphur or oxygen. SELECTION OF TUBING METALLURGY: From the various metallurgical options I have analyzed, it can be concluded that low alloy carbon steel is not suitable for the wells where high corrosion risk involved, particularly in offshore. If low allow materials were to be used, an intensive corrosion inhibitor treatment program is essential. However, even with the best of programs, the solution to the problem would be trial and error. Although 9Cr-1 Mo steels are resistant to CO2 attack, they should not be considered for this application since their application in chloride environment is limited up to 10 gms/l (1%).With the high concentrations of chlorides coupled with the high well bore temperature; this material is not suitable for downhole use in these wells. Duplex stainless steel is susceptible to chloride stress cracking and should not be used with the CaCl2 packer fluid. Also, the price for Duplex material is three to four times the cost of 13 Cr SS material, which would make it economically unacceptable. Hence, in spite of the additional up-front cost for tubing , it is recommended that based on the caliper survey results , high corrosion risk wells of field should be re-completed with 13% Cr SS L-80 tubing material. PROBLEMS OBSERVED: The occurrence of metal loss corrosion in pipeline is caused by the presence of corrodents in the produced water. Internal corrosion in pipeline can be caused by the presence of mill scale, slag inclusions, improper heat treatment, improper welding, too high or too low velocity etc. The erosion/corrosion effect can be caused by too high fluid velocity. Water and sludge build develop with too low fluid velocity that may cause pitting and bacteria infestations. At low fluid velocity, water will tend to segregate to the bottom of the pipeline. Once the pipeline is water wetted, the corrosion begins. When corrosion is not controlled, time to first failure due to corrosion will be normally from three to twelve years depending on the wall thickness and operating conditions. Corrosion of most material is inevitable and can seldom be completely eliminated. But it can be controlled by carefully selecting material and protection methods at the design stage. For example, as carbon steel is less resistance to corrosion allowance is given in addition to the design thickness when they are expected to handle moderately corrosive fluid. Similarly, external surface of the pipeline are protected from corrosive soils by providing protective coatings. Still, there is always unexpected failure which results from one or more of the following reasons : Poor choice of material. Defective fabrication. Improper design. Inadequate protection/maintenance. Defective material. CONCLUSION: Corrosion due to presence of CO2 gas along with unfavorable water chemistry is the cause of the piping failures. It is recommended that tubing metallurgy shall be of L-80 13 Cr stainless steel with premium joints. The downhole metallurgy shall be 13 Cr SS. These elastomeric materials include: Nitrile: A rubber compound with base material as Butadiene Acrylonitrile. Viton: A fluoroelastomer manufactured by Dupont. Fluorel: A fluoroelastomer manufactured by 3M company. Ryton: A polyphenylene sulfide manufactured by Philips Petroleum Company. REFERENCES: Effect of microstructure Cr content in steel on CO2 corrsion. By Masakatsu Veda, Aki Ikeda, Japan. Prediction of the risks of CO2 corrosion in oil and gas wells. By Jl Crolet, Mr Bonis. CO2 corrosion in oil wells. By Gunalton , Zadko.

Financial Ratios, Discriminant Analysis and the Prediction of Corporat

The article Financial Ratios, Discriminant Analysis and the Prediction of Corporate Bankruptcy was written in 1968 by Edward I. Altman. The purpose of the article is to address the quality of ratio analysis as an analytical technique. At the time some academicians were moving away from ratio analysis and moving toward statistical analysis. The article attempted to determine if ratio analysis should be continued, eliminated and replaced by statistical analysis or serve together with statistical analysis as cofactors in financial analysis. The example case used by the article was the prediction of corporate bankruptcy. Ratios traditionally measure the most important factors such as liquidity, solvency and profitability, as well as other measures of solvency. Different studies have found various ratios to be the most efficient indicators of solvency. Studies of ratio analysis began in the 1930’s, with several studies of the concluding that firms with the potential to file bankruptcy all exhibited different ratios than those companies that were financially sound. Among the study’s findings were that the deciding factor of the predictor of bankruptcy should not be only a few ratios, as the measure of a company’s financial solvency may differ as the firm’s situations differ. The important question is to which ratios are to be used and of those ratios chosen, which ratios are given priority weight. After discussions, a multiple discriminant analysis (MDA), a statistical technique, was chosen. MDA was used primarily to classify and make prediction in problems where the dependent variable was in qualitative form, e.g. bankrupt or non-bankrupt. The primary advantage of MDA was its ability to sequentially examine individual ch... ...el such as: purpose of the loan, maturity of the security pledged, the history of the client with the company and the unique characteristics that the bank’s customers might have. It was the conclusion of the author that financial ratios when combined with statistical analysis still remain a valuable tool. The theoretical conclusion was that ratios used within a multivariate framework take on a more influential role than when used in isolation. The discriminate model was very accurate in the initial sample of 66 firms, correctly predicting 94 percent of the original bankrupt firms. The potential suggested used of the model included: business credit evaluation, investment guidelines and internal control procedures. The MDA model also showed potential to ease some problems in the selection of securities of a portfolio but further investigation was recommended.

On Berkeley’s Concept of God and Heinous Sins Essay

It is a misconstrual in positing that George Berkeley’s axiom that God being the author of ideas is responsible for all heinous crimes. And worst, claiming that such postulate of Berkeley is the loophole in his argument and philosophical treatise is reading his philosophic stance superficially. Relying on a version of the argument from design, Berkeley concluded that our ‘ideas’ are produced in our minds by the will of God acting directly. So God, whom we may safely assume to act (in Berkeley’s estimation) in full knowledge of what he is doing, must himself have all the ideas which he generates in human minds, as well as those which he would generate, if the right human acts of will occurred to make them appropriate. And for Berkeley, this would amount to saying that God perceives the whole of physical reality, since physical reality simply is a certain infinitely complex constellation of ideas, and having them before one’s consciousness is perceiving it. That would be, in itself, a welcome conclusion, when we perceive the physical world, what we do is just the same as what God does when he perceives it; all that happens in either case is that a mind has certain perceptions, nothing more, and so the human mind can be just as sure of what it perceives as is the divine mind of what it perceives. But it does not necessarily follow that he is the author of evil because as Berkeley defined sin, it is the manifestation of the spirit’s will, meaning it is not something that is innate to the motion of its body or God’s design (Berkeley 1988). Thus when ethical issues or moral conflict arises, it is not necessary to blame for the transpiration of events. For example, the espousal of capital punishment is not authored by God, but it was the product of human will and faculty. The problem is, when humanity cannot explain things, they tend to account it to God. Unfortunately, they forget that there is no necessary connection between cause and effect, and they failed to realize that heinous sins such as adultery, murder and sacrilege are not will of God but of ours.

Essay on The most Beautiful Day of My Life Essays

Essay on The most Beautiful Day of My Life Essays Essay on The most Beautiful Day of My Life Essay Essay on The most Beautiful Day of My Life Essay Essay Topic: Life Is Beautiful I stepped out of the hotel, the big bright sun was upon us like bees with their honey. It was around 4 oclock in the evening and I was already tired. The teachers were explaining how the hike today was going to be the hardest. Listing to them, there was a bit of regret that started building from the pit of my stomach. What if I went to Strasbourg? Would it be easier? While my series of thoughts were flashing in my mind, I opened my black bag once again to check if I had brought everything that I needed. I was mentally checking my packing list as pools of students started filling outside the hotel. Ms. Shippey finally got our attention, she informed us that there is a 10-minute walk to Stromboli. I groaned internally and thought, â€Å"why couldnt we take a minibus or something!†. After the longest 10 minutes walk, my shirt had a big stain of sweat on the back, my forehead was dripping from sweat as if I decided to dump my entire water bottle on my head. I started to feel sticky, a great way to start a hike! We meet up with two tall men, wearing the same gear and with a pair of black hiking poles each. They were our guides, they talked to us about ways they were going to explain the geography of Stromboli. They were also strict that about every 25 minutes we would have a break, not before and not after. Listing to them at first made me feel at ease, but what came next is what causes the real shock. 5 minutes into the hike, I was done for. My legs started to feel like they weighed 1000 tons each and my throat was dry as the Sahara no matter how much water I drink. The hot sun was like my shadow, and sweat was like my second skin. I really started to regret coming to Sicily. My friends were walking ahead of me creating a cloud of ash behind them. The air quickly turned to be thick. I couldnt breathe from my nose anymore, it felt like I had stapled my nose about 100 times, no space for the oxygen to get in. I started breathing from the mouth, but it as useful as a white color pencil. 2 hours into the hike and I could finally breathe. We were about 500 meters up, the rocks now have changed. There were all shapes of rocks scattered everywhere, they had a pigmentation of either black or dark brown. The way to walk up was narrow, and every time I walked up a narrow lane I would hold my breath and pray to god that I survive. After about 2 hours we were finally on top of Stromboli. My skin now had a second layer of goosebumps, I hugged myself as I make my way up to the final destination. The hike already seemed to be worth it. The sun was still out, but this time it gave me warmth. The blue ocean was in the background, it looked so calm, almost making it dangerous. The sky was painted a baby blue and accompanying them were birds; spreading their wings and flying away. We were standing at a point where everything looked like a Picasso painting. The teachers asked us to hurry up, Mr. Ashworth said, â€Å"This is not even the best part yet!† A small walk and we were finally on top, looking down, we can see a beautiful cone made up of a dark brown rock; the volcano itself. Next to the volcano were two craters; they were like mini volcanoes. I was about to sit down, but a sound almost like a thunder stopped me. I looked towards the big volcanoes and the next thing I see is hot, red lava sprinkling out of the volcano, it looked like Jet dEau back home except it wasnt water, it was lava. After that eruption followed a numerous amount of others. The volcanoes were magical, seeing the eruptions felt like going to Disneyland for the first time when you were a kid. The volcanoes were surrounded by the still water and directly above is the light of a dazzling sun. I sat down on the thick layer of ash, that was warm due to the eruptions. All my regrets were gone, I felt like someone who went to a concert of their favorite band or singer. After a few more eruptions, there was a thick white gas that was making it way upon us. We all started coughing, the gas-filled my lungs trying to be the replica of oxygen. Soon we were given masks and it got much better. After spending an hour upon Stromboli, we were making our way down. The guides had asked us to wear our gaiters and they informed us that the hike down was going to be easy. I instantly fell into a peaceful state. We were going straight down digging our legs into the thick layer of brownish ash. We looked like kangaroos skipping and jumping our way down. The ash was like a mixture of sand and burnt paper mixed together. We quickly made our way down, sometimes taking a break to clear our hiking boots from volcanic ash. Today was the most beautiful day of my life, it was magical and surreal. Even though the volcanoes looked like mountains with no vegetation on them, they were still beautiful. They belonged there and so did everything surrounding. What I realized because of this hike is that I am never going to regret this hike.

Neuropsychological Tests Essays

Neuropsychological Tests Essays Neuropsychological Tests Essay Neuropsychological Tests Essay As Alzheimers develops, the patient may need help with house chores, cleaning and shopping, if possible, it is a good idea to let them help you as much as they can. If you are the sole carer, you will begin to realise how much help they will need. In severe cases the patient may need help with washing and dressing themselves. This can be hard for both a family carer and the patient, as the patient does not want to lose their pride. This may cause friction, as patient wants to help him or herself as much as possible, but will soon realise that you are only there to help. Speaking from personal experience, if the patient becomes unable to walk, the caring becomes a lot harder as 24-hour care is probably required. If you have a job and a family this may be virtually impossible. Employing a home help takes some of the strain of yourself, and frees up more time for you to enjoy spending time with the patient, talking to them taking them out to visit places as much as possible. Both the family and the patient would enjoy even a trip to the park. Four neuropsychologists, named Farias, Neumann, Harrful and Houtz in 2003 found that along with cognitive impairments, there were also impairments in daily tasks in the early stages of Alzheimers. In their study, the age of the patients did not make a difference to the results, but the level of education do. This was especially noticeable when the patient was using a phone or balancing a chequebook. This means that the more education someone has, the less likely they are to develop severe Alzheimers. If the patient has little education, it may be helpful to help them read more books or play games that test their general knowledge. Neuropsychological tests may help to give an idea of how much care a patient may need in regards to daily tasks, but should not be used solely, as the caregivers input would help to give a better idea.  I know there is no cure for Alzheimers disease but is there anything thing that can slow down the process? Although Alzheimers is irreversible, some treatment can help the memory and other disabilities associated with it. This treatment can be many things from dietary supplements to drugs.  There is a chemical in the brain named Acetylcholine (Ach for short). When someone has Alzheimers, there is a shortage of Ach. Ach has been found to cause problems with memory if its levels are too low. Some drugs can be administered to increase the levels of Ach. These included Cognex, a drug that prevents the breakdown of Ach, and Synapton, which causes more Ach to be made. These can both help the memory in someone with Alzheimers, it must be remembered that this may not always work, like many drugs, and that they must only be given in small doses because they have side effects if too much of the drug is administered. Dietary supplements, like vitamin E, can be given to the patient to help slow down the progression of the disease. Emilian and his colleagues first discovered this in 2001. Magnesium is thought to be a good supplement to keep the brain active.  Away from the drug side of things, counselling is thought to be a way to help the disease to slow down in its development. It is often useful for the patient to talk to someone outside the family or care circle. This can be done on a one to one basis or in a group. Unlike many other diseases or disorders, Zarit in 1980, said that it may not be a good idea to get the person to admit they have a problem because denial may be helping them to keep going without help. For the patient this means that if they think there is nothing wrong, they will continue to carry out daily tasks for longer instead of giving in. I believe that by keeping the brain active it may help to slow down the process of Alzheimers. The following suggestions are things I would like to have used with my Grandmother, they make not be clinically proven but they may help to prevent the deterioration of Alzheimers. These are also fun things for both you and the patient to do together.  Gene This is the smallest physical unit, which makes up DNA.  E4 Gene Allele A form of a gene, which is passed on through your parents. Cognitive A derivative of the word cognition, a collective word for the workings of the mind. This involves thinking, judging, reasoning, memory and planning.  Neuropsychologists A psychologist who specialises in cognition and brain function.  Neuropsychological Tests These detect impairments in various parts of the brain. Many different tests have been deigned to detect different impairments.  Acetylcholine A neurotransmitter found in the brain. The levels of this are below normal in a patient with Alzheimers.  Cognex A drug used to prevent the breakdown of Acetylcholine.  Synapton A drug used to maintain the levels of Acetylcholine.

Social enterprise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Social enterprise - Essay Example The enterprises must ensure collaboration and implement competitive strategies that will ensure sustainability in providing high quality products and services to their stakeholders. The enterprises must remain committed to their strategies bottom lines of improving social and environmental welfare of the society. In addition, national government agencies must support their activities through favorable regulatory framework. Social enterprises aim at attaining both commercial and social goals. In this case, a social enterprise whether for-profit or non-profit organization will strive to attain social, cultural, economic and environmental outcomes through redirecting the surplus towards the pursuit of environmental and social goals (Paton 2003). The businesses range from credit unions, community centers, and companies that engage in solving societal problems such as producing renewable energy (Doherty 2008). Social enterprises can take the form of community interest company (CIC) whereby the social mission of the organisation is regulated or industrial and provident society (IPS) which is co-operative that is democratically controlled by the members for the benefit of the society (Ridley-Duff and Bull 2011). Another form is the companies limited by shares or guarantee whereby the memorandum of association outlines how the profits will be channeled towards social causes. The fourth is the group structures that have charitable status whereby companies engage in charitable activities in order to enjoy tax benefits (Doherty 2008). Unlike commercial enterprises that focus on profit maximisation, the social enterprises have limited access for debt financing and attain most of their financing from grants such as trusts and foundations (Doherty 2008). Other sources of financing include community finance from credit unions, equity finance from the

Compares the treatment of a theme or the ethics of a character Essay

Compares the treatment of a theme or the ethics of a character - Essay Example Glengarry Glen Ross was welcomed by various reviewers as an â€Å"outcome of American cupidity and ethics†, as a â€Å"sharp†¦reflection of corruption†, as depicting â€Å"American religious malaise†, and as a presentation of the fact that â€Å"greed and gluttony are the steam engines that drive North American entrepreneurship† (Quinn 23). In a later cerebral view, Roundane Mathew wrote that â€Å"materialism and ravenousness form the never center of the play† and that the novel shows that â€Å"public issues† and â€Å"business transactions† control â€Å"the persona’s secretive world†. In the Lay of the Land the importance of this for ethics cannot be hyped. Having strolled for twenty-five-hundred years in a miasma of their own creation, philosophers have now been given an opportunity to achieve not only a fully reasonable understanding of good, but also a full pleasing perceptive of the things that are good. The sense of dissatisfaction that has clutched on to ethics with the god will fade away as intellect discover what character has always known, that there things sufficient to make life worth living. David Mamet’s wordsmiths, such as landed property seller Shelly Levene articulated in monosyllabic words the panic and steep poetry of their struggling lives. Levene’s anxiety (the italicized words) in the novel call attention to the hard-sell core of the salesmen’s lives as they ward off failure in the guise of loss of influence, respect, leads, sales, closings, bonuses, new deals, and even the job. As per Levene, words bring to surface the character’s fear, greed, and extreme anxiety. Levene jubilantly announces that he has sold some land, which would put him temporarily ahead in the sales contest. But his joy is ephemeral too: his colleagues tell him that the clients, to whom he sold the land, the Nyborgs, are in fact crazy and simply like talking to salesmen (Kissel 212). They