The Program to Quit Smoking

The main goal of the program consists in introducing incentives for employees to quit smoking and reduce costs in health care insurance. Moreover, the program can significantly improve the physical and mental wellbeing of the employees.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Program to Quit Smoking specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Integrating healthy lifestyles to the hospital reduces employees’ costs as well (Posavac Carey, 1997a, p. 244). Therefore, the evaluation process of the smoking cessation program has introduced new perspectives for development and advancement of employees values in particular and corporate culture in general. In addition, the decrease in insurance rates can introduce more resources for improving the quality of services. With regard to the case study at issue, development of appropriate principles and approach among employees allow health care professionals to foster integration of new directions and philosophical system improving the common purpose of health care (Posavac Carey, 1997a, p. 244). More importantly, the program on smoking cessation can also improve the image of the medical establishment and provide new bonus schemes for new job applicants. Such a perspective is closely associated with global perspectives of program development and implementation. Sustaining the wellbeing of employees is an important part of social corporate responsibility imposed on employers and, therefore, the introduction of health promotion programs is a step forward to enrichment of organizational culture. The guiding principles and objectives introduced by health promotion reforms contribute greatly to the evaluation process because they enable individuals to consider socioeconomic, personal, and environmental aspects influencing their health (Posavac Carey, 1997a, p. 244).Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition, sustainable growth is also ensured by health promoted programs because they bring in changes to individuals’ lifestyles, as well as motivate hospital communities to practice ethical and moral values (Posavac Carey, 1997a. p. 244). Finally, program objectives and goals allow hospitals to work out a multi-strategic approach to organizing change and developing community, legislation, communication, and education. Steps and Phases of Evaluation The evaluation process included the analysis employees’ readiness to quit smoking, as well as predict the ration of males and females who are expected to quit smoking. The second stage of the evaluation proves revealed the benefits of the program for the hospital in terms of discount rates for employees, age categories involved in the program. All these evaluations have been conducted through various databases. They were premised on the related researches as well (Posavac Carey, 1997b, p. 301). The case revealing the program introduces the main stages of improvement-oriented model, which serves as a powerful tool for estimating programs outcomes (Posavac Carey, 1997b, p. 301). With regard to the program goals and objectives, the evaluation process could be divided into the several phases, including assessing the impact and program outcomes, determining causation, evaluating the sensitivity and validity of the program. Process analysis does not focus on the theoretical frameworks of the program, but on its practical implementation. The evaluation explains whether the target groups are reached and people achieved the intended purposes. The effectiveness of the program refers to the causal effects of the health-promoted programs.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Program to Quit Smoking specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The effectiveness of the program depends on the changes it introduc ed to the employed environment. Self-selection bias is the most common method to determining causation. This process consists in selection of participants for the program. The very decision to take part in the program testifies to its importance for the organization. References Posavac, E. J., Carey, R. G. (1997a). Case Study 6. The Value of Providing Smoking Cessation Clinics for Employees on Company Time. In E. J. Posavac, R. G. Carey (Eds.). Program Evaluation: Methods and Case Studies. (pp. 244-246) US: Prentice Hall. Posavac, E. J., Carey, R. G. (1997b). Program Evaluation: Methods and Case Studies. US: Prentice Hall. This essay on The Program to Quit Smoking was written and submitted by user Juliette Munoz to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

philadelphia essays

philadelphia essays Jonathan Demme did not choose to call this movie Andys struggle, or prejudice against gays. Instead he decided to name the film after one of Americas most proud and famous cities, Philadelphia. He chose to do it like this because it is not a story about one man and it is not a story about gays. It is a story about society and how back in 1993, we were ignorant to the HIV virus and we thought of gays and homosexuals as lesser people. Never before had any director attempted to portray this issue in a film, but it was a long over due theme that needed to be addressed. And Mr. Demme portrayed this message wonderfully through the use of complex characters. He used their transformation throughout the film and character arcs to show how we as a society acted towards this serious issue and as the story progressed, we began to see just how ignorant we all were. The story begins with the director taking us through the streets of Philadelphia while the ever so talented Bruce Springsteens streets of Philadelphia plays softly in the background. Once the short introduction comes to an end, this is when we meet our two protagonists, Andrew Beckett (played by Tom Hanks) and Joe Miller (played by Denzel Washington). It is through these two characters that the main message of the film is delivered. As the story goes on we see how each character reacts to the changes going on in their lives and in the lives of others. The first scripted scene of the movie is of Both Andy and Joe sitting side by side in a lawyers office. At this point we do not know much about either character but we are introduced to who they are. Although Joe is the character depicted as society and it is really through his character arc that we see the major changes, Andy has a serious transformation as well. Andy starts off the film as a regular guy who works in a law firm. All we see is that he is a corporate lawyer who w...

Maltese Falcon Book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Maltese Falcon Book - Essay Example It is a narrative published in the 1930s. Brigid O’Shaugnessy appoints Sam Spade to get an archaic falcon from the isle referred to as Malta. Spade works for Joel Cairo, and as he works for him, he looks for the bird as well as his partner’s murderer. He protects himself from police’s allegations, and his associate’s wife’s advances. In an ultimate showdown with all involved parties, Spade exposes the bird and the killer. This review aims at scrutinizing the predominant theme in the volume and how the author lucidly elucidates and describes the concept of people allowing avarice to control the actions in their life (Lombardi, p.2). This police volume depicts varied divergent components of the male as well as female characters. It explores the concepts of the detective genre and the divergent attributes of femininity as well as masculinity. It depicts topics of sexual desires and the avarice for money. The characters, as well as the visual motif in t he play, contribute to the creation of the plot and aids in developing a detective and sexual category oriented film. The duties of males and females are presented in divergent manners in, the Maltese Falcon, to present the unique purposes of manliness and womanliness between the characters. This volume is a subset of the strange genre. As depicted in the volume, the killings in the volume are incredibly inspired, the plots totally artificial, and the personalities pitifully two-dimensional, dummies and cardboard sexual partners, and paper Mache villains and policemen of superb and impractical gentility. This is a sensible obscurity fiction. In this volume, Hammett utilizes language, imagery as well as characterization to link the narrative close to realism. In addition, the author utilizes figurative lingo, insinuation, flashback, forewarning, as well as simile (Hammett, 57). The allusion in the narrative makes it fascinating. Forewarning permits the reader to forecast what will oc cur later in the volume. The simile presents the reader a clear picture of the characters in the volume. The crucial component to the advancement of the narrative is obscurity because it permits Spade to advance the divergence as well as the plot by attracting the reader into the narrative. It is a narrative written in a relaxed tone imbued with colloquialisms in an abrupt lucid style from a purposeful viewpoint. In this volume, Hammett has also utilized slang lingo that is distinct to a singular social affiliation; the underworld offenders, as well as the police. The narrative utilizes a play of astonishing oppositional attributes in some of its categorizations (Turner, p.23). As presented in the volume, Hammett rescues the obscurity genre by returning it to the real world. This is an astonishingly entertaining and well-presented volume. The Maltese Falcon presents a personal investigator who is motivated to disentangle the mystery encircling a black enamelled bird referred to as t he Maltese Falcon. Sam Spade, the significant protagonist of the narrative, is also depicted as the hard-boiled detective. Sam Spade is not a pleasant gentleman on the legal side. He is a character with an edge. The author describes him as a blond Satan. Spade is a concealed eye who can be as corrupt as the next gentleman but also holds to his own individual code of nobility. The intricacies of the narrative

Prevention of Falls in Elderly Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Prevention of Falls in Elderly Care - Essay Example The contributory factors according to the authors have been diverse and complicated. The risk assessment approach is based on the multicomponent risk determination and management strategy. According to Brown et al. (2005) there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that interventions which are effectively intended to prevent fall risk factors among elderly can be more result oriented. However the authors doubt the degree of prevalence of such evidence and its real impact on clinical practices and physical therapy. According to Brown et al, further there is a clear impact of the professional behavioral change on the related outcomes involving fall prevention programs among the elderly. According to a survey carried out by the authors among some physical therapists in Connecticut, USA, almost 91% of the respondents identified environment related risk factors, the gait and physical balance related deficits as the main fall risk factors. At the same time a remarkable feature of the survey was the fact that 82% of the respondents said that modern intervention techniques based on medication were responsible for effective prevention of fall among the elderly. ... The exercise based intervention was recommended to a selected group of participants. Their results showed a greater degree of improvement in the focus group while the control group participants had no any improvement. Yet again the authors admit that there were some significant differences in mobility and strength of participants alone with substantial presence of divergence in balance.According to recent research the risk factors of falls among elderly are not limited to old age only. For example female patients are more likely to have a fall than a mail patient (Barry et al. 2001). In addition to the above there are such factors as low weight, too much of self dependency, psychotropic medication, alcohol abuse, disturbed vision, disorders related to gait, diabetes, physical imbalance and environmental factors. However such extreme courses like hypotension and cognitive impairment cannot be determined with a realistic assessment. For example risk factors involved in falls among elde rly can be basically related to physical disability arising from a variety of persistent weaknesses. Therefore habit forming behaviors might lead to falls that might become a pattern.The consequences of such falls have been identified as both mild and far reaching. For instance the current literature on the subject identifies the severity of falls along with their frequency to investigate the nature of outcomes. Weak bones in the elderly have been identified as one of the major causal factors for relative severity and frequency of falls. Falls that lead to fractures in the proximal femur, are often regarded as severe and mainly attributed to weak bones

Supporting Children Essay Example for Free

Supporting Children Essay â€Å"The Human Rights Act 1998 came in to force in October 2000 and had a big impact on current legislation in UK.† (Tassoni. P, 2007, pg. 115) Although this Act was not created specifically for the protection of children, It does ensure that children have the same rights as adults, for example the right to dignity. It also ensures they are given respect and fairness in the way theyre treated. This led to settings not being able to use any type of physical punishment, like slapping or caning despite gaining the parents consent to do so or not because it is seen as a violation to a childs right as it is degrading. The United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child 1989 was also signed by the UK as an addition to The Human Right Act 1998 as it gives children under the age of 18 their own set of rights. This particular piece of legislation was separated into five separate strands; reinforcing the importance of fundamental human dignity; highlighting and defending the familys role in childrens lives; making sure children are respected; supporting the principle of not discriminating children; as well ensuring that the legal framework of the UK complies with the Convention. Within this piece of legislation are many articles which focus on difference parts of childrens rights, but there are a specific few that have an impact on practice. For example: Article 2 – which talks about the right to be protected against any discrimination – means that practitioners have to treat all children fairly and settings must give equal opportunities; Article 3 – says that the best interest of the child should always be considered in actions where they are concerned – this means that practitioners have to ensure the child has the care they needs and that all their needs are being met, whether the practitioner agrees with the way its done; Article 12 – states that children have a right to express their views freely, and be listened to – which means that all childrens opinions, likes, dislikes etc. are taken into consideration at all times; Article 13 – Talks about children having freedom of expression and exchange of information regardless of frontiers – this means children should be able to ask questions and be answered with things that concern them; and Article 28 – A child has the right to education with a view to achieving – which is why children in the UK from the age of around 5 must attend some kind of educational setting. Another piece of legislation used in the UK is the Children Act 1989 which was created after the UNCRC was adopted, it was made to bring other pieces of legislation together into one Act, but this meant that it covered a wide range of things from child protection to the inspection of settings to parental responsibilities. As a result of this act settings now have to make sure they view parents as partners as they are the childs main carer and have a right to know and help with their childs development, this is done by regularly updating the parents and sharing all information. It also stated that the welfare of the child is paramount and that children and young peoples views should always be taken into consideration during any decision making about their future care within all settings. After the Children Act 1989 came the Children Act 2004 which was made as an addition and provided for a childrens commissioner as well as allowing the government to ensure that the Every Child Matters scheme had a legal framework to go with it. This scheme is now used through out appropriate childcare settings and ensures that the services at hand for children work together more effectively. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 was made so that discrimination against children and their families was prevented, this is because the act made it illegal not to provide access for disabled people to their settings whether this meant providing wheelchair access, or having things printed in large fonts for parents/carers or ensuring children are given the opportunity to join in all activities and experiences regardless of their disability. E3 – In order to safeguard children, all settings have many policies and procedures in place to ensure that practitioners know what their roles and responsibilities are at all times. Other wise, the children would be at risk from many different things. Policies like; Health and Safety; Child Protection; Anti Bullying; Behaviour; Fire Procedures; Partnership with Parents; Anti-Discrimination; Food Hygiene/Avoiding Cross-infection; Whistle blowing; Confidentiality and a Signing in/out Policy all help to keep children healthy, safe and secure and avoid putting them in any danger or harm. The signing in/out policy means that any visitor or volunteer who comes into the setting should wear proof of identification that shows that they are a member of staff especially in larger settings. It is also crucial to check the adults coming in, are allowed to be in the setting, (for example parents who are not allowed to pick up their child) and all visitors should sign in and out of the setting which not only provides the setting with proof of identity but also lets the staff know who has entered the building and when, which helps to protect children as it means no one who may put the children at risk are allowed around the children, and that in the case of any child being abused by a visitor or someone entering the building, it is possible to look back and have access to important information like names and dates. A whistle blowing policy is for someone within the organisation or setting that wants to report inappropriate actions of another practitioner by alerting someone in a higher position to them e.g. room supervisor who then deals with the report and helps to prevent any abuse from those employees working directly with the children which in turn helps to prevents the allegations of abuse in future. The Food hygiene or Cross infection policy was implemented to avoid any children (or staff) becoming ill and catching infectious illnesses. Using this policy means that all staff who prepare and cook food which is served to others, have to be trained in food handling procedures, as well cleaning of resources, toys and equipment of there is an outbreak of infectious illness within the setting. This is to avoid any germs spreading causing other children and staff to have poor health. E4 All settings have specific policies to ensure that children and their families feel welcomed and included at all times during their time at the nursery. One of the policies which does this is the Equal Opportunities policy which means as a practitioner you have a duty to ensure that children as well as their carers are valued and not discriminated against either by adults or by other children. This policy also helps to prevent discrimination because every one is entitled to join in all activities, regardless of their age/stage or ability. This is because the policy says that every activity or experience provided at the nursery must be easily adaptable for everyone to participate in. By having a settling in policy, this also makes parents/carers feel more welcomed into the setting and more reassured about their child starting at the nursery, because it shows them you understand that each child is different in the way they adapt to new situations, some fit right in, and others take time to get used to the new people and activities. The behaviour policy which can be found in all childcare settings also helps to prevent any children or families being discriminated against, because by having this policy parents/carers understand that the practitioners are being fair if a situation occurs where a child behaves inappropriately, this means that allegations of discrimination are less likely to be made against practitioners and parents understand that behaviour policy applies to ALL children, and any other child would be treated equally. E5 – As children, we depend on adults a lot, but the older we get, the more independent we become. If adults give children the chance to be self-reliant, and independent, they become confident in themselves and their ability to do certain things, which means they feel empowered. To do this, children must be given choice in lots of things they do, and encouragement to do things by themselves where choice is not available, for example getting dressed or going to the toilet. One way to offer children choice as part of their daily routine, is through food, as all children have to eat, but all children are different and enjoy different food. If a practitioner gives the child choice between two types of vegetables or drinks, for example then the child will learn to make simple decisions, and the more they do it the more confidence they will gain as they know what they like and dislike, and this will make them feel grown up and help there self-esteem grow rather than someone telling them what they are eating and them doing so. One other strategy for helping children to feel empowered through choice, would be in play, this is done by setting up various activities and letting them choose between them, this is a more child-led approach, as they are able to find an activity most suited to their interests, instead of being told they are doing a specific activity and not enjoying it. By letting them choose, again they will feel more independent and if they enjoy the activity they will also become more confident because they will feel like they made the right choice for themselves giving them a sense of achievement. D2 – By giving children choice in both food, and in play, you are encouraging them to be independent, even if they dont realise it. However, it is important that children are allowed to change there mind in play as this helps them learn what they enjoy doing, children might not understand what kind of things they like or dislike they just know what they want to do. By giving them choice, and asking why they made that choice, they should learn and understand their preferences helping them to make simple decisions in the future, leading them to make more complicated ones later on. It is important that practitioners ensure they are using choice-giving as a way to empower children, rather than getting them to do what the practitioner wants. For example, it is not helpful to the child, if you say you can either choose to apologise to this girl, or you are not going outside the child is being given a choice, rather than understanding their actions were unkind. You need to be clear on what is right or wrong and explain consequences and give choice through other activities, and as a practitioner, it is unfair on the child if you tell them they made a bad choice, instead you should ask them to evaluate their own choice and the consequences so they can make a better choice for them in future. By doing this, they have confidence in themselves because they will feel good after making a choice which is suitable for them, for example being kind to another child, will mean they are praised and shows they know how to respect others, not only encouraging them to be kind more often, but also easing decision making for them helping them to feel empowered. E6 – During a childs life, they will have to go through many transitions, most children will go through the transition of moving class, or school, some children may move house or city, and other children may go through bereavement. Most of these transitions, practitioners can help prepare for by doing many things. For example, most childcare settings have a settling in policy that they can refer to for new children. This is because If a child is moving from nursery to reception in a completely separate building with new teachers, they will find it very distressing if it is quite sudden. However there are many things settings can do to help the child settle in steadily, like: Meeting the teacher/key worker a few times before they start, where the practitioner will introduce themselves and get to know the child, this is so they know a familiar face, and know that they can trust the teacher/key worker. Having half days is also an important way of introducing a child to a new situation, especially if they are going from half days to full days in a new place. Other wise the child will be overwhelmed, they will feel uncomfortable being in a new place with new people for longer than they are usually left without their parent/carer. Once they have started at a new place, it may be reassuring for them to have their previous teachers or key workers visit, as they are likely to trust them, and notice that if they feel comfortable here, then it is okay for the child to feel comfortable too helping them feel reassured. Some places may offer for the child to come once or twice for short sessions and participate in activities like stories, this gets them used to the place in small doses and that way when they officially move, they will be used to the building and the people, making it less distressing for them. E7 – Unfortunately in some settings discrimination may occur, against some children and families. Which is why it important to ensure that you are fair and treat everyone as a unique individual. Discrimination can occur when people have stereotypical attitudes, this means that they see a group of people with one characteristic in common and think they are all the same, for example, disabled people cannot live by themselves. Some stereotypes can lead to practitioners making assumptions about what children can do. Prejudice is also another cause of discrimination, as it stems from stereotyping. If someone is prejudice then it means they are pre-judging someone without knowing anything about them, due to a specific stereotypical view a practitioner may hold. For example, if a child is over weight, they may assume the child doesnt want to take part in physical activities. Which is unfair on the child, as this is not necessarily true. If a child or there family, is discriminated against, they will start to pick up on the actions of the practitioner, and it will have an affect on their self-esteem, and self-worth, as by the age of 3 or 4 a child will have developed their sense of identity and understand racial and gender differences, and the way people treat each other. A child will understand the differences in the way the people they look up to treat others especially if it because they are a different race, age or gender. If they feel discriminated against, they will have a lower self-worth and self-esteem, they may grow up feeling inferior to others because of different characteristics like colour, they may fear failing new activities, leading them t achieve and succeed less at school, or have difficulty in developing emotionally/socially in order to form relationships in the future. D1 Gathering information to support the child would be a good way to prepare children for transitions because practitioners often feel the need to reassure children by talking about the new setting they are going to, whether it is a hospital, new school etc. but often the children are given misinformation, leading them to expect certain things or do things in a particular way, this can make their first experiences within a setting more difficult. Therefore it is important that practitioners find out information for themselves before sharing with the children, this can be done through websites, particularly for schools, brochures, prospectus or leaflets about certain procedures, talking to other people who may have already been through the same transition, e.g. older siblings. Or possible letters and phone calls where you can directly find out about certain enquiries you or the children may have. By doing this you can successfully answer childrens questions and support them and hopefully they will then feel reassured about the change. Working in partnership with parents is crucial for a child to succeed in calmly changing settings. This is because we can only do our best for the children in our care if we involve their parents and families. We need to listen to what parents can tell us about their children and accept that as their childs main carer they hold a lot information, practitioners could use to help support the child. Firstly, children may confide in their parents/carers about things troubling them linked with the transition, and whilst parents may not have the answers, practitioners may be able to help, therefore it is essential that communication between the two is continuous. There are many other ways to help children communicate their expectations and fears, some more subtle than others. For example, Role play, using an object or toy, drawing, changing activities and promoting the development of self-help skills. One way to encourage children to talk about their worries or questions, is bringing an object or toy, for example using a teddy, explaining that he is going through a transition just like the children and asking them what they think the teddy may be worried about. This strategy often brings up their subconscious thoughts. Using drawing activities can also be helpful, as you could ask them to draw scenarios they predict will happen at the new setting. Changing activities and promoting self help skills is particularly important, if the child is moving in education, as they will have to be more independent, have the ability organise themselves, particularly if they are in charge of their own lunch money, or transport, and need to be responsible for their own possessions. Helping them to prepare for practical activities, like getting a bus on their own, will give them confidence as they feel more grown up and independent, although in this case it important that the child is given accurate information so they know what to expect. C1 – A lot of childcare settings have modelled their techniques after Vygotskys principles, allowing children to have a supportive learning environment and empowering them to develop their personal strengths. Experiences that students have at school contribute to learning both inside and outside of the classroom. Vygotsky says that children need to be taught using structured education where a teacher can give clear instructions to help children learn as well as social interaction between children. Vygotskys theory suggests that there are three ways in which children learn; firstly, imitative learning, where the child copies the actions of others; Instructed learning comes second, where a child acts out what the teacher tells them to do and they learn through activities, and; the third is collaborative learning. Collaborative learning happens when a group of children work together in order to achieve a specific goal which helps them as they are working to understand each other. Teachers and carers, want to get the most from students, challenging them to reach their highest potential and once they do they will feel confident in their own abilities and have a higher self-esteem. Vygotskys belief that social interaction leads not only to easier learning for the child, but that it actually changes a childs thoughts and behaviours. Vygotsky believed that exposing children to various cultures meant that they would be more knowledgeable about the world and themselves. Learning through this means that children develop their own self-worth as they will evaluate how much knowledge they can put forward into a group and how helpful they are. The more experiences that a child has, the more about other people and cultures they find out, and the more they learn the more independent they should become as experiences such as these will help them to form their perceptions of the world which all leads to children feeling independent and therefore empowered. B1 An equal opportunities policy means as a practitioner you have a duty to ensure that children are valued and not discriminated against either by adults or by other children. Equality of opportunity means ensuring children in a setting’s care are seen as being individual and special. However, this does not mean treating all children exactly the same as some children may need more adult help and support than others or even special equipment to undertake and participate in activities. Equality of opportunity means ensuring that children are equally valued and given the same opportunities to fulfil their own potential.

Development and History of AIRASIA

Development and History of AIRASIA AIRASIA is one among the top International brand in the low cost Airline Industry. Airasia brand came into existence in 1993, it was a joint public-private sector enterprise, however in 2001 current CEO Mr. Tony Fernandes purchased it and It was under him the Airasia brand got global recognition and unimaginable growth which started right from 2002 and continues till date, AirAsia started moving up the ladder under Tonys leadership from 2002 onwards by launching new routes from its main hub the capital of Malaysia till then the national carrier of Malaysia ruled the sky in and around Malaysia. In 2007, Airasia announced the birth of Airasia X the long haul budget flights, the first AirAsia X flight was from Kuala lumpur International airport to Gold coast in Australia thus began the journey from south east Asia to capturing routes in major cities around the world. In 2007, Virgin Airline chief had 20% stake in AirAsia X and had announced code sharing between Virgin Blue and AirAsia in and around Australian subcontinent. Profile of AirAsia: AIRASIA, is Asias largest and one among the top 10 international brand in the low cost segment having physical base in three countries; Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. AirAsia has four subsidiaries: AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia, ThaiAirAsia and VeitJet Airasia. The company has a strength of around 3000 staffs and It flies to around 65 destinations worldwide using the 97 aircrafts and another 125 on order will be added to its fleet and it operates over 400 domestic and International flights, The total number of passengers that flew Airasia numbered 16,000,000 per year at a rate of 51000 per day for the year 2007. STRATEGIC CORPORATE PLANNING OF AIRASIA: By September 2008, Airasia had 60 routes and was voted as Worlds best New Airline for 2008 at World low cost Airline Congress in London inspire of tough competition it faced over Asian skies by brand which had committed fan following, global recession and increased air fuel prices. Airasia managed to survive and grow against the odd solely based on their distinctive model and new strategies. AIRASIA MODEL AND STRATEGIES: To position itself as the top airline brand in the low-cost, short haul based on no frills model. Opening of new hubs at airports and new routes outside their dominated Asian zone. Expanding into the Cargo transportation market. Marketing as a Go Green brand. User being able to access bookings and Online Information on Airasia through Blackberry. Fuel efficiency which helps in the overall reduction of travel cost. The slogan of Airasia is Now Everyone Can FLY, to attract customers both old and new ones with flying on time and having attractive and competitive price and tour packages as airasia management have their own hotel division having star hotels around many destinations plus having wide range of meal option on the In-fight purchase menu. The model which AirAsia under Mr. Tony Fernandes adopted for long haul flight was to choose airport where airport charges was low hence instead of Sydney airport Gold coast airport was considered for airasia link between Malaysia and Australia. To achieve Reduction in travel fuel cost Airasia concentrated on optimizing the air fuel consumption and with majority of the asset within the fleet being new Airbus planes, its more easier said than done. Airasia management based its model around latest technology including having access to its service [online booking, online checking and e-ticketing] through computers and blackberries. Successive growth of Airasia since its re-birth in 2001 can be put on following main strategies which they adopted: Cost reduction strategy of Airasia : Airasia vision is be a leader in the low cost airline segment by targeting the 3 billions people who are still under-served with the poor connectivity facing the high fares. AirAsia managements key strategies on cost reduction are:- High point concentration on Passenger Safety and maintenance of its fleet to be in best of the condition as per the set standards of regulators and its partners. To achieve High Aircraft Utilization by trying to get the quick turnaround by 25 minutes and by increasing staff productivity. Low fare, no Frills like added facilities of baggage transfer, preference on meals and seat arrangement etc. which adds to the customer satisfaction. Streamline Operations by working with single aircraft fleet to reduce manpower and stocking of maintenance parts. Using Latest Lean Distribution System to reduce labour and material utilization like usage of E-ticket. Point to point network. Summarised in a Table format below: Cost Category Cost Item Levers for reducing costs Costs -Aircraft Utilisation. -Reduce turnaround times. -Reduce maintenance downtime Fuel Costs Route Efficiency -Weight Reduction -Shorter en-route and approach times. -High standard of fleet maintenance. -Use of fuel hedging strategy. Handling Costs Service Level In sourcing. Reduce Handling Fees Pre-cleaning activities by cabin crew Loading/unloading support from crew Global contracts with key suppliers Off-peak pricing Catering Costs Reduce unit costs Reduce volumes Simplification of meal choice. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Reduce logistics costs for delivery. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Monitor passengers vs. available meals. Lean Distribution management. Ticketing Sales Channels Sales Commissions Development of E-ticketing Self-service check-ins Divert customers to on-line channels. Maintenance -Fleet. -Service Costs -Fleet harmonisation. -Reduce average fleet age. -Joint purchasing of some work. optimise maintenance activities Porters Generic Strategies: AirAsia follows Porters strategies to focus on cost leadership to allign with its business strategy and mission statement by targeting specific segment of price sensitive customers and the first time fliers looking at value for price and short haul flights. Porters Generic strategies talks of three different generic strategies that any business can focus for a overall edge over competitors, sustainability and growth as shown in above figure, the three strategies include Cost leadership, Differentiation strategy and market segmentation (Focused differentiation) (Johnson Scholes 1997). Cost leadership strategy: This strategy allows a business to become the lowest cost producer of a product within an industry by organising and managing its value- adding activities. Cost advantage may be achieved in terms of how qualitatively a product or services is designed. Differentiation strategy: This strategy is adopted by persuading customers that a product is superior to that offered by competitors (Campbell, 2002). The value added by the uniqueness of the product or services may allow the company to charge a premium price for it. However, the threat to this differentiation may include copying of the product by competitors and changes in customer tastes. Focus-differentiation strategy: is aimed at a segment of the market from a product rather than at the whole market or many markets (Campbell, 2002). The successful way using focus strategy is to tailor a broad of product or service development strengths to a relatively narrow market segment that they know very well. This strategy may also face the threat of imitation and changes in the target segments. AirAsia business strategy is built around above defined three Porters generic strategies on two of the above strategies it follows Broader approach and on focus-differentiation strategy AirAsia follows narrow approach to sustains its competitive advantage. AirAsia mission statement was to be the leader in the low cost segment and it follows the porters strategy to the book on cost leadership by providing services at a price that is simply lower than competitors price and by effective and efficient operational management. Airasia uses Porters cost leadership strategies to be on path of its motto Now everyone can fly to achieve this it markets and manages itself as airline with hassle-free, no-frills, luxury at low fare travel by efficiently managing its policy of cost reduction to the micro level in the value chain so that the saving can be passed on to the price sensitive passengers so as to be the leader in the low cost segment. SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT analysis  is a  strategic planning  method used to evaluate the  Strengths,  Weaknesses,  Opportunities, and  Threats involved in a  business  venture.   SWOT analysis points to the Internal (strength and weakness) and External (opportunities and threats) factors that would affect in the growth and sustainability of a business venture in our case Airasia to sustain its top position in the low cost carrier segment. Strengths A Low cost operations which has made AirAsia brand a leader in the low cost carrier segment. Airasia management is made of fewer level which helps in faster and effective, focused and aggressive management and with management consisting of members having strong links with Government in south pacific Asia, it makes it easy for their business development with least government interference and more concessions. Airasia Staffs is made up of workforce which are Multi-skilled and efficient, Airasia follows the model of incentives for the hardworking and smart workforce, this model helps to return talent and to grow along with the company. Management strong focus on cost reduction to position AirAsia Groups as industrys lowest cost producer. Airasia group have strong balance sheet and cash flow this helps to weather short-terms unforeseen difficulties. Airasia management decision to move to a Single type fleet paid well it helps in minimising maintenance fees. IT Utilization to the maximum has enabled Airasia to increase efficiency helping it track its fleet, staffs and seat management in case of no-show customers on ASAP basis. IT also helps in promotional activities and in lean management based on e-ticketing model and online checking. Fuel Burn Emissions: Single type fleet of Airbus A320 helps Airasia stick to its efficient fuel usage police to go by their GO Green and cost reduction strategy. Airbus A320s low noise level improves operational flexibility and lowers surcharges for airports with noise constraints. Ancillary Services: In the current year from January to April, Airasia achieved ancillary income of RM45 per passenger. AirAsias ancillary service includes products and services such as baggage supersize, in-flight food and beverage, merchandising and duty-free, courier, airspace advertising and AirAsia RedTix. AirAsia RedTix is a unique Ancillary income system which is related with non-airline ticketing system focusing on tickets to events, sports and music. Ancillary income not only contributes to the airlines bottom line, but it also provides a buffer against rising fuel prices. Weakness Airasia do not have their own MRO (maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facilities. Being a young fleet with young staff at times makes it difficult to handle unforseen situation at both physical location and over the customer service management mainly related with change of flight and over refunds. AirAsia have faced difficulties with government interference mainly at level where Airasias main competition happens to be directly with the national carrier. Being a young brand makes it a challenge to catch the attention of frequent and first time fliers for Branding is vital for market position. Airasia depends on service based on outsourcing which at times can lead to delivery delays and hindrance of long duration on two segment IT and MRO. Young fleet at times shows lack of contingency plan on irregular situations. Opportunities AirAsis after making a mark for its brand in short haul low cost carrier sector is targeting the Long haul flight domain as an trial phase to tap share of that market as well. After having tasted success in Asia-Pacific region, AirAsia is targeting new routes and destinations on a global level. AirAsia by having tie up with other established low cost carriers on Existing, new routes and destinations untapped by AirAsia brand for example Airasia have tie up with Virgin Airline on landing rights and landing slots. AirAsia have tied with various new Airports outside of Malaysia for setting up for new AirAsia hub at these Airports. AirAsia management through its RedTix subsidiary can enhance its brand growth by having Service related Industry-wide mutual cooperation. AirAsia being in a Dominant/monopoly position in many routes in and around the Asia-Pacific zone will give them bargaining power on the pricing front. Threats Established carriers both private and national carriers if start bringing down their prices to attract the cost sensitive customers will directly affect AirAsia which is based on low cost, no frills, no hassle model. Global uncertainty on Business and Political front directly causes fuel prices to increase and High Fuel prices decreases revenue and hurts more for a low cost carrier. IT Utilization to maximum can also have a side effect on growth for heavy reliance on online sales is risky as system can breakdown anytime. New form of taxes for example Environmental taxes adds on to disruption on the cost equation. With terrorism being a global evil airline Industry is the always under threat, Accidents due to human and natural disaster is always a threat. Uncertainties on Aviation regulations and government policies. PEST ANALYSIS POLITICAL: Political Uncertainties in Asia-pacific region be it Malaysia, Indonesia and the wide unrest in Thailand. Malaysian Government Regulation played a vital role at the initial stages. There existed a heavy restriction on competition in this industry imposed by the individual countries mainly Malaysia trying to protect their national airlines. The bilateral agreement between the countries led to the deregulation of the industry. Terrorism is one of the factor which plays behind the mind of the traveler wishing to take a vacation in the Asia-pacific zone specially after Bali bombing which is one of the dominating region for AirAsia brand. ECONOMIC: The terrorist attacks, wars, epidemics like SARS, played a very crucial role in the airline industries. Uncertainty in fuel and energy costs Uncertainties on the economical Recession front can highly affect the AirAsia growth. SOCIAL: The Growth in the Middle class population in Asia where AirAsia has a dominating presence. Attractive Travel and tourism package by government initiated tourism Ministry and private tour operators attracted large number of fliers. Exclusive prices provided by AirAsia helped in the growth of its brand among price conscious fliers. TECHNOLOGICAL: Being a Young fleet, AirAsia had the Advantage to invest and use latest technology and concepts as their business model. AirAsia along with using World Wide Web for online services are internally using -Yield Management system, computer reservation system and latest Microsofts Enterprise Resource Planning System. All these have helped AirAsia to reduce operating costs and provide fast, efficient service like checking of flight schedules, booking seats, online check-in, and pre-order meals, Supersize my baggage FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS upto 2nd Quarter of 2010. Table below shows the positive growth of AirAsia brand in last 3 years with strong profit after tax performance of RM 549 million

Aristotle’s Contributions to Communication Theory

Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC), was the son of Nichomachus (the physician to the king of Macedonia). He was born in the city of Stagira in the northern Greece. He had initially been exposed to medical training after which in 367 BC enrolled to study philosophy with his teacher, Plato in Athens. He proved to be a very brilliant student but who constantly disagreed with almost everything his teachers taught. This was fundamentally because Plato always understood the world abstractly but Aristotle was more for a changing world. Aristotle believed in empirical knowledge which involved cataloguing of observable phenomena in explaining everything in nature.Due to this belief and attitude, he wrote literally about all aspects of nature and human societies including: metaphysics, physics, embryology, ethics, poetry, mathematics, meteorology, physiology, politics, dreams, anatomy, rhetoric and many others (Randall, 1960, p.23).Aristotle is a great icon when it comes to the aspect of diffi cult and rational philosophical thinking and especially one that is of abstruse nature. Even among the very well educated and read persons, he remains a legend who wrote with the precision of a superhuman and his thinking was superb with clarity that is quite incredible.His works however are easily read and the western culture or global modern culture cannot be talked about without an association with this inspiring historical philosopher though he himself never came into terms with almost everybody leave alone Plato, his famous teacher.More than 2,300 years down the line, Aristotle, who is considered the guru of rhetoric, laid the fundamental foundation of a good rhetoric (many people being addressed by one person) by saying that it should be ethical as well as persuasive.He defined rhetoric as the faculty that concerns itself with availability of persuasive means as may be observed in any particular case. Aristotle specifically divided public oratories into three categorical class es: the ceremonial, forensic and political oratory (Shields, 1999, p.15).Oratory in ceremonial situations is used particularly to censure or give some praise to an individual. Political oratory is mainly meant to urge or compel the audience to accept or not to accept something whereas forensic speaking usually defends or attacks a person in a given case and is the most relevant and widely applied in courtroom proceedings. It focuses at establishment of injustices or justice of a specific action.He believed that rhetoric must possess three proofs which are ethics (ethos), emotion (pathos) and logic (logos). He had observed the audiences being publicly manipulated by skillful speakers of his time who had no regard of the truth in their communication and this didn’t auger well to him and to Plato, his teacher. He therefore saw no apparent need or value of such rhetoric’s and this prompted him to study rhetoric in a deeper and on a different perspective.Logos is the logic contained in the actual communicated words by the speaker in a speech. The audience and their emotions or feelings in the process of rhetoric is the pathos whereas ethos is the character and disposition of the speaker as revealed by him/her, and perceived by the audience during the process of the communication.During Aristotle’s days, the pathos idea was a novel one though not many speakers today would communicate without putting their audiences’ auspice into consideration.Audiences and audience’s perception of a speaker is a very integral part of any communication as was first stipulated by Aristotle. As a matter of fact, the arousal of an audience’s emotions represents effectiveness of a speech. This has severally been employed in many great and historical speeches.For example, the famous Martin Luther King Junior’s speech in a letter he wrote while in a Birmingham jail incorporated the three necessary ingredients, the ethos, logos and pathos thu s making his audience convinced of the truth and importance of his speech (Shenk, 1995, p.56).According to Aristotle, persuasion is demonstrative in the sense that it is through the character of a speaker that it can be achieved. The audience will always consider the speaker’s credibility from his/her spoken word to be convinced, after apparently discerning some truth from the presented arguments.Aristotle went beyond the explanation of ethos as merely competence in morality of the speaker to include knowledge and expertise. Although the word ethics, derived from the Greek word ethos (meaning disposition or theory of living), it is the study of morality.Aristotle gave indubitable remarks that it is not what the audience thinks of the speaker’s character prior to the speech that matters but by the content of the speech.However, several writers today dispute this and argue that it is the speakers overall history and morality that matters in determining the validity or in validity of the argument. For example they argue that some ethos can be violated through a number of reasons which include the following (Broadie, 1991, p.68).Firstly, the speaker may have some motives that may be ulterior or some interests vested in the debates final outcome. The interests may be direct such as in a case where an individual who has been involved in a crime pleads ignorance and innocence of the same.Secondly, it may be that the speaker’s expertise is doubtable e.g. a doctor’s lecture on architectural designs has less impact than an architecture giving a speech on the same.Pathos, another mode of persuasion, implies â€Å"emotion† or to â€Å"suffer† as derived from the Greek word paschein. The audience’s emotions can be appealed to in a number of ways. Particularly, it can be very powerful when passion in general together with some items of emotional arousal is skillfully applied in the speech.Moreover, it can be through telling st ories using some metaphorical connotations as commonly used in non-fictional or fiction materials evoking paramount pity and/or sorrow. Pathos is more psychologically appealing to audiences especially when it results to rejection fear if the audience is in disagreement with the speaker’s arguments.When pathos is excessively applied, it leads to over-emotionalism. Appealing to the emotional aspect of the audience, one can easily inspire happy, sad or angry reactions as well as patriotism among many others (Whaley, Samter, 2006, p.47).Logos is defined as the application of logic in the process of making arguments or in other words the reason appealing technique. It is the factual and rational modality upon which the position of the speaker is based and supported. By the use of arguments that are persuasive in nature, persuasion itself can be affected by the very speech when an apparent truth or a truth has been proven in a particular case.The attorneys will always desire to app eal to the logical sense of the fact finder at one point or another during the process of trial in a case. By use of logos, individuals want to convince an adoption for no other conclusion but theirs alone (Shenk, 1995, p. 104).ReferenceBroadie Sarah (1991) Ethics with Aristotle. Oxford, Oxford University Press, pp.68.Randall John (1960) Aristotle. Columbia, Columbia University Press, pp.23, 49.Shenk Robert (1995) Ethos at Sea. Business Communication Quarterly, Vol.58, pp. 56.