Fires of Jubilee - 1496 Words

The Sparks of a Civil War The year is 1831; the University of Alabama is founded, Victor Hugo publishes his work The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and President Jackson is barely keeping the country together. Abolitionists like William Lloyd Garrison are radically protesting slavery, and uneasy southerners are ready to fight for their â€Å"property†. Northerners argued that slavery was against the morals of Christians and that it is in fact against the Constitution where it states that â€Å"All men are created equal.† Southerners say that in the Bible, the books of Christians, there are stories about men with slaves and that there wasn’t anything in the bible that said it was wrong. Southerners also said that they were actually helping the slaves†¦show more content†¦Southampton whites also had one major difference with the rest of the South; instead of cotton, their major income came from apple brandy and tobacco. The apple brandy dragged in a lot of traveling Methodist preachers to the Turners’ house since they were Methodist as well. Religion to whites was also very important. They would go to church every Sunday no matter what and would bring their slaves so that they would be as religious as they are (3). The whites did not expect, however, the blacks to get so inspired by the scriptures that they would eventually revolt. Nat Turner’s rebellion left a large scar across Southampton, not only physically in the land, but in the minds of both the citizens and the rest of the country as debates about the abolition of slavery started to really heat up. Confusion and chaos took over the entire south as questions about why Nat ad rebelled came up. Why did he commit violence in an area where the master-slave relations were much better than many other southern counties (101)? The largest concern was if a rebellion as violent and as fierce in a mellow place like Virginia, what would happen in the â€Å"deep† s outh (105)? Rumors of slave plots spread to the border of Virginia and North Carolina and people were in a state of disarray. Any slave suspicious of participating in, or starting a rebellion would be killedShow MoreRelatedThe Fires of Jubilee1373 Words   |  6 PagesThe Fires of Jubilee This book by Stephen B. Oates describes a sad and tragic story about a man named Nat Turner who was born into slavery and his fight to be free. Ironically, his willingness to do anything, even kill, to gain his freedom leads to his own demise. From the title of this book, #8220;The Fires of Jubilee,#8221; a reader can truly grasp the concept that there is trouble, chaos, and mayhem brewing in the month of August. This story was not only riveting, but also one thatRead MoreFires of Jubilee Pt 4587 Words   |  3 PagesAntwan Rowel Mr.Kimbrough History B20a MW 9:35 November 7, 2011 Fires of Jubilee Pt.4 In The Fires of Jubilee Nat Turners Fierce Rebellion: Stephen Oates gives an account of the brief but deadly slave revolt in and around Southampton, Virginia. His controlling theme is that of religion and the profound influence that it had on the development of Nat Turners charismatic persona and his rationale for engaging in a project of deliberate murder of people who had at least in the context of slaveryRead MoreThe Fires of Jubilee: How Reliable is It? Essay1462 Words   |  6 PagesThe Fires of Jubilee, by Stephen B. Oates, tells an account of Nat Turner’s rebellion. Beginning with Nat’s early life and finally ending with the legacy his execution left the world, Oates paints a historical rending of those fateful days. The Confessions of Nat Turner by Thomas R. Gray and approved by Nat himself is among Oates’ chief sources. Oates is known as a reputable historian through his other works, and has strong credentials however, in the case of The Fires of J ubilee there are someRead MoreThe Fires Of Jubilee By Stephen B. Oates1331 Words   |  6 PagesThe Fires of Jubilee by Stephen B. Oates The Fires of Jubilee by Stephen B. Oates describes a sad and tragic story about a man named Nat Turner who was born into slavery and his fight to be free. Ironically, his willingness to do anything, even kill, to gain his freedom leads to his own demise. From the title of this book, The Fires of Jubilee, ; a reader can truly grasp the concept that there is trouble, chaos, and mayhem brewing in the month of August. This story was not only riveting, butRead MoreThe Fires Of Jubilee By Stephen B. Oats Essay2110 Words   |  9 Pagestexts such as Steven B. Oats’ â€Å"Fires of Jubilee.†The book reviews historical accounts of the life of Nate Turner, who lead a rebellion against the slave owners of South Hampton County Virginia. The text shows how trauma and disillusion can hinder even the most intelligent while forcing One to ask Oneself the ethical questions of the not only One’s complicity in slavery but also when if ever is it justifiable to take the life of another? The book The Fires of Jubilee† is a historical recount by StephenRead MoreEssay on The Fires of Jubilee by Stephen B. Oates1329 Words   |  6 PagesThe Fires of Jubilee by Stephen B. Oates The Fires of Jubilee by Stephen B. Oates describes a sad and tragic story about a man named Nat Turner who was born into slavery and his fight to be free. Ironically, his willingness to do anything, even kill, to gain his freedom leads to his own demise. From the title of this book, The Fires of Jubilee,; a reader can truly grasp the concept that there is trouble, chaos, and mayhem brewing in the month of August. This story was not only rivetingRead MoreFires of Jubilee- Nat Turners Fierce Rebellion1824 Words   |  8 PagesAmber Laughlin Professor T. Rioux February 18, 2013 Fires of Jubilee Exam Nat’s Rebellion August 21, 1861 proved to be a day of sorrow, pain and lessons learned. The Fires of Jubilee is a historical account of the events that led to the bloodiest slave rebellion in southern history. Nat Turner is painted as a fairly intelligent and prophetic slave who believed he was chosen to free his people from their slave bondage. Nat’s rebellion last almost two whole days before being halted byRead More The Fires of Jubilee : Nat Turners Fierce Rebellion Essay834 Words   |  4 PagesThe Fires of Jubilee : Nat Turners Fierce Rebellion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Fires of Jubilee, is a well written recollection of the slave insurrection led by Nathaniel Turner. It portrays the events leading towards the civil war and the shattered myth of contented slaves in the South. The book is divided into four parts: This Infernal Spirit of Slavery, Go Sound the Jubilee, Judgment Day, and Legacy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story takes place in Southampton County, Virginia where little Nat Turner is introduced. Nat ledRead MoreThe Fires Of Jubilee, New York : Harper And Row2086 Words   |  9 PagesOates, Stephen B. The Fires of Jubilee, New York: Harper Row, 1975 Stephen Oates, in a arresting storytelling fashion, captures the desires and anxieties of the aboriginal to mid 19th century, with The Fires of Jubilee. Oates has performed authentic abstraction to present an authentic assuming of a alluring and abstruse man, who lived during an amazing aeon in American history. Oates begins the book with a absolute adventures of Turner. He makes a absolute accomplishment to appearance what advanceRead MoreThe Fires Of Jubilee : Nat Turner s Fierce Rebellion903 Words   |  4 PagesOates, Stephen B. The Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner’s Fierce Rebellion. New York: Harper Row, 1975. Print. The Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner’s Fierce Rebellion written by Stephen B. Oates, is a biography about a slave that lived in America during the 1800’s and the affects the institution of slavery had on him and society. Being a specialist in the nineteenth-century United States history, Oates, was a reputable history professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Oates has composed

1984 Research Paper - 1680 Words

Everyday we are all in trying to be persuaded into believing something using media and the government, as don’t in George Orwell’s novel, 1984 manipulation is used by the government to persuade the citizens that their leader, Big Brother, is portraying to be. For which ever reason information is manipulated, it is still a form of attempting to persuade opinions. In many forms people manipulate information in hopes that they will gain something, whether it be to gain power or to try and convince people that something or someone is correct. September 11th 2001 is one of the most terrifying, tragic, and most talked about days in the history of the United Sates. Although the official story was given out to the public many people question the†¦show more content†¦All these four planes had a planned Target. Two of the airplanes were crashed into the World Trade Center, also known as the twin towers, killing all the passengers and some of the people working in the bui lding that morning. Both those building were completely destroyed within two hours. The third airplane’s target, Flight 11, crashed part of The Pentagon. The fourth and final plane was targeted to hit the White House, but instead it crashed near a field in Pennsylvania. Although this is said to be what really happened there are still many people out there in the world who do not believe this is true. Some think it was made up by the government and believe that the government was actually behind the events that happened that day. The official story is the main point of manipulation in 9/11. The people who come up with all of these conspiracies use the official story, stated above, and manipulate it using their knowledge with science and politics and create their conspiracy theories. In 1984, the key component which causes for the manipulation to happen is Big Brother. He is supposed to be a good leader, a role model, but as the book goes on its revealed that he is just a fak e. He uses his power to his advantage he uses the media to portray him as an all around good guy when in reality he’s not. The attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon are probably the most talked about terrorist attack for the past decade.Show MoreRelated1984 Research Paper On 1984 Essay1026 Words   |  5 PagesOllie Pearson Mr Funk English 2 HN 2 October 2017 1984 Research Paper Thomas Jefferson once said that â€Å"Everyone has the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.† If the government spied on its citizens, the citizens would carry the burden of having the government constantly watch every move being made, interfering with citizens pursuit of happiness. With that being said, if a citizen’s privacy was invaded then their pursuit of happiness would be demolished. The governmentRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Nursing Concepts1213 Words   |  5 PagesCritical Analysis of Nursing Concepts In this paper, I am going to discuss past and present nursing concepts, and how these theories have evolved. The initial paper by J. Fawcett (1984) describes the fundamental concepts of nursing including person, environment, health and nursing, (Fawcett, 1984 p.84) The author further describes ideas that are discussed and compared by various nursing scholars and how they are related to one another. In the second paper by Newman, Smith, et al, (2008) they exploreRead MoreEssay on Incorporation of Technology into Modern Education984 Words   |  4 Pagesthe National Center for Educational Statistics, between the years of 1984 to 1996, the percentage of 4th, 8th, and 11th graders who reported using a computer for activities at home and at school at least once a week increased substantially. Tables 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3, represent that data by grade level over a twelve-year period (table values are representative of percentages); ( Table 1.1 ) Grade 4 Reason for Use 1984 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 To play games 71.8 79 84.5 82.8 87.4Read MoreArchitectural Innovation: The Reconfiguration of Existing Product Technologies and the Failure of Established Firms1587 Words   |  7 PagesArchitecturai Innovation: The Reconfiguration of Existing Product Technologies and the Failure of Established Firms Rebecca M. Henderson Massachusetts Institute of Technology Kim B. Clark Harvard University This paper demonstrates that the traditional categorization of innovation as either incremental or radical is incomplete and potentially misleading and does not account for the sometimes disastrous effects on industry incumbents of seemingly minor improvements in technological products. We examineRead MoreGuerrilla Marketing : A Startup s Phenomenon1175 Words   |  5 PagesUSW, Atrium University of South Wales Guerrilla Marketing: A startup’s phenomenon Kyle Sowden 14023601 BA(Hons) Advertising Design G107728 - Critical Paper Introduction One reason many startups fail is poor marketing. Due to minimal finances, startups are restricted from using a lot of traditional marketing methods that are often associated with high costs. An alternative strategy that does not require expensive financial resources and can help a company shine through the countlessRead MoreNursing Theory Essay1239 Words   |  5 Pagesa nursing theory entails, examples of such, and the relevance of nursing theories. This paper will explain these matters. What is a nursing theory? A nursing theory is an expression that has arose from a philosophical perspective that explains some phenomena. Overall, it is used to describe the accumulation of knowledge that is used to support nursing practice. It incorporates experiments and research to define nursing and nursing practice; furthermore, it gives reason to the accepted principlesRead MoreRelationship Between Learning And Context And Frequency Of Encounters1687 Words   |  7 Pages(cognitive/metacognitive). It will also analyze and compare the results of a study with two groups of learners. The main aim of this paper is to assess the relationship between learning strategies- context and frequency of encounters (the number of times a vocabulary item appears in a context)- and their effect on the learning and retaining L2 vocabulary. This paper will attempt to hypothesize that L2 vocabulary learning is further enhanced by the inevitable interaction between different learningRead MoreA nalysis Of The Opening And Operations Of The New Library1352 Words   |  6 Pagesopening and operations of the new library (Fetter, 1984, 8). 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NAFTA Analysis Essay Example For Students

NAFTA Analysis Essay NAFTASince the beginning of civilization, trade has been an important issue. Christopher Columbus sailed to the Americas in search of a faster and safer trade route to India. We as Americans fought for our independence over trade related issues, such as tariffs and rules on with whom we were allowed to export and import goods. Our people have always fought for the rights and ability to buy and sell what they want at a reasonable price. The North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, is yet another attempt at this. NAFTA was signed on December 17, 1992 and put into effect on January 1, 1994 (SICE). It is a trade agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. This paper will explain all the finer points of the agreement, its affects on our economy, and some predictions to the future. I shall end with my opinion of NAFTA based on what I have learned while researching this paper. To discuss NAFTA with a greater understanding, it is important to realize why the three major go vernments on the North American continent would want to form a trade alliance. According to the law library at Southern Methodist University its purpose was to remove tariff barriers between Canada, the United States and Mexico (North). Removal of these barriers obviously promotes trade between these countries. It also promotes the buy and selling of goods between these countries by making those goods more easily accessible. Sellers can produce with lower costs and buyer can get the end product cheaper than if the tariffs were included in the price. But NAFTA had much loftier goals then just lowering cost and price. It was established with the goal of fostering greater economic growth in Canada, the United States, and Mexico (John). The ways in which NAFTA planned to create this spark in the economies of three different nations, was outlined in the actual NAFTA agreement text, in Article 102: Objectives. It states that the purpose of the agreement is to: eliminate barriers to trade in, and facilitate the cross-border movement of, goods and services between the territories, promote conditions of fair competition, increase substantially investment opportunities , provide adequate and effective protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights , create effective procedures for the implementation and application of NAFTA, for the resolution of disputes, and, establish a framework for further trilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation to expand and enhance the benefits of NAFTA. (SICE)In laymans terms, NAFTA hoped to encourage trade by eliminating the former obstacles in order to facilitate the ease of goods and services across all borders. It also expected to improve fair competition by making all countries abide by the rules laid out in the agreement.. An example of how NAFTA has improved investment opportunities is evident in Canada, where the direct investment in the United States and Mexico has increased by 340 percent between 1990 and 2002 fr om $60 billion to 205 billion. In addition Canada benefited from $225 billion in American and Mexican direct investment in Canada (Further). As far as intellectual property in concerned, everyone knows that its easy to get foreign, more specifically Mexican made, designer knock-offs. Under NAFTA, these practices would be prohibited and each country would have to respect the others trademarks, copyrights, etc. NAFTA sets out guild lines to deal with disputes as well as a set of rules that outlines practices and procedures. Through these objectives, NAFTA is tying to improve the relations and the economies of all three nations. Of course, no one would enter into an agreement on just good faith. There are many rules and conditions of NAFTA. One of these rules is the Rule of Origin, which is a requirement that encourages the production of goods with in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico by granting them lower tariffs (Qualifying). However, you cant just slap a Made in the U.S.A sticker on you product and say it originated here. For the most part, all of the materials and the labor used to make finished goods must have originated in that country. This ensures that only those countries that are part of the agreement benefit from NAFTA. But how much are we really benefiting from NAFTA? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of the agreement? According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis website, one absolute advantage is the ability to do something more efficiently with less labor or resources than another country (Comparative). NAFTA also made the cost of producing lower by lowering the tariffs. Through its implementation NAFTA provided for immediate tariff reductions on 68 percent of U.S. exports to Mexico, and 49 percent of U.S. imports from Mexico. With respect to U.S.-Canada trade, virtually all tariffs on U.S.-Canadian trade have been eliminated (Executive). Producing at a lower cost gives a company higher profits and the competitive edge of setting prices below that of their competitors. NAFTA allows us to more cheaply attain labor and other resources from the countries in the pact, giving us the ability to produce goods at a lower cost. However, what may seem good for big business is rarely good for the little guy. The Federal Bank of St. Louis also states that, international trade does not benefit everyone. In particular, low-skill U.S. workers may lose out (Key). NAFTA depresses wages of low-skilled U.S. workers because, trade permits us to import unskilled labor (Negatives). Anne Rice: A Fascinating Story EssayWhat does all this say about the future of NAFTAs participants? As more manufacturing jobs move to Mexico, the maquiladora factories will have to become more spaced out, trickling down the nation. This will create more jobs and hopefully raise the wages of Mexican workers. Due to a lose of low-skilled jobs in the U.S. and Canada, more people will be forced to get some form of educations, and our economy will shift more and more to a service economy. Canada is seeing a change in their socialist government to more of a capitalistic one. I have always had a negative opinion of NAFTA. I was hoping that through doing research for this paper I would become enlightened and see what a great agreement NAFTA is. But my I was surprisingly reaffirmed in my previous opinion. As I stated before, Im from Houston, Texas, and my father is a truck driver who owns his own truck. Growing up I always heard him complaining about NAFTA taking jobs out of the trucking i ndustry. Not only do Mexican trucks not have to meet the admissions and licensing standard that American drivers have to, but they wouldnt have to stop at all of the weigh station that slow down U.S. trucks delivery time. Since they dont have to stop at weigh stations, Mexican trucks also dont have to fill out logs or follow the same guidelines on how many hours they are permitted a day to drive and how much they must sleep. This lack of regulations gives Mexican truck a competitive edge, as well as put dangerous, unregulated trucks on American highways. Having the perspective that I have from growing up in such close proximity to Mexico, Ive seen manufacturing companies move across the borders and had many friends parents lost their jobs. I also have had friends whose parents were farmers, and have seen them get poorer and poorer, in part due to the excessive importation of agricultural goods. If it were doing great good for the Mexican economy, I would rule NAFTA as fairly success ful, since I understand that eventually, that money will make its way back to America, but through my research I learned that this is simply not the case. In the over ten years since NAFTA was implemented, Mexican wages have actually decrease. To have an already impoverish people make less money as the cost of living is increasing does not sing praises to NAFTA. Even Canada, which is a stable, successful nation, say a loss of full-time jobs and more money go to the wealthy than to the masses. From what I have read, NAFTA seems to be great for big business, they get to move to Mexico, pay their workers next to nothing, and not worry about environmental standards. For the rest of us, NAFTA seems to be hurting more than helping. Works Cited1.Briefing Paper. 2001. Economic Policy Institute. 03 Apr. 2004. 2.Comparative Advantages. Economic Research: Federal Researve Bank of St. Louis. 02 Apr. 2004. 3.Executive Summary. United States International Trade Commission. 09 Apr. 2004. 4.Further Opportunites. 05 Jun. 2003. Department of Forign Trade Affaris and International Trade. 07 Apr. 2004. 5.Faux, Jeff. Viewpoints:NAFTA at 10. The Nation. 02 Feb, 2004. Economic Policy Institute. 03 Apr. 2004. 6.The John F. Henning Center for International Labor Relations: The North American Free Trade Agreement. 2003. The John F. Henning Center for International Labor Relations. 04 Apr. 2004. 7.Key Points to Remember. Economic Research: Federal Researve Bank of St. Louis. 02 Apr. 2004. 8.Mumme, Stephen. Nafta and Enviroment. Foreign Policy In Focus. Volume 4. Number 26 (1999): 9.Negatives of Trade. Economic Research: Federal Researve Bank of St. Louis. 02 Apr. 2004. 10.North American Free Trade Agreement. 01 Jul. 2003. SMU Under wood Law Library. 02 Apr. 2004 11.The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA): Deepening Economic Integration and resposes to Competition. Center for North American Studies. Jul. 2003. Texas A;M University. 10 Apr. 2004. 12.SICE:North American Free Trade Agreement. SICE: Foreign Trade Information System. 06 Apr. 2004. 13.Qualifying for NAFTA. FedEx. 05 Apr. 2004.

SWOT Analysis of Ryanair Essay Example

SWOT Analysis of Ryanair Essay It further evaluates alternative solutions and provides recommendation, which will help the firm to compete and dominate in the European airline Industry in terms of providing more standard services to its clients and can be the number one airline industry in the region. 1. INTRODUCTION Ryanair, set up in 1985 by the Ryan family with a share capital of just ? 1and 25 staffs has grown from a small airline flying a short hop from Waterford to London, into one of Europes largest carriers. It is Europe? s largest low-cost carrier and one of the world? largest and most successful airlines in terms of profits, number of flights and number of passengers flown. We will write a custom essay sample on SWOT Analysis of Ryanair specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on SWOT Analysis of Ryanair specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on SWOT Analysis of Ryanair specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer At present, Ryanair has 32 bases and 800+ low fare routes across 26 countries, connecting 146 destinations, employing a team of more than 6,000 people Michael O? Leary CEO of Ryanair was responsible for launching the first unique low fares, „no-frills? airlines in Europe. Michael O? Leary known for his aggressive management style, employed a flat management hierarchy and vigorously followed the low cost policy, on all fronts. Ryanair is also one of Europe? most controversial companies, praised and criticized in equal measure; praised for its commitment to low fares, radical management, and its willingness to challenge the „establishment? within the airline industry and criticized for its trade union policies, hidden taxes and fees, and limited customer services, and misleading advertising. Ryanair in order to make its stand in the competitive market they have to think of a business strategy to capture the targeted market through enhancing the company? s internal scarce re sources and capabilities. First part of the assignment states the critical analysis and evaluation of the key Issues in Ryanair focusing on Decision making, Planning, Organising and Controlling. Accordingly, problems challenges and opportunities have been identified through SWOT and PEST analysis. Alternative solutions have been evaluated in various forms one through the financial analysis of the company. The analysis and evaluations finally assist in prioritising recommendations for the future growth and welfare of the company. 2. Critical Analysis and evaluation of the Key Issues : Ryanair 2. Decision making The Ryanair culture gives us the indication that the company is solely depended on one person who is making the risky decision and putting everyone at stake. Ryanair CEO declared in 2003 that they shall swing from no frills airline to no fare airline but with the motive that the company introduced cost cutting and revenue generation modification to compensate the falls in the yields. The Ryanair? s CEO seems to be very dominating by making every decision of the company without involving the concerned departments. Ryanair has the concoction of Bounded rationality and intuition decision making, verdict were conceded in Ryanair mostly through intuition and overriding behavior of their CEO. According to (Robbins. S, Bergmen. R, Stagg. I, Coutler. M, 2006) â€Å"Intuition decision making is a subconscious process of making decisions on the basis of experience and accumulated judgment. † 2. 2 Planning Ryanair? s objective of â€Å" being the leading no frills airline in Europe† was achieved through a proper planning, concentrating on driving down costs to sustain low fares and remain profitable, even on low yields. Ryanair planned and implemented cost reduction strategies focusing on the following areas: Cost reduction Planning: 1. Fleet commonality 2. Contracting out services 3. Airport charges and route policy 4. Staff Cost and productivity 5. Marketing cost Other Planning Issues: In spite of the cost deduction planning, Ryanair also has designed other plans to maximize its profit and expand the market share of the company. On 1st February 2003, Ryanair announced that it was acquiring Buzz, the loss making budget subsidiary of KLM, based at Stansted. Ryanair purchased the loss making company Buzz, as it was a golden opportunity to pick up a ready- made bundle of take -off and landing slots at Stansted Airport, where there is intensifying competition for space. This would not only increase Ryanair? s share of slots in Stansted from 33 to 49. 5 per cent but also produce profit by the fiscal year end of March 2004. Ryanair also aimed to increase its sales through ancillary services in conjunction with its core airline business, because ancillary revenues would increasingly be used to subsidise falling airfares. The ancillary services -includes the availability of satellite television and internet services on flights, allowing passengers to watch their favorite television programmes. The company also undertook activities like sale of travel insurance, car rentals and many other advertisement activities. All in all, Ryanair had a good operational and long term planning. These plans were implemented carefully over the years to achieve its objective of â€Å" being the leading no frills airline in Europe† . The plans reduced the uncertainty of achieving the objective of the company, provided direction, minimized wastes and have set a standard for controlling. However, since the plan was designed by the top management of the company, it was very rigid and did not provide any space for the other stakeholders to provide intuition and creativity ideas for the business. 2. 3 Organising: According to Robbins et al. 2006, â€Å"Organisational structure is the formal framework by which job tasks are divided, grouped and coordinated. † Ryanair is observed to implement common traditional organizational designs. The organization is designed with low departments, as the aircraft handling, ticketing, baggage handling and other functions to third parties in all the airports other than Dublin airport, where it maintains its own staff and services are outsourced. The company organized this kind of a system, to limit the direct exposure to employee relations responsibilities and potential dispute. Ryanair has also organized to carry out the routine maintenance, repair services and checks on aircraft by their own engineering staff, while engine and heavy maintenance are contracted out to third parties. This organization was necessary for the company, since it was cheaper for the company to outsource to third parties rather than employing dedicated employees for the company. The control and authority of the organization is centralized in one person i. e. Michael O? Leary, the CEO of the company. The organizational structure have the advantages of wide span of control, fast and inexpensive to maintain, however as the organizational grows and expands its market, it is not appropriate and reliance on one person makes it very risky for the company. 2. Controlling Ryanair have outsourced the engine and heavy maintenance as a contract work, however the work is carried out under the supervision and planning of Ryanair engineering staff, enabling the company to retain control of quality and safety. This is a feed forward control as it prevents anticipated problems in the future (Robbins et. Al. 2006). Ryanair also have the control over the market of airlines business. Ryanair is the market leader and every airline follows the company in setting out their ticket prices, commission of the agents and other related costs. The company also have a good control over the financial position of the business, in the sense that the liquidity position, leverage, profitability ratios are maintained at a balance level. In a nut shell, the company has checked and balanced over all the activities in the company. It has a good control system implemented from the maintenance of aircraft machine to the lowest level of managing human resources. However, control measures should be implemented in attracting and retaining the existing market share of the company. 3. SWOT analysis STRENGTH Low cost airline Performance related pay structure Aggressive and innovative leadership (Michael O? Leary) Low maintenance cost Punctuality of flights Fleet commonality User friendly website for online booking Passenger charter Minimum baggage loss Major earnings from ancillary services WEAKNESS Growth addict Weak customer service Central decision making Poor affiliation with employees Falling profit yield Multiple fines by the authorities Only in EU market Earns publicity through negative press reporting. Old aircraft. Low employee morale. High turnarounds resulting in maximum Misleading information about ticket fares and aircraft utilization Reduced commission to travel agents Out sourcing Lowest labor cost due to non-unionized labor force Highest seat density destinations. OPPURTUNITY THREAT Expansion of the routes to other parts of the Competitors world Improve facilities in air From low fare airline to no fare airline Fly to central located airports Enhancing their ancillary services War, disease outbreaks Currency fluctuation Formation of union by pilots Hike in oil prices Slack customers due to poor customer service. Other modes of transportation . 1 STRENGTH Ryanair being known as the Europe? s first low cost, no frill airline is the company? s strongest positive feature. The low cost no frills policy resulted to the speedy increase of customers and development of their operation. The CEO of Ryanair, Michael O? Leary portrays a major strength to the company; his aggressive and innovative leadership proves to sta nd Ryanair at the position where it stands now. One of the largest factor acting as a positive force for Ryanair is the firm? s direction towards out sourcing certain service activities within the firm, such as maintenance and repair service. This pace might help the firm to focus on sustaining improvement with on-payroll staff and enhance customer service. Rynair? s performance related pay structure acts as a motivation for the staff and as a company it will stand out in terms of providing excellence in total organizational performance. The variety of ancillary services offered by Ryanair was the greatest source of revenue generator for the firm. According to the graph below it indicates that due to its low fare super brand passenger number grew every year, which made Mr. O? Leary conclude that† low fare always wins†. (Centre for Asian Pacific Aviation, 2009) (Ryanair passenger number growth and load factor growth: FY06 to FY09) 3. 2 WEAKNESS: Ryanair has transformed itself from an undersized industry into one of Europe? s biggest Airlines over times. However its obsessive focus on the growth and only growth has dented its public image. Its negative public image is contributed both by its aggressive CEO and unfriendly staffs. One major problem lies in the handling of customers or target market. It provides poor inflight services to the passengers further more it has misleading websites thus creating a negative impression to the airline brand. Customers are unhappy with Ryaniar because of it poor customer service the only source of attraction for them is the low fare. Old aircrafts are a major concern to think of, as it wasted lots of fuel and needed high maintenance cost especially when the currency fluctuation takes place. The firm faces a lot of unsolved issues due to lack of strategic decision making in several areas concerned with the welfare of the firm. The CEO of Ryanair Michael O? Leary is the central decision maker of the firm, this stands as a weakness as the firm has to rely fully on one person whether right or wrong. 3. 3 OPPORTUNITY: Every firm has its own set of strength and weaknesses, but to make good grasp of the bigger opportunities will further take part in the firm? s enrichment. Ryanair still has the opportunity of competing and dominating in the European airline Industry in terms of providing more standard services to its clients and can be the number one airline industry in the region. Customer ratio can increase if Ryanair can establish the latest trends in Airline management and marketing to meet the demands of their market. Additional initiatives can be taken to diversify its ancillary services which are a revenue resource and open new opportunities to make the business stronger to outstand all its rival competitors. Since Americans have allowed European Airlines to enter USA in the domestic market, as such Ryanair without doubt will be in the leading position as it will be the first carrier to fly low cost to the States. Expansion of operation to the non-EU market can stand as an excellent opportunity for the firm. 3. 4 THREAT Competition, market uncertainty and changing customer crave appears to be the largest threat in the emerging market scenario. Ryanair is continuously faced with inevitable threat of stiff competition and for it to survive in the global competition it has to develop new products with better standard than its competitors. Expansion of operation to other areas like the non-EU markets means that the firm has to adjust to the political issues and trade policies of that region. The demands of the customers are highlighted to be a challenge to the management, consumer behavior and satisfaction with regard to the product and services is also a risk. If the firm continued concentrating on money making and paid no heed to customer satisfaction, the company may fail in terms of management ability. Advancement in the technology world can tend to be a threat in the airline business, hence the company should be able to provide more distinct and advanced technological services to be able to build a place in the competitive airline industry. 4. PEST Analysis POLITICAL Accusation of Misleading advertisement Taxation rules Route charges increased by govt. Union policy EU expansion EU abolishment of Duty free sales ECONOMIC The fuel price fluctuation Currency fluctuation Increase growth rate in GDP Compensation to travelers SOCIAL Terrorism, war outbreak Flight hijack Public image of airline Customer demographic TECHNOLOGY New Boeing flights Proper website Different modes of travel The four factors (Political, Economic, Social and Technology) that play a major role in the future of the airline industry have been focused as above. These external forces have direct impact on the strategic direction at Ryanair. As Ryanair is being operated only within the EU market it can be a relative advantage to the company regarding the external Political environment as this locality maintains political stability. The only concerns on the political environment are the changing taxation rules, union policy and route charges imposed by the government. Nevertheless, on the outside of the European place of the market, the society supports economic significant difficulties put by the political forces as OPEC, the organization responsible for the petroleum production in Middle East. As majority of international revenues in the regions of Middle East comes from oil and from petroleum production / distribution, Ryanair and other business entities have no escape from it. The situation becomes worse when exchange rate fluctuation takes place. (strategic case analysis, 2005) The social environment which is completely uncontrollable can be classified as the changing consumer preferences and demographics. The consumer behavior are the most unpredictable behavior in the business scenario as their preference tend to differ from one product to another due to price differences or even lack of basic consumer reliability. From the financial statements of the company, it is observed that the company is doing well in updating the technologies over the time. It is observed that, the company can afford to purchase new jets to remain competitive in the market. Supply chain software programmes, online ticketing service for customers and other technologies were used by the company for improving the efficiencies and cutting down the cost of the services. The technological environment does not have much of an impact on the organization as of now. (Higgins. E, Ryanair, 2005) To sum up, the external environment of the business is stable compared with many other businesses that are taking place globally. The political, economic, social and technology factors are steady and easing the business to expand, however if these conditions changes in the future, there might be a huge impact on the profitability and market expansion of the business. (Strategic case analysis, 2005) 5. Financial Analysis Objective Discription Formula 2003 (E 000) 2. 9532 2. 8928 50% Liquidity test Current ratio Acid ratio Current assets/ current liabilities Current assets-inventories/current liabilities Total debt/total assets Leverage test Debt to asset Operations test Inventory turnover Total asset turnover Profitabililty Sales/Inventory Sales/total assets 4% 0% 28% 0% Profit margin on sales Net profit after taxes/Total sales Return on investment Net profit after taxes/total assets The above table shows the ratio analysis of Ryanair from the income statement of the company for the year 2003 and the balance sheet as on 31st December 2003 of the said company. From the above table it is observed that, the company is liquid enough to pay its short term liabilities from its current assets. Ryanair has E 2. 95 of current assets for the payment of E 1 of its short term liabilities. The firm is very liquid and creditors of the company will be willing to give more flexible credit terms to the company. Ryanair has a balanced leverage. In other words the company made investment on the assets by 50% debt and 50% equity. The risk and returns of the company is also balanced. The profit margin on sales is 28%. The company has a good profit margin and an increase in sales with proportionate increase in expenses will help the company to grow and expand faster. The return on investment is almost nil. The company should put in effort to utilize their assets efficiently, so that the returns from the investment can increase over the period. Overall, Ryanair has a good liquidity and leverage ratio. The company should utilize these strengths for expansion and growth of the company. However, the operations and profitability ratio are not really leading the company in the right direction. The management should focus on improving the returns from the investment ratio. (Higgins et al, 2005) 6. Critically evaluate alternative solutions: From the above SWOT, PEST and Financial analysis on Ryanair, the following alternative solutions are obtained to overcome the threats and issues of the business in the near future. Market Expansion Ryanair should diversify their services to other parts of the world as these expansions will boost the sales of the company. Ryanair is one of the economical airlines around the world and it has ample of opportunities for business diversification in other markets. Expansion of operation to the non-EU market can stand as an excellent opportunity for the firm. Introduction of unique value added services Ryanair has the opportunity of competing and dominating the European airlines industry in terms of providing standard services to the client and can be the number one airlines company in the region. Ryanair should outsource in providing unique value added services to their clients which are not provided by the other airlines at a budgeted cost. For example, a shuttle bus service can be introduced to carry their passengers from the airport -city and from city – airport at a minimum cost. These kinds of services will help the company in increasing their sales with a minimum increase in cost. Marketing research on airport selection strategy As of now, Ryanair uses the strategy of choosing secondary and regional airport destination and avoiding the congested main airports mainly to cut the cost on airport charges and utilize the time efficiently. A good marketing research and an analysis should be made on comparing the costs and benefits of current strategy and using the main airports in the city. If the report of the research finds out that, it is more beneficial for the company to use the main airports rather than he current strategy, it is advisable for the company to change their strategy and run few experiments with the new one. Marketing and advertisement Ryanair advertises primarily on its website, in newspapers and on radio and television. More advertisements should be made off course within the budget focusing the target market of the company. Product packaging , which consists of air ticket, travel insurance, hotel reservation, car rental and other services, should be designed differently for different groups of customers. This will serve as a one stop shop, which will promote the business as well increase the profitability of the company. Mergers and Acquisitions Mergers and acquisitions is one of the important strategies with big companies. Ryanair should merge or acquire with other businesses in order to improve its capabilities and acquire more competitive advantages. Human resource management In a fast changing world, where technologies and other strategies can be copied, it is the human resource that can bring a competitive advantage. The company does not seem to value its employees and belief in the competitive advantage and importance of their people in the competitive world. Ryanair should initiate steps in improving and valuing their people and frame strategies for gaining competitive advantage over their competitors. 7. Recommendations: Based on the analytical issues it can be recommended that Ryanair can merge with other companies as it can be a brilliant strategy for the growth and success of the company. In case of Ryanair it? s been noticed that the company does not value its staffs. Since, the staffs of the company are considered as one source of sustainable competitive advantage, first and foremost the company needs to priorities its Human Resource Management. Ryanair need to be more goal oriented and must not stop to review and change their marketing plan strategies frequently in order to re-originate the performance process upon the upgrading of rules and regulations imposed by the state. Ryanair is to overcome the lack of product differentiation and enhance it that will have the ability to revive revenue generation. Ryanair has land marked in the area of punctuality however the perception of good customer service has always been poor and more hived up by press. With this in mind Ryanair, while maintaining its strict rules and regulations, must make an adjustment in this area. 8. References Annual Report. (2008). „Ryanair Annual Report and Financial Statements 2008?. Retrieved August 6, 2009, http://www. ryanair. com/ Air scope, May 2007, Bird? s eye view, retrieved on 2009, http://www. air-scope. com/ Box, Thomas M, Byus, Kent, Business Publications, 2007, Ryanair (2005) Successful Low Cost leadership viewed August 6 ,2009, http://ivythesis. typepad. com Dian Ratnasari, RyanAir case, read on August 6, 2009, http:// www. cribd. com/ Eleanor R. E O? Higgins, Case Study: Ryanair, 2004 Eleanor R. E O? Higgins, ECCH Collection, Case Study: Ryanair ; Low fare airline, 1999, viewed August 8, 2009 Eoin S. O? Cuilleanain, Gonzague della Falle, Felix Sobotka, Alexander Kleinert, Solvay Business School, April 2004, Ryanair Plc, viewed on August 6, 2009 Robbins. S, Bergman. R, Stagg. I, Coutler. M, ‘Management,? 4th Edition, 2006 Ryanair 20 09, retrieved on August 6, 2009, http:// www. scribd. com Strategic Case Analysis: Ryanair, 2005 retrieved on August 6, 2009 SWOT Analysis of Ryanair Essay Example SWOT Analysis of Ryanair Essay It further evaluates alternative solutions and provides recommendation, which will help the firm to compete and dominate in the European airline Industry in terms of providing more standard services to its clients and can be the number one airline industry in the region. 1. INTRODUCTION Ryanair, set up in 1985 by the Ryan family with a share capital of just ? 1and 25 staffs has grown from a small airline flying a short hop from Waterford to London, into one of Europes largest carriers. It is Europe? s largest low-cost carrier and one of the world? largest and most successful airlines in terms of profits, number of flights and number of passengers flown. We will write a custom essay sample on SWOT Analysis of Ryanair specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on SWOT Analysis of Ryanair specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on SWOT Analysis of Ryanair specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer At present, Ryanair has 32 bases and 800+ low fare routes across 26 countries, connecting 146 destinations, employing a team of more than 6,000 people Michael O? Leary CEO of Ryanair was responsible for launching the first unique low fares, „no-frills? airlines in Europe. Michael O? Leary known for his aggressive management style, employed a flat management hierarchy and vigorously followed the low cost policy, on all fronts. Ryanair is also one of Europe? most controversial companies, praised and criticized in equal measure; praised for its commitment to low fares, radical management, and its willingness to challenge the „establishment? within the airline industry and criticized for its trade union policies, hidden taxes and fees, and limited customer services, and misleading advertising. Ryanair in order to make its stand in the competitive market they have to think of a business strategy to capture the targeted market through enhancing the company? s internal scarce re sources and capabilities. First part of the assignment states the critical analysis and evaluation of the key Issues in Ryanair focusing on Decision making, Planning, Organising and Controlling. Accordingly, problems challenges and opportunities have been identified through SWOT and PEST analysis. Alternative solutions have been evaluated in various forms one through the financial analysis of the company. The analysis and evaluations finally assist in prioritising recommendations for the future growth and welfare of the company. 2. Critical Analysis and evaluation of the Key Issues : Ryanair 2. Decision making The Ryanair culture gives us the indication that the company is solely depended on one person who is making the risky decision and putting everyone at stake. Ryanair CEO declared in 2003 that they shall swing from no frills airline to no fare airline but with the motive that the company introduced cost cutting and revenue generation modification to compensate the falls in the yields. The Ryanair? s CEO seems to be very dominating by making every decision of the company without involving the concerned departments. Ryanair has the concoction of Bounded rationality and intuition decision making, verdict were conceded in Ryanair mostly through intuition and overriding behavior of their CEO. According to (Robbins. S, Bergmen. R, Stagg. I, Coutler. M, 2006) â€Å"Intuition decision making is a subconscious process of making decisions on the basis of experience and accumulated judgment. † 2. 2 Planning Ryanair? s objective of â€Å" being the leading no frills airline in Europe† was achieved through a proper planning, concentrating on driving down costs to sustain low fares and remain profitable, even on low yields. Ryanair planned and implemented cost reduction strategies focusing on the following areas: Cost reduction Planning: 1. Fleet commonality 2. Contracting out services 3. Airport charges and route policy 4. Staff Cost and productivity 5. Marketing cost Other Planning Issues: In spite of the cost deduction planning, Ryanair also has designed other plans to maximize its profit and expand the market share of the company. On 1st February 2003, Ryanair announced that it was acquiring Buzz, the loss making budget subsidiary of KLM, based at Stansted. Ryanair purchased the loss making company Buzz, as it was a golden opportunity to pick up a ready- made bundle of take -off and landing slots at Stansted Airport, where there is intensifying competition for space. This would not only increase Ryanair? s share of slots in Stansted from 33 to 49. 5 per cent but also produce profit by the fiscal year end of March 2004. Ryanair also aimed to increase its sales through ancillary services in conjunction with its core airline business, because ancillary revenues would increasingly be used to subsidise falling airfares. The ancillary services -includes the availability of satellite television and internet services on flights, allowing passengers to watch their favorite television programmes. The company also undertook activities like sale of travel insurance, car rentals and many other advertisement activities. All in all, Ryanair had a good operational and long term planning. These plans were implemented carefully over the years to achieve its objective of â€Å" being the leading no frills airline in Europe† . The plans reduced the uncertainty of achieving the objective of the company, provided direction, minimized wastes and have set a standard for controlling. However, since the plan was designed by the top management of the company, it was very rigid and did not provide any space for the other stakeholders to provide intuition and creativity ideas for the business. 2. 3 Organising: According to Robbins et al. 2006, â€Å"Organisational structure is the formal framework by which job tasks are divided, grouped and coordinated. † Ryanair is observed to implement common traditional organizational designs. The organization is designed with low departments, as the aircraft handling, ticketing, baggage handling and other functions to third parties in all the airports other than Dublin airport, where it maintains its own staff and services are outsourced. The company organized this kind of a system, to limit the direct exposure to employee relations responsibilities and potential dispute. Ryanair has also organized to carry out the routine maintenance, repair services and checks on aircraft by their own engineering staff, while engine and heavy maintenance are contracted out to third parties. This organization was necessary for the company, since it was cheaper for the company to outsource to third parties rather than employing dedicated employees for the company. The control and authority of the organization is centralized in one person i. e. Michael O? Leary, the CEO of the company. The organizational structure have the advantages of wide span of control, fast and inexpensive to maintain, however as the organizational grows and expands its market, it is not appropriate and reliance on one person makes it very risky for the company. 2. Controlling Ryanair have outsourced the engine and heavy maintenance as a contract work, however the work is carried out under the supervision and planning of Ryanair engineering staff, enabling the company to retain control of quality and safety. This is a feed forward control as it prevents anticipated problems in the future (Robbins et. Al. 2006). Ryanair also have the control over the market of airlines business. Ryanair is the market leader and every airline follows the company in setting out their ticket prices, commission of the agents and other related costs. The company also have a good control over the financial position of the business, in the sense that the liquidity position, leverage, profitability ratios are maintained at a balance level. In a nut shell, the company has checked and balanced over all the activities in the company. It has a good control system implemented from the maintenance of aircraft machine to the lowest level of managing human resources. However, control measures should be implemented in attracting and retaining the existing market share of the company. 3. SWOT analysis STRENGTH Low cost airline Performance related pay structure Aggressive and innovative leadership (Michael O? Leary) Low maintenance cost Punctuality of flights Fleet commonality User friendly website for online booking Passenger charter Minimum baggage loss Major earnings from ancillary services WEAKNESS Growth addict Weak customer service Central decision making Poor affiliation with employees Falling profit yield Multiple fines by the authorities Only in EU market Earns publicity through negative press reporting. Old aircraft. Low employee morale. High turnarounds resulting in maximum Misleading information about ticket fares and aircraft utilization Reduced commission to travel agents Out sourcing Lowest labor cost due to non-unionized labor force Highest seat density destinations. OPPURTUNITY THREAT Expansion of the routes to other parts of the Competitors world Improve facilities in air From low fare airline to no fare airline Fly to central located airports Enhancing their ancillary services War, disease outbreaks Currency fluctuation Formation of union by pilots Hike in oil prices Slack customers due to poor customer service. Other modes of transportation . 1 STRENGTH Ryanair being known as the Europe? s first low cost, no frill airline is the company? s strongest positive feature. The low cost no frills policy resulted to the speedy increase of customers and development of their operation. The CEO of Ryanair, Michael O? Leary portrays a major strength to the company; his aggressive and innovative leadership proves to sta nd Ryanair at the position where it stands now. One of the largest factor acting as a positive force for Ryanair is the firm? s direction towards out sourcing certain service activities within the firm, such as maintenance and repair service. This pace might help the firm to focus on sustaining improvement with on-payroll staff and enhance customer service. Rynair? s performance related pay structure acts as a motivation for the staff and as a company it will stand out in terms of providing excellence in total organizational performance. The variety of ancillary services offered by Ryanair was the greatest source of revenue generator for the firm. According to the graph below it indicates that due to its low fare super brand passenger number grew every year, which made Mr. O? Leary conclude that† low fare always wins†. (Centre for Asian Pacific Aviation, 2009) (Ryanair passenger number growth and load factor growth: FY06 to FY09) 3. 2 WEAKNESS: Ryanair has transformed itself from an undersized industry into one of Europe? s biggest Airlines over times. However its obsessive focus on the growth and only growth has dented its public image. Its negative public image is contributed both by its aggressive CEO and unfriendly staffs. One major problem lies in the handling of customers or target market. It provides poor inflight services to the passengers further more it has misleading websites thus creating a negative impression to the airline brand. Customers are unhappy with Ryaniar because of it poor customer service the only source of attraction for them is the low fare. Old aircrafts are a major concern to think of, as it wasted lots of fuel and needed high maintenance cost especially when the currency fluctuation takes place. The firm faces a lot of unsolved issues due to lack of strategic decision making in several areas concerned with the welfare of the firm. The CEO of Ryanair Michael O? Leary is the central decision maker of the firm, this stands as a weakness as the firm has to rely fully on one person whether right or wrong. 3. 3 OPPORTUNITY: Every firm has its own set of strength and weaknesses, but to make good grasp of the bigger opportunities will further take part in the firm? s enrichment. Ryanair still has the opportunity of competing and dominating in the European airline Industry in terms of providing more standard services to its clients and can be the number one airline industry in the region. Customer ratio can increase if Ryanair can establish the latest trends in Airline management and marketing to meet the demands of their market. Additional initiatives can be taken to diversify its ancillary services which are a revenue resource and open new opportunities to make the business stronger to outstand all its rival competitors. Since Americans have allowed European Airlines to enter USA in the domestic market, as such Ryanair without doubt will be in the leading position as it will be the first carrier to fly low cost to the States. Expansion of operation to the non-EU market can stand as an excellent opportunity for the firm. 3. 4 THREAT Competition, market uncertainty and changing customer crave appears to be the largest threat in the emerging market scenario. Ryanair is continuously faced with inevitable threat of stiff competition and for it to survive in the global competition it has to develop new products with better standard than its competitors. Expansion of operation to other areas like the non-EU markets means that the firm has to adjust to the political issues and trade policies of that region. The demands of the customers are highlighted to be a challenge to the management, consumer behavior and satisfaction with regard to the product and services is also a risk. If the firm continued concentrating on money making and paid no heed to customer satisfaction, the company may fail in terms of management ability. Advancement in the technology world can tend to be a threat in the airline business, hence the company should be able to provide more distinct and advanced technological services to be able to build a place in the competitive airline industry. 4. PEST Analysis POLITICAL Accusation of Misleading advertisement Taxation rules Route charges increased by govt. Union policy EU expansion EU abolishment of Duty free sales ECONOMIC The fuel price fluctuation Currency fluctuation Increase growth rate in GDP Compensation to travelers SOCIAL Terrorism, war outbreak Flight hijack Public image of airline Customer demographic TECHNOLOGY New Boeing flights Proper website Different modes of travel The four factors (Political, Economic, Social and Technology) that play a major role in the future of the airline industry have been focused as above. These external forces have direct impact on the strategic direction at Ryanair. As Ryanair is being operated only within the EU market it can be a relative advantage to the company regarding the external Political environment as this locality maintains political stability. The only concerns on the political environment are the changing taxation rules, union policy and route charges imposed by the government. Nevertheless, on the outside of the European place of the market, the society supports economic significant difficulties put by the political forces as OPEC, the organization responsible for the petroleum production in Middle East. As majority of international revenues in the regions of Middle East comes from oil and from petroleum production / distribution, Ryanair and other business entities have no escape from it. The situation becomes worse when exchange rate fluctuation takes place. (strategic case analysis, 2005) The social environment which is completely uncontrollable can be classified as the changing consumer preferences and demographics. The consumer behavior are the most unpredictable behavior in the business scenario as their preference tend to differ from one product to another due to price differences or even lack of basic consumer reliability. From the financial statements of the company, it is observed that the company is doing well in updating the technologies over the time. It is observed that, the company can afford to purchase new jets to remain competitive in the market. Supply chain software programmes, online ticketing service for customers and other technologies were used by the company for improving the efficiencies and cutting down the cost of the services. The technological environment does not have much of an impact on the organization as of now. (Higgins. E, Ryanair, 2005) To sum up, the external environment of the business is stable compared with many other businesses that are taking place globally. The political, economic, social and technology factors are steady and easing the business to expand, however if these conditions changes in the future, there might be a huge impact on the profitability and market expansion of the business. (Strategic case analysis, 2005) 5. Financial Analysis Objective Discription Formula 2003 (E 000) 2. 9532 2. 8928 50% Liquidity test Current ratio Acid ratio Current assets/ current liabilities Current assets-inventories/current liabilities Total debt/total assets Leverage test Debt to asset Operations test Inventory turnover Total asset turnover Profitabililty Sales/Inventory Sales/total assets 4% 0% 28% 0% Profit margin on sales Net profit after taxes/Total sales Return on investment Net profit after taxes/total assets The above table shows the ratio analysis of Ryanair from the income statement of the company for the year 2003 and the balance sheet as on 31st December 2003 of the said company. From the above table it is observed that, the company is liquid enough to pay its short term liabilities from its current assets. Ryanair has E 2. 95 of current assets for the payment of E 1 of its short term liabilities. The firm is very liquid and creditors of the company will be willing to give more flexible credit terms to the company. Ryanair has a balanced leverage. In other words the company made investment on the assets by 50% debt and 50% equity. The risk and returns of the company is also balanced. The profit margin on sales is 28%. The company has a good profit margin and an increase in sales with proportionate increase in expenses will help the company to grow and expand faster. The return on investment is almost nil. The company should put in effort to utilize their assets efficiently, so that the returns from the investment can increase over the period. Overall, Ryanair has a good liquidity and leverage ratio. The company should utilize these strengths for expansion and growth of the company. However, the operations and profitability ratio are not really leading the company in the right direction. The management should focus on improving the returns from the investment ratio. (Higgins et al, 2005) 6. Critically evaluate alternative solutions: From the above SWOT, PEST and Financial analysis on Ryanair, the following alternative solutions are obtained to overcome the threats and issues of the business in the near future. Market Expansion Ryanair should diversify their services to other parts of the world as these expansions will boost the sales of the company. Ryanair is one of the economical airlines around the world and it has ample of opportunities for business diversification in other markets. Expansion of operation to the non-EU market can stand as an excellent opportunity for the firm. Introduction of unique value added services Ryanair has the opportunity of competing and dominating the European airlines industry in terms of providing standard services to the client and can be the number one airlines company in the region. Ryanair should outsource in providing unique value added services to their clients which are not provided by the other airlines at a budgeted cost. For example, a shuttle bus service can be introduced to carry their passengers from the airport -city and from city – airport at a minimum cost. These kinds of services will help the company in increasing their sales with a minimum increase in cost. Marketing research on airport selection strategy As of now, Ryanair uses the strategy of choosing secondary and regional airport destination and avoiding the congested main airports mainly to cut the cost on airport charges and utilize the time efficiently. A good marketing research and an analysis should be made on comparing the costs and benefits of current strategy and using the main airports in the city. If the report of the research finds out that, it is more beneficial for the company to use the main airports rather than he current strategy, it is advisable for the company to change their strategy and run few experiments with the new one. Marketing and advertisement Ryanair advertises primarily on its website, in newspapers and on radio and television. More advertisements should be made off course within the budget focusing the target market of the company. Product packaging , which consists of air ticket, travel insurance, hotel reservation, car rental and other services, should be designed differently for different groups of customers. This will serve as a one stop shop, which will promote the business as well increase the profitability of the company. Mergers and Acquisitions Mergers and acquisitions is one of the important strategies with big companies. Ryanair should merge or acquire with other businesses in order to improve its capabilities and acquire more competitive advantages. Human resource management In a fast changing world, where technologies and other strategies can be copied, it is the human resource that can bring a competitive advantage. The company does not seem to value its employees and belief in the competitive advantage and importance of their people in the competitive world. Ryanair should initiate steps in improving and valuing their people and frame strategies for gaining competitive advantage over their competitors. 7. Recommendations: Based on the analytical issues it can be recommended that Ryanair can merge with other companies as it can be a brilliant strategy for the growth and success of the company. In case of Ryanair it? s been noticed that the company does not value its staffs. Since, the staffs of the company are considered as one source of sustainable competitive advantage, first and foremost the company needs to priorities its Human Resource Management. Ryanair need to be more goal oriented and must not stop to review and change their marketing plan strategies frequently in order to re-originate the performance process upon the upgrading of rules and regulations imposed by the state. Ryanair is to overcome the lack of product differentiation and enhance it that will have the ability to revive revenue generation. Ryanair has land marked in the area of punctuality however the perception of good customer service has always been poor and more hived up by press. With this in mind Ryanair, while maintaining its strict rules and regulations, must make an adjustment in this area. 8. References Annual Report. (2008). „Ryanair Annual Report and Financial Statements 2008?. Retrieved August 6, 2009, http://www. ryanair. com/ Air scope, May 2007, Bird? s eye view, retrieved on 2009, http://www. air-scope. com/ Box, Thomas M, Byus, Kent, Business Publications, 2007, Ryanair (2005) Successful Low Cost leadership viewed August 6 ,2009, http://ivythesis. typepad. com Dian Ratnasari, RyanAir case, read on August 6, 2009, http:// www. cribd. com/ Eleanor R. E O? Higgins, Case Study: Ryanair, 2004 Eleanor R. E O? Higgins, ECCH Collection, Case Study: Ryanair ; Low fare airline, 1999, viewed August 8, 2009 Eoin S. O? Cuilleanain, Gonzague della Falle, Felix Sobotka, Alexander Kleinert, Solvay Business School, April 2004, Ryanair Plc, viewed on August 6, 2009 Robbins. S, Bergman. R, Stagg. I, Coutler. M, ‘Management,? 4th Edition, 2006 Ryanair 20 09, retrieved on August 6, 2009, http:// www. scribd. com Strategic Case Analysis: Ryanair, 2005 retrieved on August 6, 2009