SWOT Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SWOT Analysis - Research Paper Example The airline is known for embracing inventive technology to advance the client experience. The company traces its origins back to 1932; an amalgamation with Star Air service in the year 1934 established the biggest airline in Alaska, which ultimately became Alaska Airlines. Contrasting the rest of the economy, Alaska has been experiencing increasing important revenues from oil dealings and tourism. Air travel is Alaska’s largest type of transportation due to the natural features of the region and weather. Alaska has above one thousand airports along with 3000 avenues of landing. The airline immensely contributes to the state’s economy through air travel because Alaskan travels constitute a large percentage of overall air travelers in the United States. Alaska Airlines is committed towards offering convenient, quality and affordable air transport services to its clients as well as service to the state, nation and vast society. Values of commitment, ethics, integrity and q uality govern the operations of the airline company and are the reasons behind its huge successes. II. Organizational Strengths and Weaknesses Alaska Airlines has a strong and reliable customer base in Alaska State, where it is a dominant player. This is among the strengths that the airline company has in the sense that the company can rely on its vast customer base to expand and introduce new products, which will be readily acceptable in the market (Gates, 2006). A strong customer base is a distinctive strength because it positions a corporation so that it can operate in the market better. Customers are the essence of any company, and a reliable pool of customers who are loyal to a company is good for the firm. Therefore, Alaska airlines can benefit from its large customer base by expanding its operation to serve other regions and countries as well as introducing new services and products. In fact, the most credible significance of this strength is that Alaska airlines can utilize customer feedback to launch its strategies and products. Alaska Airlines is a huge contributor to the economy of Alaska State – this could be another major strength of the company in the sense that it endears the airline company to the government. As a result, the airline can obtain better services. It can be considered a distinctively competent strength because it can propel the company to greater heights in the market. For instance, the airline can benefit from government support in line with its great contribution to the economy. Alaska airline has several weaknesses, which ought to be addressed to avoid any inconveniences in the process of its business operations. The airline relies so much on the geographical and climate conditions, and a majority of its customers hail from the state of Alaska. This is considered as a weakness because should other airline companies venture into Alaska, the company may lose its market share, which is primarily based in Alaska. The organiz ation can minimize this weakness by expanding into other states and countries (Ritcher & Pahl, 2009). The strategy of Alaska Airlines is targeting the passenger traffic as an indicator of its corporate success. This is considered a weakness because it could trigger an organizational failure due to lack of broader strategic planning. In essence, passenger traffic is not

Essay on Whartons Ethan Frome: A Psychological Novel -- Ethan Frome E

Ethan Frome as A Psychological Novel      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many authors have tried to convey truths about human behavior and explain the human psyche, often unsuccessfully. Edith Wharton's novel, Ethan Frome, is an example of a novel that succeeds in revealing truths. She fills her characters with nuances that reflect the subconscious and her setting is alive with reflected symbolism. She is able to interpret the characters actions in a way that can relate to all humans. Each word and phrase seems to be chosen so that it reflects a part of the subconscious in the characters. Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome is an examination of the human mind, based on her use of setting to reflect emotion, characterization to show human tendencies towards chaos and other psychological aspects of the human mind. In Ethan Frome, Wharton uses the setting to show the feelings and psychology of the characters. Because the tone of the novel is somber and the characters suffer greatly, Wharton used the gothic technique of matching the scenery to the characters emotions. The principal setting of the novel is Starkfield, which is a small farming based community. The houses are mostly several miles from the "center" of town. Richard Worth, a literary critic, says of Starkville, "...even the name suggests utter desolation" (64). The name of the town gives the initial impression of the mindset of the characters: hopelessness. "The New England winter... the physical landscape can reinforce psychic tensions oppressing the people in the community" (McDowell 85). The narrator, Harmon Gow, d escribes the setting and says, "...the winter set down on Starkfield, and the village lay under a sheet of snow, perpetually renewed from the pale skies"(7). During the entirety of the... ...me is a timeless classic that subtly and creatively lets readers understand the hidden depths of the human mind through psychological aspects present in the novel.      Bibliography Bell, Millicent. The Cambridge Companion to Edith Wharton. New York: Cambridge .....University Press, 1995. Fedorko, Kathy. Gender and the Gothic in the Fiction of Edith Wharton. Tuscaloosa: .....University of Alabama Press, 1995. Goodwyn, Janet Patricia. Edith Wharton: Traveler in the Land of Letters. New York: .....St. Martin's Press, 1990. McDowell, Margaret. Edith Wharton: Revised Edition. Boston: G.K. Hall and .....Company, 1991 Springer, Marlene. Ethan Frome: A Nightmare of Need. New York: Twayne .....Publishers, 1993. Wharton, Edith. Ethan Frome. New York: Penguin Group, 1993. Worth, Richard. Edith Wharton. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994.

Promote Products & Service Essay

1/ Introduction: After the 3D movie blockbuster of American film called â€Å"Avatar† released worldwide in 2009, a lot of cinemas in the world also start the movie with this technology. In particular, a few years ago, to demand of customers as well as improving the quality of business, there are many investors have invested †3D coffee†. 3D Coffee is gradually developing into a movement entertainment healthy. It looks like a new air crept into the lifestyle of young people. 2/ Business idea: * Create a unique coffee shop, where customers can enjoy nice coffee cups and watch blockbuster movies together. * Establishing a high-speed system of wireless for customers can access free. * This would be an ideal location for family or couple want to relax and talking. 3/ Requirements to  succeed in your business: * Location: The first restaurant should be located in a busy residential area to attract a lot of customers in Sydney. After the first 3D restaurant succeeds, there is more 3D coffee shops will be opened. When brand of shop was known in a lot of cities, we should get franchised and starting this business in other big cities. * Pricing strategy: Give customer a price of product consistent with cost rate. Organizing regular promotions to customers and discount special days. * Quality strategy: maintaining and development the company production that has been consumed widely in the consumer market as well as improve the poor quality production. * Advertising and Promotion strategy:To attract client’s that 3D coffee shop would advertise through TV, radio, magazine, Face book and internet. The shop should have advertising strategies to clients through networking communities. Promotional activities for all products sometimes are showed such as discount activities, promotions and big events to compete with other shops as well as provide information about the restaurant to customers. * Customer service: Creating a professional staffs with higher responsibility. They should be friendly and patient with customers to make customers feeling comfortable and enjoy their visit. 4/ Entrepreneurship: * Design the shop: there are three floors. + The first floor: This floor for staff only, there are bar, toilet, etc. + The second floor: there is one large room with a capacity of 30 people, it can be used to organize offline, enjoy music Audiophile, Lossless lyrical, gentle, combined watch HD movie blockbuster. + The third floor: there are 10 rooms with 5 rooms for groups of friends, families can sit comfortably that have large screen (120 inch), large space,  polite, audio system modernization and 5 rooms for couples, friends with private space, romantic, seat systems extremely relaxing. All rooms are equipped with HD projector – 3D and it can serve 3D movies with high quality. * Customer: The majority of the customers is young people who looking for new things and want to try the different feelings. In addition, this shop also serves international customers who want to find where they can have both their own space to watch movie, enjoy coffee and talk together, so that this is an ideal location. 5/ Business Objectives: A/ The common purpose: Give to customers of all ages who need somewhere for entertainment, relaxation and enjoying favorite movies as well as where customers meet friends. Besides, this shop also serves customers who want to hold a birthday party for your friends, relatives, or want to date, say a marriage proposal, Events, etc. In general, this shop will help customer to reduce stress after a stressful working hours. B/ Shop business purpose: * Bring large profits for the investors. * Bring revenue to the country from tax * The economic benefits contribute to the annual budget: + Income tax + Personal income tax. * Create a professional image, reliable in the hearts of consumers. * To satisfy the entertainment needs of the people, improve the spiritual life, help people to get fun time after hours for learning and work stress, contributing for the cultural life community and re-production labor. 6/ SWOT Analysis: A/ Strength (S): * Ample space, designing layout unique and beautiful, new furniture. * Favorable location. * Reasonable price. * The management work capacity and determination. * Services to provide good quality, high-speed transmission. * The wifi internet service has high speed and easy to register multiple packages Promotions. * Using modern machinery and professional. B/ Weakness (W): * The first capital investment is lacking. * Don’t have patrons as well as reputable supplier for products in the starting days. * The new shop establishment makes it difficult to attract new customers. * Don’t have too much experience in business coffee 3D. C/ Opportunities (O): * Focus on potential clients: students, people with average incomes. * There is good material. * Opening more branch around the world or sell franchise for foreign companies. D/ Threats (T): * Other local shops could try to adopt business idea in a short time. * The large number of new shop that will be opened to competition. 7/ Financial, Legal, Marketing, Operational and Business viability: * Financial:In order to this business succeed and develop which the company have to invest about $500,000. When business achieved and attract customers that will have grown steadily 5% each year in investment. Beside, business should hire accountants to prepare tax return, overt business activities to take care of business tax affairs. * Legal:Business will hire lawyers to maintain activities and resolve with legal and procedure affairs. * Marketing:Pay advertising company to create original Ads, flyers. At the same time, advertise through TV, radio, magazine, Face book and internetas well as developing logo and slogans. * Operational: create a management reasonable system include supervisors, floor managers and leaders to manage staff shifts. All of them should be training and study a course about professional skills to service clients. * Business viability: maintain activities and making a profit and increased steadily per year. 8/ Conclusion: 3D COFFEE†Ã¢â‚¬  will provide a space, an suitable environment for many different demands of customers as well as creating healthy recreation and relax with some reasonable prices. When customers come to â€Å"Coffee 3D† that they will be integrated into the environment lively, friendly and everyone will be linked together easier. Furthermore, this shop will satisfy all the needs of the individual or collective by new services and so interesting. Through the analyse and present research information of project †3D COFFEE†. We think this project will bring high economic efficiency and accordant with the needs of people as well as the general trend development of social especially young people. 9/ References: * Principles of Marketing (26/09/2011) 5th edition, Person Australia.

Business Essays - Project Team Building - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2268 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? Project Team Building Project-Based Team Building Literature Review Team Building To understand team building and the methods best adopted to choose a project team, one must first define a team adequately. Biech (2001) suggests that a team includes a group of people or individuals that are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“mutually dependent on one another to achieve a common goalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (1). Various other definitions of team suggest that a team must also function well together to succeed. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Business Essays Project Team Building" essay for you Create order Functionality is an important part of team work, and typically the purpose of a team with respect to a given project. There are multiple advantages to working in teams, including increasing the likelihood that an organization will achieve a better end result with respect to a project (Beich, 2001). Many organizations are adopting a team based approach to respond to the needs of a changing global marketplace. Teams often have the ability to more closely gauge customer needs and provide more information regarding technological changes, as well as provide a faster response to problems than à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“traditional hierarchiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Biech, 2001:2). There are multiple characteristics of successful teams; these include: established clear goals, have defined roles, open and clear communication, provide for effective decision making, provide balanced participation, value diversity and manage conflict efficiently (Biech, 2001:14). How does one go about developing teams that do this? Team responsibilities must be clearly identified and delegated. This can occur through open channels of communication and by sharing role perceptions within the team (Biech, 2001). A team must include a master leader responsible for mentoring and coaching other members of the team, as well as promoting decision making activities within the team (Williams, 1998). The leader should serve as a mentor, encouraging team members to develop effective methods of communicating a shared vision by providing an example of how to do so; the leader must also serve to motivate and empower people to attain their desired outcome (Williams, 1998). The leader may serve as a chairperson to the team, helping provide continuous support and reaction to other members. Code, Langan-Fox Langfield-Smith (2000) suggest that effective team building and functioning can only result when members of the team share a team à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“mental modelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  that is clear and precise or repre sented. Further they suggest that effective team functioning results when an individual or chair within the team work with other team members to help influence the development of a mental model that will elicit the desired outcomes within the team (Code, et al., 2000). A mental model may include specific interventions and objectives for making decisions with the intent of achieving organizational objectives. This can be achieved by providing team members with a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"verbal protocol analysisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , but analyzing and representing information or by brainstorming various methods and providing guidelines to team members (Code, et al., 2000). Hughes (1993) suggests that a facilitator should be present within a team to help explain in detail how every participantà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s talents, insights and contributions are necessary for the team to achieve their end goals and objectives. Further the researcher suggests open communication is the most essential component of a successful team, allowing individual team members to help understand issues and avoid barriers that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“cause company failuresà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Hughes, 1993:20). Someone should also according to Hughes, be appointed to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“track and measure team progressà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  toward specific goals, organizing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“follow up sessionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  for all team members to gauge the teams progress and effectiveness toward achieving team goals (p. 20). The fastest way to achieve goals and build a team is through a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“straight pathà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  one that empowers staff members to use their individual talents within a team as part of a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“combined effortà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  so that the organization as a whole benefits as well as individual members of the team (Hughes, 1993: 20). An organization must also work toward establishing a well defined team-building process that includes use of well defined objectives (Hughes, 1993:20). Goa ls for the team should include creation of effective knowledge sharing and exchange, sharing of ideas and sharing of individual team memberà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s skills and abilities (Hughes, 1993). An effective team is created when each member of the team uses their strengths and experiences to produce a whole that is stronger than the sum of the individual parts of the team (Hughes, 1993). Cooperation is also vital to successful team building. A chairperson or facilitator can adopt multiple strategies when building a team to enhance cooperation and communication. These strategies for improving team building include: (1) creating a team that is interdependent, where all members coordinate their efforts to achieve corporate goals, (2) identifying leaders that support the overall goals and objectives of the team but also help support and define a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“team conceptà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , (3) Encourage members to try new ideas and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“identify was to relate to leaders a nd peersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , (4) establish communication patterns that are open and enable the team to easily understand the expectations of other team members and management, (5) team members must work with a competent facilitator to identify any underlying issues that may impede group development and lastly (6) senior group members must believe that positive results can come of new changes and strategies introduced by newer members of the team (Hughes, 1993:20). Brannick, Prince Salas (1997) suggest that effective team building can only occur when team performance measurement tools are in place to evaluate the teams achievements, purpose and progress toward achieving certain goals. Teams according to the authors, are a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“fact of lifeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and can account for à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“real differences in outcomesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  when created and utilized effectively (Brannick, 1997:3). There are multiple approaches to evaluating team performance. Among the more comm only adopted include evaluating the teams progress and success at achieving organizational goals and objectives within the scope of the teamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s project (Brannick, 1997). Teams are more than just groups of people; teams are groups of people within the organization that share a certain function and whose roles and responsibilities are interchangeable, particularly with regard to a given project (Brannick, 1997). Given this sentiment it makes sense that teams should be not only brought together to complete or achieve a specific purpose but also evaluated based on their ability to achieve this purpose and serve the organization as a whole (Brannick, 1997). Team Roles and Strengths Team roles vary within an organization. It is important that all team members roles are clearly defined and that team members understand what their role and what their job role is with respect to the team (Biech, 2001). This helps promote greater uniformity, open communication and clarity within the team. Defined roles also help team members understand why they are members of a team and how they support a team (Biech, 2001). Some studies suggest that conflict is more likely to occur in teams when roles are not clearly defined. Among the primary roles that are essential to teams include tasks roles and maintenance roles (Biech, 2001). Task roles are important for ensuring that work is accomplished in the team; people who participate in task roles help à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“generate, organize and complete the workà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Biech, 2001). Examples of task roles include the proposer, shaper, coordinators and procedures (Biech, 2001: 15). Maintenance roles help support group communic ation, interpersonal relationships in the group and help promote group à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“cohesionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Biech, 2001: 15). Maintenance roles include people who are motivators, reconcilers and chair people assigned the role of overseeing the group and ensuring proper vision, communication and strategy implementation (Biech, 2001). Within any team members will often have both maintenance and task related roles (Biech, 2001). In an effective group structure team members will pitch in to contribute to what needs to be done for the team to realize success regardless of their à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"formalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ role in the team. Using the Belbin results and current management structure of the organization in question, the team currently in place consists of the following: managing director, quality and technical manager, human resources leader, health and safety manager, project engineer, accountant and customer support officer. Within this structure the HR leader and pro ject engineer are the only individual workers assigned the role of team worker. The project engineer serves a dual role as chairman, and the customer support officer serves as organiser. The majority of other members serve as shapers and completers. How To Choose a Project Team Selecting a project team is a complicated and complex task contingent on multiple variables. To ensure the greatest possible success for the team, selection of the project team should take into consideration each of the team memberà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s individual goals and objectives, as well as the organizations goals and objectives (Biech, 2001). Additionally selection of the team should involve interview of team members to assess their motivations for participating and their skills (Biech, 2001). Inevitably some members of a team will be drawn to certain roles over others. Someone with technical skills for example will be drawn more to task roles than maintenance roles within the team structure. Despite this it is important that when selecting a project team managers combine task and maintenance roles to encourage balance within the team. For teams to be successful, the membership must also include a sampling of a diverse selection of candidates that represent multiple areas of the organization (Williams, 1998). A diverse selection of team members will ensure that the team is balanced and afforded the maximum opportunity for success within the organization. Diversity within a team encourages knowledge sharing provided the team is structured in a manner that facilitates open communication and knowledge sharing. To this extent individuals within the team should be assigned the role of facilitating open communication and knowledge sharing. Members of the team must also share a common vision and common strategy for reaching the organizationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s goals and objectives while also carrying out personal goals and objectives. A project team should also be selected based on the organizationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s time frame for completion of a selected project (Williams, 1998). If members of a team are familiar with one another and have the skill set necessary to complete the objectives designed by the team, then the chances are much greater that the team will achieve its objectives at an efficient and productive pace. Some teams are best reserved for learning experiences where more time is afforded training and development of teamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s communication and production capabilities (Williams, 1998). How to Change the Current Functional management Structure to Carryout Project Much of the research examined suggests that while participative management and leadership is essential to good team functioning, it is not necessary for achieving a teams goals and ensuring team efficiency (Biech, 2001). In the current functional management structure the organization is still dominated by hierarchical lines of authority. While a team based approach may encourage more participative management, hence empowering teams, it is not the ideal structure for facilitating maximum success in projects within the organization. The current management structure should be changed to assign each member of the team dual roles. This suggests that each member of the team be assigned maintenance and task roles. For each individual currently labeled as a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"shaperà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ for the team, this individual should also carry out a role that includes enhancing interpersonal communication and ensuring other members of the team feel equally supported and motivated. On e way to do this would be to rotate roles each team member shared when accomplishing various projects. The role of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"team chairmanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ then could be changed from project to project to ensure that multiple members of the team had the opportunity to lend leadership to the team. The research available on team building suggests that the role of leader in a team can be shared by one or more people, or rotated from project to project to ensure that the organizations goals and objectives are met but to also ensure the greatest possible diversity within the team setting. Conclusions/Discussion Teams are more than a group of people brought together. Teams have been defined in many ways, but an effective definition and model of team performance is generally agreed on as being a group of two or more individuals with common goals and objectives that share responsibility for completing an assigned task or project. Effective team building occurs when teams are structured in a manner that encourages open communication and coordination. Members of the team may be assigned various task and maintenance roles to ensure the functionality of the team but also to ensure that team members remain motivated and that conflict within the team is avoided. Hierarchical structures such as the one presented are not ideal for facilitating the maximum team performance. Studies suggest that participative management and sharing of leadership roles and task roles within the team is most likely to result in successful outcomes for projects and the organization. When selecting a team organiz ations should consider individual members skills and abilities, experiences and history but also the diversity of the team and ability of team members to work effectively with one another. The team should incorporate a combination of people with both task strengths and maintenance strengths. Roles within the team may be interchangeable at times to promote knowledge sharing and the most efficient means of achieving team goals. Performance evaluation is also necessary to assess the efficacy of team measures and processes and to restructure the team when necessary to ensure members goals and objectives are in line with one another. References: Biech, E. (2001). The Pfeiffer book of successful team building tools: Best of the Annuals. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer. Brannick, M.T., Prince, C. Salas, E. (1997). Team performance assessment and measurement: Theory, methods and applications. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Code, S., Langan-Fox, J. Langield-Smith, K. (2000). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Team mental models: techniques, methods and analytic approaches.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Human Factors, 42(2): 242. Hughes, K.T. (1993). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“A Managerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s Guide to the Art of Team Building.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Security Management, 37(11): 20. Williams, M.R. (1998). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Mastering leadership: Key techniques for managing and leading a winning team.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  London: Thorogood.