Altria's Commitment to the Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Altria's Commitment to the Environment - Essay Example It wants to switch consumers' attention from the company for being solely a tobacco and alcohol company and show that it has serious environmental concerns so it pursues actions friendly to human beings. It would have been useless if these concerns were only part of a public relations plan and were not implemented in reality. People, nowadays, have become more environmentally conscious so it is in the best interest of a company to show that it respects the environment and it does not challenge the various environmental groups. Altria has to show that it wants to protect people's health and the best way to show it is by respecting the environment. No, the commitment will not offset the environmental issues with the tobacco company, at least not in the short - run. Each decision of the company made public will have an impact on its various stakeholders. So, a public relations campaign as this one will not bring the desired results if the rest of company decisions and strategy show the opposite. Even if the company decisions are in accordance with the environmental issues, still a negative perception of the image requires a lot of time in order to be changed into a positive one. Altria needs to be sincere with its customers and although it implements its environmental actions it needs to adapt its strategy as a company and become really concerned for consumer's health so this requires a strategic change from the tobacco business and diversify its product portfolio accordingly. Reference List Harrison, J.S., Hitt, M.A. & Ireland, D. (2001). Mergers and acquisitions: A guide to creating value for Stakeholders, Oxford University Press. Kimmel, A.J.(2004). Rumours and Rumour Control: A Manager's Guide to Understanding and Combating Rumours. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. McCall, J.B. & Stone, M.A.(2004). International Strategic Marketing: A European Perspective.

Goods vs Service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Goods vs Service - Essay Example ned that technology is altering the manner in which some of the giant companies perform their businesses, fostering new strategies and thereby revolutionizing the research-and-development process (Brynjolfsson & Schrage, 2009). It is worthy of stating that digitalization as well as networking are the two main components of the modern day society. Through digitalization the different mediums are combined based on the technology which enables a huge amount of data to be transmitted and processed. With the help of networking, virtual communities are being formed over the networks, focused around the internet. With the greater advancement of the technology there has been transformation in the structure and processes of the business world. With the help of intranets and e-mails the processes are being enhanced. It can be stated that the conventional way of shopping is being replaced by the contemporary ways where the consumers are capable of making order over the internet sitting at their homes. The payments can be made with the help of the credit cards and therefore the requirement to visit the store by the buyer is eliminated to a great extent. Prior to purchasing the product, the customer is capable of havin g access to the bulletin board with the assistance of the personal computers for the purpose of viewing the product review and can as well contribute in forums in order to gain the required information from the actual users of the product (Kato, 2007). The technology can also be used by the organization to customize the product and customers services. For instance, it is through information technology that a firm may shift from ‘delivery from stock’ to ‘making an order’ or may shift from ‘selling function’ to ‘renting function’ (Ives & Mason, 1990). Therefore, it can be mentioned that the technology is altering the characteristic of the services and the manner in which the firms tends to interact with the customers. The advancement in the

Competitors Of Tui Based On Market Share Tourism Essay

Competitors Of Tui Based On Market Share Tourism Essay The task of the following assignment is taking a strategic fit for a package holiday company. A package holiday company is defined as one that offers minimum of travel and accommodation in a single package. One company that operates internationally and offers minimum package of travel and accommodation is TUI Travel. TUI is the worlds leading international leisure travel company operating in four different sectors (tuitravelplc.com) The main competitors of TUI based on Market share are: Carlson Wagonlit Travel Thomas Cook plc. Travelport Ltd Vision Statement Our vision is Making Travel Experiences Special (tuitravelplc.com) TASK A: Market Environment Analysis In order to analyse the market environment proper analytical tools should be chosen: PESTLE Analysis for Macro Environment Porters five forces for Micro Environment PESTLE Analysis Political Factors Changes in the taxation policy of the government in UK, such as increase in VAT percentage by 2.5% may have a negative impact on inbound tourism in UK as the prices of commodities will rise. Also, 24% Britishers claim that increase in VAT will also lead to expensive staycations (Casal 2011) Unstable Political environment can seriously impact the tourism industry of a nation as the travelers fear for their safety and tend to avoid that nation. Such as recent Political uprising in mid east has lead to 50% cancellations in Arab nations (Zablit 2011). Security and safety concerns have major impact on tourism industry. Terrorist attacks of 9/11 in US led to 10% fall in demand for travel and tourism (Bennett and Barry n.d.). Such attacks also raise a question on national security of the country and dampen the tourists confidence. Economic Factors Recession: UKs plan to emerge out of recession may just be stretched further as the recent political uprisings in Middle East and disaster struck Japan may have prolong effects on the world economy, affecting the tourism industry as well. In measures to keep household budgets low, families are looking into more of domestic shore holidays, also stated as staycations. In year 2009 there was a decrease by 14% in overseas holidays in UK, whereas the domestic shore market rose by 5% (Mintel Report 2010). Currency Fluctuations: In the year 2008 there was resistance amongst the US visitors for the UK due to strong Pound. Against the dollar, Pound was at two-year low. (Ashby 2008) Looking at the table 1, which shows Dollar strengthening against the pound in the recent years, may attract tourists from US. Furthermore, strengthening of Euro and Dollar can be stated as a cause for escalated interest in staycations and a concern for outbound tourism from UK. Table 1: Currency Prices for last 5 years, with base currency being Pound ( £) (Source: XE.com) Fuel Prices: Year Euro Dollar 2006 69 p 57p 2007 68p 51p 2008 76p 49p 2009 92p 71p 2010 90p 66p The Oil prices rose to $120 per barrel in February 2011 due to political uprising in Middle East and have left airlines worried. International Airlines Group has decided to cut back by flying less often. IAGs CEO said if the fuel prices do not recede the ultimate effect would be on fares (Milmo 2011). This would lead to increase in packaged holidays prices. Social Factors: Demographics: Mintel report 2009 suggests that the decline in average households is projected to continue whereas 5% growth in 1-3 person households. It states about 48% of 1 member family went on a holiday as compared to 68% of marries, 60% of three person and 70% of four households. (Mintel Report 2010) Table2: Showing % change in households in UK. (Source: Mintel Report 2010) By 2031 it is projected that the single households (mainly people over 55) will comprise of 18% of the total households in UK. Therefore it would be a major market for the package operators (Communities 2009) Health concerns. 2004 2009 2014 % Change % Change M M M 2004-09 2009-14 One-person households 7.6 8.35 8.8 9.9 5.4 2 person 8.96 9.54 10.02 6.5 5 3 person 3.95 3.97 4.15 0.5 4.5 4 person 3.3 3.31 3.33 0.3 0.6 5+ person 1.67 1.65 1.64 -1.2 -0.6 Total households 25.48 26.81 27.93 5.2 4.2 Continued concerns over health and hygiene are seen amongst UK residents. The outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease in year 2001 led to 16% fall in visitor expenditure in UK leading to negative images of Britain as a holiday destination (Pasty 2003). But, with the upcoming Olympics 2012 and Royal Wedding in 2011 will lead to high volume of tourists visiting UK. Ageing Population. As per the National statistics organization (2010) there were one in five people of retirement age in the UK. As the population is ageing there will be an extra cost for the companies who offer pension schemes to their employees so that their staff lives longer (Oxford University Press 2007). Technological Factors Internet: In UK there were 20 million Internet subscribers out of 27 million households. High Level of Internet penetration is a key contributing factor to online travel retailors performing better. Online sales of travel retail product represented 34% of the total sales. This also has led to fierce competition amongst the players as the customers are looking for cheap vacation packages, third most important factor when selecting holiday package (Euromonitor) Better Technology: Latest technology advancements in sectors such as engineering, airline industry, transport, infrastructure etc. such as coming of luxury passenger planes such as Airbus A380 and Boeings 787, Eurostar via Eurotunnel have made cross border travel easier and swifter than ever. Legal Factors Emissions Trading Scheme: This scheme was presented in the year 2003 for EU in-order to curb carbon emission. In 2008 amendments were made to this scheme, including the aviation activities as well. It means the aircraft operators will be subject to a cap and will have to pay allowance to cover their emissions. This could have an upward impact on the prices of holiday packages (Euro Monitor). Open Skies Agreement: Signed between EU and US in the mid 2008 allowing and airline from the EU or the US to any place between EU and US. (Euro Monitor) This allows the customers to fly with their choice of airline and thus can help reduce costs because of competition amongst the operators. Environmental Factors Ethical Consumerism The Ethical Purchasing Index states that the ethical purchasing has grown phenomenally with total market valued at  £30million. Eco Holidays, Fair trade holidays have experienced exceptional growth due to the rasing concern regarding the environment amongst the people (Mintel Report 2005). Green Initiatives: In todays world it is impossible for the travel and tourism industry to ignore the growing concerns over environment. In a survey in year 2002, 85% of the people said it is important their vacation does not hamper the environment. Due to this fact the package operators are aligning themselves to become environment friendly (Euro Monitor). Such as Thomas cook has now started to highlight about their services meeting responsible tourism criteria (Mintel Report 2005) Porters Five forces: Competitive Rivalry The four major players in the market (Thomson, MyTravel, First-Choice and Thomas Cook) have, for number of years, jostled each other for bigger market share and profits have proved to be volatile (Evans et al, 2003). The major package holiday players target different segments in the market such as, offering luxury vacations, adventure vacations etc. with some uniqueness as well. Package operators such as Thomson introduced their own low cost airline- Thomson fly and dynamic packaging where customers can book their accommodation and flights separately (Lueck 2005) The level of customer services affect when choosing a company, if one offers better customer service than others it helps in retaining customers. Therefore there is intense rivalry in the industry Threat of New Entrants: The total expenditure on holidays is expected to rise by nearly 22% in 2014 from 2004(Mintel report, 2010) making the tourism industry attractive one because of the market size. Yet, high level of capital investment required targeting larger audience and the need to differentiate acts as a barrier to entry. And to add, top 10 companies control 70% of the market. This reduces the price retaliation and keeps the economies of scale high. Findings from Mintel report (2010) states Brand awareness plays an important role in package holiday industry and thus can act as a barrier. Therefore threat of new entrant is low. Threat from Substitutes: Holidays can have direct as well indirect substitutes, such as instead of spending couple of pounds on a weeks vacation people might spend same amount of money on buying a car or towards house extension. Therefore threat from substitutes if moderate. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Supplier can have high negotiation power over the companies having small market share, but in a market where 4 major players control over 50% of the market there is threat of backward integration. Therefore the bargaining power of the suppliers is low Bargaining Power of buyers: Customers today have the option to book their holidays over the Internet they eye to fetch cheap deals. Regards to this the customers have more choices. But, due to low level of differentiation and lesser substitutes make the bargaining power moderate. Critical Success Factor New Destinations: As per the Mintel report (2010) visiting a new destination has seen highest growth in terms of percentage, 12%. Places that have hot weather, beaches, landscapes, cultural heritage are a major hit amongst various demographics. Therefore in order to have larger market share it is important for the package operators to continuously look to update their offering of destinations. It is important for the tour operators to offer short and medium haul holidays destinations and domestic places for vacations, as it is the growing market as per the current statistics. (Mintel Report 2010) Convenience: In todays technologically advanced world where most of the population is the subscriber to Internet, it is important for travel agents to offer the customers with online booking facility. In UK itself out of 27 million households 20 millions are the Internet subscribers (Euro Monitor). Mintel report (2010) states there was nearly 20% growth in online booking, way more than any other method of booking holidays. Also, a company should be easily searched over the Internet. Therefore the companies should optimize their websites to reach larger audience. Brand Value: It is important to persuade customer to buy package holidays. Here, brand comes into the picture. The recent volcanic eruption helped the package operators build on their brand image and capitalizing on what could happen if independent holidays are booked. Green initiatives: The growing concerns for the environment amongst the customers (see Environmental factors in PEST) have made travel operators take stock of the growing concern. Thomas cook has now started to highlight in their brochure that their services meet the responsible tourism criteria. (Euro Monitor)

Jesus and Moses Essay examples -- Religion, Baptism

According to the book of Matthew, â€Å"Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king,† indicating he was born between 6 and 4 BCE (Matthew 2:1). The Bible refers to this as the virgin birth because Joseph and Mary never conceived him. He was a human being in which God took his form. Very little is known about his childhood and the Bible only reveals a picture of Jesus and his teachings when he was approximately 30 years of age. Whatever happened to Jesus during these years is a mystery to us all, but whatever happened transformed him into the divine being which he is today. Jesus was raised under Judaism and sternly believed in the practices and Jewish customs. In Luke 2:41-52, Luke reveals that Jesus went missing one time from his parents and was later found teaching in his town’s temple. For me, this story shows that from the beginning Jesus was a man of faith with the great ability of explaining and preaching God’s word. I honestly believe Jesus was placed on this earth to teach us unconditional and infinite devotion to God. He lived exactly as humans did. He experienced the same trials and tribulations, the same pains and pleasures of man, and, more importantly, he died to save us from our sins and show what true faith really is. His strength and power lies in his ability to not cave in to worldly urges and to exhibit self control the way God wanted it to be by never reacting with sin. After a 20 year hiatus in the stories and teachings of the Bible, Jesus reappears for his baptism. After experiencing life as a human and witnessing how man can be tempted to evil, Jesus converted to Christianity when John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. The purpose of the baptism was to repent ... ...ayed Moses and engaged in idolatry. The Midian women lured the Levites, Moses’ people, to commit these acts. As a result, God ordered Moses to kill all those who engaged in idolatry as well as every child, woman, and soldier (Deuteronomony 23:3-6). Moses never truly achieved his goals to free his people from persecution and establish a safe and secure homeland, but he did appoint people to lead after him and left them with the Book of Deuteronomy. In these sermons, Moses recalls the trials and tribulations of 40 years in the wilderness to show the struggles his people have made so far. He also demands that they follow his teachings and, more importantly, the Ten Commandments. He leaves them by telling them to observe one and only one God, his God. Shortly thereafter, Moses died at the age of 120 and paved the foundation for the creation of Israel.

Chula Vista Nature Center

The Chula Vista Nature Center Tamitha Y Sprenger SCI 256 March 29, 2012 Tim Boyajian Chula Vista Nature Center San Diego, to many it’s a land of dreams from coastal backyards to mountain views as well as many areas that imitate the dessert like climates of Arizona. However, it is not just a home for people, but also for many animals and plants as well. California has partnered with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California fish and game to help protect the diverse species of plants and animals that share the lush beauty of this land.One way they are striving to accomplish this task is through the Multiple Species Conservation Plan (MSCP). One organization that assists in the restoration of the native plant and animals of Chula Vista is the Chula Vista Nature Center. The Chula Vista Nature Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing environmental education on coastal resource conservation, and building a respect for wildlife in the lives of the people. It rests on the 316-acre Sweetwater March National Wildlife Refuge, and provides an interactive learning experience by introducing the guest to the way the native creatures live in their natural habitats.Some of the interactive exhibits include the turtle lagoon, the shark and ray experience, and the native plant gardens. One can even see burrowing owl nests and the bald eagle. At the native plant and garden visitors will be provided with staff fully knowledgeable on composting gardens. These staff members will then give a demonstration that will teach visitors how they can help make home gardens healthy and safe by reducing the use of toxic fertilizers that destroy the native plants.Some of these native plants guests will be able to enjoy are the Shaw’s Agave, Sagebrush, Coast Barrel Cactus, The California Wild Rose, and many more. With these beautiful and fragrant flowers guests will also enjoy butterflies, hummingbirds and other native birds. The Chula Vista Nature Center ta kes guests on an underworld adventure though the Discovery Center. Here, one will learn about the Rainbow Trout, California Lobster, Red Diamond Rattlesnake, Moon Jelly and more.Guest will find them selves traveling though the bay, to the marshlands and then into upland areas as they stroll through the Discovery Center. Interactions with humans for these plants and animals are beneficial to their survival. Without the knowledge of s disasters that put them in danger of extinction many of these creatures will have already been gone, and humans will only learn of them from books. With the help of The Chula Vista Nature Center, these native creatures will have a chance to grow, and live as they were meant to live.Humans will experience the beauty of the land, and the natural resources that are provided for them by the land. Human life does not come solely from their attempts to grow their own plants, or breed their own animals. It comes from working together with the plants and animals that naturally live and grow in the environment. References County of San Diego (2009). MSCP Biology. Received March 26, 2012 from http://www. sdcounty. ca. gov The Chula Vista Nature Center (2010). The Chula Vista Nature Center. Received March 27, 2012 from http://www. chulavistanaturecenter. org

A Proposal to Purchase Echocardiography Machine

Dear Sir, I would like to offer the proposal of purchasing an echocardiography machine, which in my suggestion is an urgent need for our hospital because of its large cardiac department.I would like to put forward my proposal in front of the panel of judges to justify my urge to buy the equipment as it is a need and an asset to the hospital as well.Such costly equipment should only be purchased when trained staff, ready to give undertaking of its optimum utilization, is available. This becomes all the more important when the financial constraints in the institution are so severe that even life saving medicines and common use items are not available even in the Emergency.EchocardiographyEchocardiography is a technique that uses very high frequency sound, or ultrasound (with frequency between 2 and 15 MHz, well above the human hearing limit of about 20 kHz), to visualize the details of heart anatomy. Echocardiography is the most widely used diagnostic test to detect and quantify heart disease. It has been used in virtually all areas of cardiovascular examination, evaluation and management.There is growing interest in the smaller, portable, hand-carried devices because they offer the ability to bring echocardiography to point-of-care management, particularly for cases that previously required delays in testing due to the necessity of scheduling sonographers and moving equipment through the hospital.Hand-carried devices have the potential to be used in areas such as the critical care unit (CCU), the cardiac catheterization laboratory, the electrophysiology laboratory, the emergency department and all surgical intensive care units.There is also a rising conviction that because of the ease of use of the hand-carried ultrasound, it eventually will be incorporated into the standard physical examination, much like the stethoscope is today.Price Of Echocardiography MachineAn echocardiography machine can be purchased at approx $125,000 (Leech, 1998). These machines do not depreciate easily physically; however, they rapidly become outdated technically. An echocardiography machine practically and technologically can not live up to five years. For this reason, and to give a better life to the machinery, the manufactures regularly provide upgrades to the machines, which enhance the technical life of the machine to up to 12 years.To take a rough idea, the up-gradation at the rate of at least 5 % per year of the purchasing cost, will cost $30,000 to every 3–5 years. As capital sum can generate some bank interest could, the ‘cost of money’ is required to be included. In the United States, the Government’s Treasury rate is 6%. Servicing the machine will be charged annually at approximately 6–8% of the purchasing cost (Leech, 1998).