Best Meal Ever Essay Example for Free

Best Meal Ever Essay Coming home from a long shift from work, my girlfriend greeted me at the front door of our house with a big warm hug and a smile. As we catch up with our day, I smelled the most alluring aroma coming from the kitchen. I cooked up something special for us today, she announced excitedly. I follow my nose to the kitchen to find a delicious collection of shrimp, rice, clams, slices of beef and vegetables surrounding a big bubbling pot in the center of our table. Eyes wide open and nostrils flaring, my mouth immediately floods with salivation as I gaze at the most appetizing view. We sit at the table already prepped with plates, silverware, napkins and a pair of ladles. The pot in the center of the table is angry with boiling solution. The plump shrimp and slices of savory beef are still cold and fresh in their packages while the mushrooms, onions and carrots have been chopped to pairs of dice. The clams are nestled neatly in a bowl of ice and the rice is steaming from a tall bowl awaiting consumption. Finally, we gently place a few slices of beef and shrimp into the pot with the ladles for our first taste. To my surprise, the food only takes a few minutes to heat in the pot before it is fully cooked. With my ladle, I fish out the shrimp and slices of beef and plant them in my mouth. A delicious fireworks display sets off immediately! The beef melts in my mouth without any real effort of chewing, while the shrimp mimics a velvety texture. I load the ladle with vegetables and dunk it in the pot for my next fixing. After a few moments, I am overwhelmed with savory mounds of organic goodness. As I absorb the luscious delicacies I am taken into nirvana, then I take a moment to organize my thoughts as my brain is overloaded with sensory pleasure. I try the clams and the rice next, without disappointment, I get sent off into a roller coaster ride of flavors. The clams are silky in texture as they slide around my throat. The rice is warm and wholesome as the grains it was harvest from. The soup is abounding with spices and herbs that tickle my mouth as they dance with my tongue. My brain gets rocketed into another world as it tries to make sense of all the variety of tastes and smells as I continuously bombard myself uncontrollably with food. After what seemed like  an everlasting event, we finished a feast. My brain and the sensory neurons from my tongue have been exhausted as they had never experienced such a sensation. My stomach is at full capacity but humbled as it hugs my hips for the pleasing event. My girlfriend had prepared a master piece symphony. This has been the most delicious meal I have ever eaten.

Biryani cuisine

Biryani cuisine Biryani is an extremely varied componnent of Pakistani cuisine, which enjoys substantial popularity among the populace.   It has many types in the world, quite a few of which are being consumed in Pakistan. While searching on the net I came across an interesting fact which stated that historians claim, in Punjab earlier Nawabs used to wear matching turbans according to the biryani they ate. Nizams kitchen boasted 49 types of biryanis   with aberrant constituents such as hare, quail and deer. However, today the generality tends to stick to chicken lamb and beef. Awadi Biryani of Lucknow is considered to   a benchmark of many types of biryanis and is considered to be an imprint of Mughal Empire on eastern India. The Sindhi   variant of biryani most popular in Karachi and Lahore finds its roots in awadi biryani. However, it has been varied slightly to match local tastes by augmenting elements of Bombay biryani and Calcutta biryani (by adding potatoes).PIA serves this version of biryani on its international flights to preputuate the feel of Pakistani cuisines. Another type offered in the Punjab and northern areas is referred to as vegetable biryani which comes with many virtues attached. It is usually offered with sour yogurt that serves to cool off the stomach ulcers. This type finds its footing in the tehari biryani popular in Indian homes. Further, we have the memoni   biryani which is highly popular amongst the batwa memons in specific and karachities In particular. The ingrediants used to make this particular type include lamb, potatoes and onions. However, unlike its Sindhi counterpart it uses less tomatoes and artificial food colorations. Anarkali biryani is quite popular in Punjab and is served at grand feasts. It is usually made out of boneless chicken and is garnished with green cardamoms cashew nuts pistachios and chilghozas. Another unique type consumed with relish by many Pakistanis is dumpukht. It is believed to be influenced by hyderabadi and Awadi biryanis, yet maintains a distinct method and taste. Artificial flavourings are highly disapproved. Marinated meat, herbs and spicies are placed in a sealed clay pot and allowed to cook in its own steam and juices. allowing herbs and spices to fully infuse the meat or rice, preserving the nutritional elements at the same time. In the best biryanis, grains of rice are well-cooked yet do not stick to one another. Fish and prawn versions of biryani are now being adopted in many higher middle class households in Pakistan. Besides adding a tocuh of elegance to the otherwise ‘desi dish, the   variation is considered to be highly nutricious. This form of biryani traces it s roots to the Ranipet Biryani and the Dindigul Curry Biryani   of kerala. An interesting form which is now gaining popularity is the masoor biryani which combines masoor pulse with rice in order to create a low chelestrol highly nutrious receipe. ‘Kashmiris use asafoetida in Biryani, which is unique, and all the ingredients are marinated overnight. Bhatkali biryani are popular in the west nd parts in balochistan. It has Irani influence and has come through spice route. Other types were: (Kofta, egg, peshawari, shahjehani, goosht dum, madarassi) But I couldnt find much about them other than their receipes, which changed slightly with the names, the basic procedure remaining the same :S http://hubpages.com/hub/What-Is-Biryani http://www.scribd.com/doc/20523299/Biryani%E2%80%A6by-Jerson-Fernandes http://www.shantanughosh.com/2007/08/biryani-stories.html

The Historical Background Of Virgin Atlantic

The Historical Background Of Virgin Atlantic The importance of Tourism and hospitality industry can never be over-emphasized in the development and growth of many nations in the world. As a result of the advancement in technology and globalisation, tourism and hospitality industry serve as a vital driver of job creation as well as being the main source of income for many developed and the less developed countries. Due to the pivotal role of this industry in the creation of wealth for nations, several companies as well as international organisations devise efficient and cost effective operational management methods in order to maximise their profits. A key industry that propel tourism and enables tourism and hospitality industry to its present global height is the aviation industry, which not only transport people from one place to the other, but ensures that places that were deemed unreachable can be discovered, thereby creating wealth for organisations as well as enhancing the geographical prominence of countries in the league of nations. Virgin Atlantic, the second largest commercial airline in the United Kingdom play an active role in the tourism and hospitality business by ensuring that it provide cost effective and innovative services to its various clients. As a result of keen competition in the aviation industry, Virgin Atlantic is renowned to be one of the pioneers of in-flight entertainment as well introducing a premium economy class services for its customers that can not afford to travel on an upper class but still wants to benefit and enjoy some of the privileges of the upper class clients. The global economic recession as well as the harsh business climate has made it imperative for companies to re-evaluate their business models and device strategies to cope with the ever changing macro and micro environmental factors that affect the company. These are made possible by the analysis of the companys Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) it faces while operating in relation to their competitors. Despite the advancement in technology, the three core functions of any organisation i.e. marketing, product and service development, and operation are well guided in order satisfy the ever increasing customer demands. To do these, most organisations align their operation management strategies to the changes in the external and internal forces that affect their operational model. Kim and Olsen (1993) corroborated this by advocating that a balanced approach must be used to monitor the events that occur in the external domain and assessing the potential impact on business and unit level operations. Organisations must focus on their strengths in order to deal with the wide range of external factors in creating opportunities for themselves. On these basis, the identification of the external and internal operational management methods are clearly identified as a tool in increasing productivity ,customer satisfaction as well as promoting their products to their target audience. STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM In every research, there are various problems that are identifiable, but for the purpose of this research, the following questions need investigation. What operational method can organisation adopt? What is the significance of operational management to an organisation? Should organisations in the hospitality industry adopt similar or different operational management? OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The objective of this research can be summarised as follow; 1. To analyse the operation management of Virgin Atlantic in relation to tourism and hospitality. 2. Establish the impact of internal and external factors that affects Virgin Atlantic operations. 3. How company formulate and adopt strategy. 4. Identifying the strengths and weakness of Virgin Atlantic 5. How the company measures service quality and improvement. 6. To established the best operational management methods for productivity and promotion. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The study is of great importance because it underlines the understanding of the operation management of Virgin Atlantic which is one of the pioneers in innovation in the tourism and aviation industry. The research highlights the various approaches used by Virgin Atlantic in their daily operations and how it has been able to remain a viable and competitive company LIMITATION OF THE STUDY Due to time constraint, it was not possible to do a comparative study of the operation management of Virgin Atlantic in relation to other organisations in the aviation industry in relation to hospitality management. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF VIRGIN ATLANTIC Summary Virgin Atlantic is the second largest commercial airline in the United Kingdom that starts operation in 1984.It is headquartered in Crawley near Gatwick airport and owned by Sir Richard Branson (51%) and Singapore Airlines (49%).The airline operates between the United Kingdom and North America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia from its bases at Gatwick Airport and London Heathrow Airport, using a mixed fleet of Airbus and Boeing wide-bodied jets (web 1). Almost uniquely among major airlines, it operates no short-haul services whatsoever, with its shortest route being from London to Accra (web 2).It offers three classes of travel: Upper, Premium Economy and Economy classes which all bears the hallmark of Virgins award winning inflight entertainment and based on airlines aims of provision of innovative service at excellent value for money for all classes of air travellers (web 3). Birth and Formation Virgin Atlantic was conceived as result of an idea from Randolph Fields who wanted to be operating flights from London to the Falklands islands after the Falkland war. But due to Logistic and operational cost, the Falklands operation was aborted and an alternative arrangement to have flights operating from London to the United States was agreed upon. Randolph Fields proposed his idea of flights operations to Richard Branson at a party in Central and he agreed to be a partner in the flight business with 25% stake going to Randolph Fields and 75% to Richard Branson (Web 4). Like all Richard Branson businesses, he approaches the partnership as a venture that must succeed within a year or he exits the partnership. The airline was an instant hit in its first year and it was able to lease more planes in the second and subsequent years. Richard Branson eventually bought out Randolph Fields stake in the business in 1997 after disagreement over operations of the airline. After its maiden flight to Newark in the United States on its leased Boeing 747 in 1984, the airline had acquired more aeroplanes to cover different routes and destinations ranging from Tokyo, Boston, Los Angeles, Rolando etc. Despite the apparent success and popularity of the airline, the company faced financial problems in the 1990s due to the recession, the Gulf War and the subsequent collapse of International Leisure Group (ILG), there was need to save Virgin Atlantic from collapse and involves the abolition of the Traffic Distribution Rules (TDRs) which was meant to create equal distribution air traffic between Heathrow and Gatwick airports in order assist Gatwick airport to make profit. The TDRs rule stated that airlines that do not operate international flights from Heathrow airport prior to 1977 would not be permitted operations there, but will instead be using Gatwick airport. The abolition of the rule made it possible for airlines to commence operational flights from Heathrow. This subsequently paved way for Virgin Atlantic to begin operations at Heathrow airport despite opposition from British airways who was the largest operator then. As a result of this move, Virgin Atlantic was able to increase its long-haul flights and survived the recession in the economy. In order to consolidates its position and expand its flight operations, Virgin Group the parent company of Virgin Atlantic, sold 49% stake of the airline to Singapore airlines in year 2000, while Richard Branson retains 51% stake of the airline. This increased the value of the airline  £1.25 billion thereby making it one of the biggest private operated airline in world (Web 5). Rivalry with Competitors The movement of Virgin Atlantic operations to Heathrow signal a rivalry between the airline and British Airways. Amongst the rivalry between both airlines was the famous libel fine of  £500,000 and  £110,000 in 1993,that was awarded out of court to Richard Branson and Virgin Atlantic as well as  £3million court charge against British Airways for its dirty tricks campaign on Richard Branson and his airline (Web 6).Subsequently in June 2006, and British Airways was fined  £271 million as a result of a tip-off from Virgin Atlantic after investigation by the US and the British office of fair trading for alleged price-fixing between both airlines (Web 7) . Agreement and Co-operation with Other Airlines Despite Virgin Atlantic fierce rivalry with British Airways, the airline do partners and codeshare agreements with other airline in the world namely; South Africa Airways, Air China, Cyprus Airways, Flybe, Gulf Air, Scandinavian Airlines, US Airways, Malaysian Airways etc. in order to spread its reach across the world (Web 8)(Web 9). Service and Innovation Virgin Atlantic has been a pioneer in services and innovation in the aviation industry through its introduction various services and technology that are used to distinguish itself from other airlines in the in Industry. It operates three-classes (Economy, Premium Economy and Upper Class) of travel in order to cater for the needs of its passengers. The Economy class is the standard class and it provide among other facilities such as free meals, drinks and lumbar support for its passengers. The Premium Economy class provide clients with a wider seat having more leg room, priority boarding as well as separate check in area from the economy class passengers (Web 10). The Upper Class provide the passengers with first class services ranging from larger menu and in-flight bar. It is also equipped with the biggest fully fitted flatbed compared to any other airline business class services. Virgin Atlantic airplanes also are equipped with the state of the art In- flight entertainment system, that provide entertainment to all its passengers in order to ensure that they have a memorable time while flying the airline and maintain their loyalty them. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW The aim of any service business organization is to create goods and services that are of high quality, quantity and cost efficient in order to satisfy the consumers needs. This can be achieved by ensuring that detailed attention is devoted in the planning and control of day today running of the business, design of products and creating a competent processes for employees to work. Operation management covers all these essential functions from the top level management to the immediate control of operations in the business. Operations management according to Nigel Slack et al. (2010) is defined as the activity of managing the resources which produce and deliver products and services. This system of management relates to the function of any organization responsible for the design, planning and control of resources for the provision of goods and services (David R.B and Paul L.F, 2010). Operation Management Model Source: Operations Management, 6th edition, Nigel Slack et al (2010, p.25) The Evolution of Operation Managements The history of Operations management can be traced to different projects in the development of human history from the construction of Egyptian pyramid to the building of the Great Wall of China and the industrial revolution that began in England in the 18th century. Before the industrial revolution, production of goods and services are made through custom made products. But as machines were invented, there was an increase in the factory system thereby leading to the specialization of labour as proclaimed by Adam Smith in 1776 in The Wealth of Nations which emphasize the benefit of breaking down production activities to smaller parts and assigned to individual worker through the manufacturing process. This ensures an increase in the production of goods and services through specialization as opposed to the cottage system of manufacturing for individual needs of the consumer. By the mid 19 century, most cottage industries were being replaced by factories which expanded to urban workforce with effective communication thereby paving way for the great output explosion of the 20 century (David R.B and Paul L.F, 2010). A number of techniques were later introduced during this period among which is the scientific management principle developed by Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915) (Taylor, 1911), that was used for the creation factory Ford Rouge plant in which mechanized assembly lines, specialized labour,mass production and interchangeable parts were featured. But with the major studies in the relationship between output production and human motivation by Maslow (1943) and Herzberg (1966), the essence of developing a social as well as a technical system for manufacture processes. The growth in the Asian economic coupled with new manufacturing processes such as Just-in-Time (JIT) principle and Lean Operations in the 1960s brings a different perspective to quality and design management thereby making businesses to improve on their product delivery. Wickham. S (1985) and Terry (1985) also emphasized this in their studies by recognizing that the view that techniques and systems are not the most important part of operation management but taking a more balanced strategic view of management operations. As a result business competitiveness depends not only on low level, limited impact system of operation but on a broader management operational view (David R.B and Paul L.F, 2010). CHAPTER 3 MACRO AND MICRO ANALYSIS OF VIRGIN ATLANTIC The operation of every business is affected by several internal and external factors which determine the growth and survival of a business organisation. These factors can analysed by looking at the environment in which a business operates otherwise called Environmental Scanning or Macro environment. Macro environment refers to the clients, markets, industries and competitors which an organization interact with during their business operations. These factors are outside the control of an organisation and indirectly affect its activities. Kroon (1995) defined environmental scanning as the study and interpretation of the political, economic, social and technological events and trends which influence a business, an industry or even a total market. Based on this definition, Macro environment can be analysed by six factors or segmentation called PESTEL which is Political.Economical, Social, Technological and Environmental and Legal factors. These are in constant change and organizations must define strategies to meet up with the changes. Holloway (2004) stated that macro business environment is subject to continuous changes and in order for the business to survive, it must learn to adapt to these changes. The Political and Legal factors such as government policies and legislations affect the mode of operation of every business. This factor can encompass political stability and favourable legislations such as tax concessions which encourage and promote the operation of business. Since Virgin Atlantic operate flights to different countries from the United Kingdom, the political environment in which it operates play a long way in the determining its success. The political decision of abolishing the Traffic Distribution Rules enables the airline to expand its operation flights and increase revenue for the company. Furthermore, countries of high political instability in Africa and Asia have a negative impact on the airline because the tourism potential reduces as a result of less people flying to these countries. The Economic factors are significant in determining the operation management of Virgin Atlantic in the hospitality industry. The factors such as inflation rate, recession, spending power, deflation determine the role of Virgin Atlantic in the hospitality industry. The recent recession as well as the euro zone crisis has deeply affected the tourism and hospitality industry with less people travelling on holidays due to job cuts and ,high inflation rate and redundancies have lead a reduction of flights of Virgin Atlantic thereby affecting its profit. Furthermore, deregulation of the airline industry has created an avenue for Virgin Atlantic to reduce to reduce airline fares. Although financially distressed airlines have cut fares to boost operational profit, Virgin Atlantic operates different incentives for their customers such as discount for senior citizens in the society as well as group travellers in order to stay ahead of their competitors. Social and Environmental factors play a great role in the tourism and hospitality industries because the society demands the services that are rendered by the airline industry. Virgin Atlantic strive in is staff recruitment to employ people that care about the customers and provide their best for the customers by bringing their individual personalities to work while having fun at the same time (Virginatlantic.com, 2011).Consequently, as part of its corporate social responsibilities, Virgin Atlantic allows trained pets that accompanied disable people on its flights as well as providing assistance to unaccompanied children to travel. It also offers its customers complementary limousine pick up and provide in-flight beauty treatment for its business economy passengers. The commitment of Virgin Atlantic to reduce its environmental impacts of its operations was highly lauded by the government for introducing biofuel in to some of its aircrafts in order to reduce emissions to the environment. It has also introduces recycling programme on board of all its aircraft as well companys office in order to reduce the amount of waste generated and become a conscious and cost effective organisation(Virginatlantic.com,2011). Technological factors are important in the provision of highly effective and accident free operation in the hospitality industry. Virgin Atlantic Airways believes in the role of technology in improving services and ensuring that safety of its staffs and passengers. It has been able to accomplish this by ensuring that it acquires new technological advanced aircrafts in order to improve the operation management and safety of the airline. Since flying is an highly dangerous operation if effective checks are not carried on airplanes, Virgin Atlantic have engineers that are highly trained have been researching to improve safety and security of airlines. They also introduce technologies in-flight entertainment to entertain the passengers while waiting for arrival as well while travelling on their flights. MICRO ANALYSIS The micro analysis factors influence the operation of any business organisation. These factors directly affect the operation of an organization and can change in order to align with organisation vision and goals. The micro economic factors that affect the operations of Virgin Atlantic in the hospitality business are; Customers, Suppliers, Employees, Competitors and Shareholders. The customers are the main contributor to the survival of any business because they contribute to the revenue in which the business operation is being run. Virgin Atlantic take utmost care in providing a second to known service for its numerous customers, based on the original philosophy of Richard Branson, which is to offer the best possible service to its clients while delivering the best possible value. People also regard Virgin Atlantic as a distinctive, fun-loving and highly innovative brand and one that is admired for its friendliness, intelligence and integrity (Virginatlantic.com, 2011). It also try to retain the patronage of all its customers by operating frequent flyer incentives such as the flying club where points accumulated from previous flights can be redeem later for free flights in the company. The introduction of in-flights entertainments on all is flights is also a ploy to make flying experience with Virgin Atlantic a memorable one. The Virgin Atlantic employees are the assets of the organisation that project the values and culture of the organisation to the outside world. As a result of their importance to the goals and vision of Virgin Atlantic, serious emphases are placed in the recruitment of staffs that care about customers and bring their individual personalities to work in the company. It provide perks for its customers in form of staffs flight discount, excellent retirement benefit as well as good health care entitlement while working for the company. The main suppliers to Virgin Atlantic airlines are Airbus and Boeing; aircraft manufacturers. They play a significant role in the operation of the airline by providing reliable and state of the arts airplanes the company. There are other companies that contribute to the successful operation of the airline such as Fuel companies that supply fuel for the operation of the airplanes, airports staffs that management the successful taking off and landing of the airplanes ,IT companies such as Del,IBM,CSC etc,that provide the hardware and software for the administrative activities of the company. Virgin Atlantic must work harmoniously with all these companies in order to have successful operation management. Since the airline industry is a highly competitive industry different airline devise methods and promotions to lure customers to their airlines. The core competitor of Virgin Atlantic in the United Kingdom is British Airways. There have been several legal as well industrial disputes between both airlines in order to entice customers from each other. Since the reduction in government influence on the aviation industry in the United Kingdom, there have been intense completions between airlines to provide services that are better than its rivals. The core services provided by Virgin Atlantic which differentiate it from competitors are innovative technologies as well cheap and affordable flight tickets in relation to its rivals. The shareholders of any business organisation are the ones that provide the capital for the operation of the business. As a result of this fact, their interest in ensuring that the business runs successfully in order to generate profit is very important. Virgin Atlantic is owned by Richard Branson (51%) and Singapore Airlines (49%) which form a global partnership and increase their operation capital for effective operation and to remain completive in the airline industry. SWOT ANALYSIS All businesses must assess and evaluate their positions in terms of where they are at the present and where want to be in future. In order to do this, the SWOT Analysis is carried out whish focus on the companys Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities as well as Threat it faces in relation to its operation and survival. Strengths The strengths of any organisation are toe positive advantages that it possess in relation to other organisations. The strengths of Virgin Atlantic are; Innovative and comprehensive services: Virgin Atlantic has innovative and comprehensive customer services which are designed to meet the ever increasing needs of their customers. The companys passenger services unit arranges check-in facilities, baggage handling, meal catering, and in-flight entertainment. It also provide work in association with special assistance department unit to provide customers with special travel needs such as mobility aids, special meals, health camps at departures and arrivals (Datamonitor, 2011). Association with Singapore Airline: Virgin Atlantic association with Singapore airlines has been highly beneficial to the customers of both airlines which enable them to book their flights through both companies. This association also enables virgin Atlantic to tap into the highly lucrative Asian countries thereby increasing revenue for the company as well as better services for the staffs and customers. Weakness Small Size: The apparent small size of Virgin Atlantic in relation to other big players in the aviation industry makes it difficult to compete fairly in the aviation industry. British Airways and Air France operates flights to about 300 and 244 destinations in the world in comparison to Virgin Atlantic that operates to just 30 destinations in the world. Virgin Atlantic also 38 aircrafts compared to the British airways and Air France with 238 and 558 respectively which also limit their competitiveness. Price Fixing Allegations: The Office for fair Trading (OFT) found Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific guilty of price fixing allegations after a three-year investigation. They were fixing the price for flights between London to Hong Kong route and were likely to face a severe penalty of about  £250 million. Allegations of this type of nature can severely dent brand image and make customers to lose faith in the company for providing competitive price for its services. Opportunities Increase in the Global Freight sector: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasted that aviation will handle 38 million tonnes of air cargo in 2014, up 12.5 million tonnes from the 26 million tonnes carried in 2009. International freight volumes are expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.2% over the forecast period (Data monitor, 2011).As a result of this promising forecast from IATA, which most of the activities occurring in the Asia pacific routes, Virgin Atlantic will benefit significantly through its association with Singapore Airline. Positive outlook of the Airline market: As a result of the Olympics coming up in the United Kingdom next year, Virgin Atlantic will benefit immensely in the transportation of tourist as well as other participant to the United Kingdom for the games. This will increase the revenue for the company as a result of the prominent position it plays in the United Kingdom aviation industry. Threats Price Discounting from Competitors: The ever increasing discount pricing in the domestic market by close competitors a such as BMI, Ryan Air, British Airways, Air France etc., has made it increasingly difficult made for Virgin Atlantic to have stable pricing structure thereby making it extremely difficult for the domestic operations to be profitable. Consequently, the increase in the size of airlines route system have significantly increase the competition between airlines thereby affecting the profitability as well as impacting on their operations. Natural Disaster: The Volcanic eruption of Mount Eyjafjallajà ¶kul in 2010, created a huge dent in the operation of Virgin Atlantic. The ash from the volcanic eruption disrupts air travel operations across Europe, with flight being grounded several European countries such as United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark and other Scandinavian countries. It was estimated that airlines during this period lost hundreds of millions of pounds due to flights cancellation caused by the volcanic ash. This situation severely affected the operation management of Virgin Atlantic profit. European Union (EU) Regulation: In 2005, an EU regulation came into effect for compensating passengers with valid ticket but which were denied boarding an airplane irrespective of the situation. This law also imposes fixed compensation to passengers for cancelled flights except if the airline can prove that such cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances, such as weather, air-traffic control delays or safety issues (Datamonitor, 2011).Subsequently, this law makes it to the prerogative of the airlines to provide meals, drinks, and accommodation as well as telephone calls for customers if delayed overnight. The overall expenses created by this law made impacted on the operational profitability of airlines in which Virgin Atlantic were one of the casualties. Jet Fuel Cost: Since the airline operation depend on the jet fuel, the instability the fuel prices has significantly affected the operations of Virgin Atlantic. The volatile price of jet fuel exacerbated by the political uprising in the Middle East has impacted on the profitability of margin of Virgin Atlantic in its operations as result of high cost of buying the fuel for the aircrafts. CHAPTER FOUR CURRENTAND FUTURE OBJECTIVE OF THE ORGANISATION After the SWOT analyses of Virgin Atlantic, it is imperative to take a deeper look into the current objective of the company in relation to its future plans. The current objective of any organization must align with its vision which is reflected in the organisations mission statement. The mission statement of Virgin Atlantic is To grow a profitable airline, that people love to fly and where people love to work (Virginatlantic.com, 2012). As result of this statement, the operation management of the organisation was designed to cater for the needs of its customers by providing the best service while delivering it in the best possible values. It also ensures that its workers not only work for the organisation but derive enormous pride, fun and sense of well-being in the course of their services to the clients. Furthermore, in-line with socially and corporate responsibility of Virgin Atlantic, introduced a wide range of environmental initiative that are meant to reduce the amount of waste generated in the company. These initiatives involves the recycling of all waste such as plastic glasses, vending cups, papers aluminum cans which are collected and recycled in order to raise money for the various charity organisations the company supports. Virgin Atlantic is also a trail blazer in the technological innovation by volunteering one of its Boeings 747 for the test of bio-fuels in operating airlines with the hope of reducing the dependency of airlines on jet fuel. As a result of the initiative, the company intends to use biofuels composed of algae as a part supplement to the jet fuel in its flight operations (Airline in first biofuel flight, 2008). The future objective of Virgin Atlantic is to seek ways in order to be competitive in the United Kingdom aviation after the tie-up agreement between British Airways and American Airlines (Sir Richard Branson begins strategic review of Virgin Atlantic, 2011).As a result of this, the company appointed Goldman Sachs to advise them about the potential approach from Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines in order to re-align its business for future challenges (Virgin Atlantic Airways, 2011). CHAPTER 5 MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES According to Baines et.al (2008), marketing strategy serves as the basic plan and template in which an organisation commences its operations in order to achieve its goals. The essence of marketing and communication objectives of any organisation enables it to differentiate its products and services from other related organisations. Marketing and communication strategy enables Virgin Atlantic to analyse its opportunities and target customers which it believe are relevant to short and long term goals as well as the objectives of the organisation. These strategies are achieved through various marketing mix i.e. the price, product, place and promotion which are used to communic

Heartbreak Essay -- Personal Narrative Essays

Salty tears of frustration streamed down my checks into the steaming mineral water that surrounded me. No one noticed; no one cared. I was just another stranger in the crowd drifting along in Glenwood Pool. There was only one difference; I was alone. Everyone else in the pool seemed to have someone, and everywhere I looked couples were kissing! If someone had been surveying the whole thing they would have found happiness in every corner ... then they would have seen me; sulking in my corner of the pool with fat, old, wrinkly, bald men swimming past me repeatedly. I let out a withered sigh, which caused me to choke in the middle of yet another sob. I had had enough. I weakly pulled myself out of the pool and walked to my towel. I grabbed the huge, orange and white stripped thing and wrapped it around my shivering body, hoping to find some warmth and comfort; but even my monstrous beach towel could not cut the chill I felt inside. I started to walk to the changing room past the hundred faces I knew nothing of, but by now were familiar. I had searched each face a hundred times hoping to see someone I knew. Finally, I realized that I knew none of them, and the person I was looking for just wasn't coming. A little boy with a toothless smile came running toward me. I stopped him and gave him my water slide tickets. He gave me a smile that said I had given him the world and ran away squealing after his daddy. I sighed again and thought, "Well, at least he's happy!" My throat tightened as I swallowed another sob. I quickened my pace to the changing room. I wanted to get away from this place as soon as possible. I opened the door and walked in. The smell of sulfur, soap, and shampoo assaulted my nostrils, while the sight of naked wom... ...seen. Three hours I had waited by myself in the pool, but Thomas had never come. I walked to my locker, retrieved my things, and headed for the shower. All I wanted was to get away from the pain I felt. The car was hot and stuffy when I slipped back into the driver's seat. I found the most depressing music I owned and drove out of Glenwood as the sun started to set. Two more hours until I was home, two more hours of thinking what a terrible day I had gone through, and two more hours of cussing myself for being so naà ¯ve. The drive was a long one. On the way home, tears of frustration again stung my eyes. There was no stopping them. Another "being stood up" mark was added to the ever growing list. This one had pierced my heart and the resolve of my soul was to never date again. Thus, the book of dating was slammed shut and the key sank to the bottom of the pool.

Sigmund Freud Essay -- Biography Biographies Freud Psychology Essays

Sigmund Freud Works Cited Missing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Psychology and its evolvement in the U.S. and its culture exploded with the theories and writings of Sigmund Freud. America welcomed psychoanalysis as its new treatment for hysteria and mental illnesses. Society began to rely on psychoanalysts as not only their doctors but their personal consultants. A new outlook on the American culture and its thought began to emerge. Many found psychoanalysts to be aristocrats and others viewed it as a new tool of discovering the mind and how it worked. Psychoanalysis and psychosexual theories of Freud became the target for feminist uprisings during 1920’s and 60’s that changed American outlook on its culture and social roles. Freud and the emergence of psychoanalysis in the U.S. served as means of new treatment for the mentally ill, new careers and organizations for the psychology field, as well as the means to change American society and its culture. Psychoanalysis incorporates Freudian concepts of id, ego, and the superego in their relation to repression of human thoughts and emotions. According to Feud, the id represents a portion of the human mind where all the desires and pleasures are sought to be achieved by the individual disregarding the reality. The id is the selfish pleasure seeking device. The ego interacts with the id by bringing a sense of reality to the person’s mind that is acquired from an individual’s contact with the social world. â€Å"The ego attempts to reduce the tensions of the id, and it tries to do so by successfully dealing with the environment† (Nye, p.13). The superego makes the final decision of right and wrong. It is associated with morals and ethics most often acquired through parents. The superego represents the values and standards of the parents, incorporated into the individual’s own personality (Nye, p.14). This system of morals represents the conscious level of the person’s mind, while the id mostly lies within the unconscious. The ego, when faced with stress and inability to cope with stressful situations creates defense mechanisms that often lead to repression of thoughts, memories, and emotions (Nye, p.26). Psychoanalysis aims to discover each sector of personality and mind separately. In order to acquire access to the id, a person’s ego has to be penetrated due to the defense mechanisms it creates. By studying the superego, the present pe... ...y one thing, themselves. The whole America lay on a big couch, discovering itself and what it has forgotten, or better did not want to remember. And the women turned out to be just that. Psychoanalysis introduced a new way for women to fight for their power and sexuality. The culture that once revolved around traditional male values was altered once and for all with psychoanalysis and psychosexual Freudian stages as its trigger. In today’s society psychoanalysis plays a vital role as it incorporated into the culture. Psychoanalysts became people’s personal consultants and no longer specialized doctors needed only in extreme situations. The majority of society goes to see a psychologist or as today’s pop culture calls it a â€Å"shrink†. Many visit psychoanalysts to discover more about themselves, their personality and their hidden desires. Some just want someone to listen to their problems. Whatever the reason may be, psychology has a new meaning in to day’s society, economics, politics, and culture. It’s the new era where the person is looked at from three angles, the mind, the unconscious, and behavior. Freud introduced the couch while America laid down only to wake up a new nation.

Explore Different Types Of Essays And Examples

Exploring The Different Types Of Essays And Examples ~ our site Essay writing is going to help you create a stream of academic success. If you can do this, you will excel in nearly all major arenas of writing, and education. But that’s not just a matter of school. You’re going to find that you can explore different types of essays to ensure that you’re working through writing for industry and learning as well. If you can write an essay well, you can write just about anything, and may find yourself offering companies a lot more than other employees that they may be looking into hiring. This is a great option that you’ll no doubt want to explore, especially if you want to ensure that you’re able to gain the upper hand in the job market today. The following will help you explore the major types of essays that you should know about. This will help you understand the bigger picture of what’s going on with writing in academia and beyond.Narrative Style The first option that you’re going to want to consider is that of narrative essays. This is a solution that lets you tell a story from the perspective of first person view points. It’s something that you are going to help create elements that will help you create lavish stories and more. You can sometimes see this in literature, where documentation in journals and more are written. The book â€Å"Dracula† for instance, has this narrative style, and it looks like an essay in many chapters that collect to form the larger picture of the story. Narrative essays are usually personal, and can help put forward real-life experiences for others to read etc. You can create a conclusion at the end, or you can leave it open ended, depending on what the purpose of the essay assignment truly is.Descriptive Style The next thing that you will need to consider is simple, descriptive style. This is a solution that lets you be more descriptive in what you’re writing. You will be writing like you were creating a short story or a novel. You’ll use descriptions that are absolutely focused on deeper elements, and meaning that goes beyond just telling a story. This is a novelization and narrative style that is more descriptive than the first essay style. It’s an interesting push forward that will give you details about the subject matter on a lot of deeper elements. It will no doubt help you gain the upper hand in whatever it is you’re trying to discuss with people, as it works with transitional elements from first person to second and even third person if need be.Expository StyleThe third type of essay that you may be asked to create is that of a factual essay option. This is an academic solution that is going to help you create definitive narration through media and statistics. This can be sometimes boring to write, but it’s an important aspect to consider. It’s something that helps you create outstanding avenues of comparative and contrasting elements. You will write how to, cause and effect, and much more. This is not a matter of personal elements. You will not use â€Å"I† or â€Å"me†, or anything personal elements. This is structured in an academic form that uses facts, citations, data, and more. This is the same type of options that get published in serious publications, and even medical journals. This is meant for academia and not much else.Persuasive Style The fourth solution that you are going to want to learn about is that of persuasive essay styles. This is an option that is going to help you work towards convincing someone of what you’re discussing. This is a writer’s best friend because you can present an argument that will help you gain the upper hand. This is a solution that many teachers are going to ask you to work with. Writers have to create an initial topic and then give arguments for or against it. It’s an interesting solution that will no doubt give you focused work throughout. The writer creates multiple sides of the argument through the presentation of facts, citations, status, points of view, and much more. There’s so much involved with this, that you may find that these could be quite long at times.Academia Demands Different StylesThere’s a lot of students that don’t know how to pick the proper essay format for their education. Do not become one of those students. Instead, learn how to write different types of essays to help you with learning, and much more. You’ll find that you will be able to work through any type of essay style if you work with these essay types. The options listed above will help you gain the upper hand in major types of academic writing and more. Academia will always ask you to write essays. However, the most common are the ones we have covered above. The four above are going to help you with a lot of different elements that could help you get the information that is going to help you get a good grade. If you can work with the different styles above, you will not be surprised by what you will be asked to construct.What’s The Most Common Essay TypeHere’s the thing, the majority of scholastic options are not going to be focused on just â€Å"one† type of essay. We have covered the most common options, however, there maybe others. So, what’s the most common essay typesChances are you’re going to find that persuasive, and expository are the ones you will be asked to write most frequently. These are going to be the most common that you’ll have to turn into school past the college level. As you get closer to the masters and doctorate level, you’ll find that you’ll end up with a lot of writing. Now, there are times when the first two types of essay writing will be asked to be put together. For instance, you’ll find that if you’re going to apply to a college, so you’ll be working with with narrative essays. Descriptive essays will be more for creative circles, however. Either way, you should be familiar with these four major types of essays as you build towards academic glory. If you are worried that you need to survive the University, head over to our site and let our expert writers help you write a top class essay, on time and to the highest possible quality. We are often asked, can our site help me Write My Essay, the answer is of course. In addition, we provide free guidance to our clients on what to look for when you are choosing the best Essay Writing Company. You may also be interested in reading about:How to avoid Plagiarism in an EssayHow to avoid Plagiarism in a Dissertation

The apostle Paul was a great letter writer

The apostle Paul was a great letter writer. He supplied fourteen of the letters found in the Christian Greek Scriptures of the Holy Bible. Paul especially encouraged the circulation of his letters, he writing to the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians and Hebrews generally.In his letter to the Christians at Colossae, he said in his conclusion, â€Å"When this letter has been read among you, arrange that it also be read in the congregation of the Laodiceans and that you also read the one from Laodicea.† (Col. 4:16) Even the apostle Peter, when he was writing from Babylon in Mesopotamia, spoke of his familiarity with the letters of Paul. All the evidence is that those first-century Christians were sharing the â€Å"word of life† with others in this dying world.Paul, above all else, had a keen appreciation of the honor bestowed upon him to be the apostle to the nations: â€Å"I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who delegat ed power to me, because he considered me trustworthy by assigning me to a ministry, although formerly I was a blasphemer and a persecutor.† Moreover, far from being proud because of his office, he humbly asked his brothers to pray for him that he might have the needed freeness of speech to give a good witness.However, once a ruthless persecutor of Christians, now he was as gentle with those whom he taught as a nursing mother with her own children, exhorting was and consoling them as a father does his children. Nevertheless, he could also express righteous indignation, as when he rebuked Peter for his vacillation and those of his fellow citizens who opposed the truth.Though well educated, Paul did not call attention to himself nor did he need to resort to written letters of recommendations. Those to whom he brought the truth were living letters that could be read by all men. Within chapters six and seven, the book of Reverend Frank Matera entitled New Testament Theology address es the different issues pointed out by Paul in his letters to the Galatians, the Romans, The Philippians, the Colossians and the Ephesians.CHAPTER 6: A THEOLOGY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: Galatians and RomansThe letter to the Galatians showed how much passion Paul particularly have with regards the righteousness of the gospel and how much he detests those who intensely goes against the principles and rules set straight by the gospel.Paul’s exclamation, â€Å"O senseless Galatians,† is no evidence that he had in mind only a certain ethnic people who sprang exclusively from Gallic stock in the northern part of Galatia. Rather, Paul was rebuking certain ones in the congregations there for allowing themselves to be influenced by an element of Judaizers among them, Jews who were attempting to establish their own righteousness through the Mosaic arrangement in place of the ‘righteousness due to faith’ provided by the new covenant.Racially, â€Å"the congregations of Gal atia† to whom Paul wrote were a mixture of Jews and non-Jews, the latter being both circumcised proselytes and non-circumcised Gentiles, and no doubt some were of Celtic descent.All together, they were addressed as Galatian Christians because the area in which they lived was called Galatia. The whole tenor of the letter is that Paul was writing to those with whom he was well acquainted in the southern part of this Roman province, not to total strangers in the northern sector, which he apparently never visited. The letter reflects many traits of the people of Galatia in Paul’s time. Gallic Celts from the N had overrun the region in the third century  B.C.E., and therefore Celtic influence was strong in the land.The Celts, or Gauls, were considered a fierce, barbarous people, it having been said that they offered their prisoners of war as human sacrifices. They have also been described in Roman literature as a very emotional, superstitious people, given to much ritual, and this religious trait would likely influence them away from a form of worship so lacking in ritual as Christianity.Even so, the congregations in Galatia may have included many who formerly had been like this as pagans, as well as many converts from Judaism who had not entirely rid themselves of scrupulously keeping the ceremonies and other obligations of the Mosaic Law. The fickle, inconstant nature attributed to the Galatians of Celtic descent could explain how at one time some in the Galatian congregations were zealous for God’s truth. Later, they became an easy prey for opponents of the truth who were sticklers for observance of the Law and who insisted that circumcision and other requirements of the Law were necessary for salvation.The Judaizers, as such enemies of the truth might be called, apparently kept the circumcision issue alive even after the apostles and other elders in Jerusalem had dealt with the matter. Perhaps, too, some of the Galatian Christians were suc cumbing to the low moral standards of the populace, as may be inferred from the message of the letter from chapter  5, verse 13, to the end.At any rate, when word of their deflection reached the apostle, he was moved to write this letter of straightforward counsel and strong encouragement. It is evident that his immediate purpose in writing was to confirm his apostleship, counteract the false teachings of the Judaizers, and strengthen the brothers in the Galatian congregations.It is through this letter that Paul has awaken the people with regards the truth that fraud of beliefs has made their hearts and conscience harden from the possibility of being able to please the one true God whom they prefer to worship. Consequently, their choice of going against the supposed true and righteous path has led them to becoming detestable to the eyes of God, thus it is required that they immediately change their views about the said matter.By the time he wrote Romans, Paul had already completed two long preaching tours and was well along on the third. He had written five other inspired letters: First and Second Thessalonians, Galatians, and First and Second Corinthians.Yet it seems appropriate that in our modern Bibles, Romans precedes the others, since it discusses at length the new equality between Jews and non-Jews, the two classes to whom Paul preached. It explains a turning point in God’s dealings with his people and shows that the inspired Hebrew Scriptures had long foretold that the good news would be proclaimed also to the non-Jews.Paul, using Tertius as secretary, laces rapid argument and an astounding number of Hebrew Scripture quotations into one of the most forceful books of the Christian Greek Scriptures. With remarkable beauty of language, he discusses the problems that arose when first-century Christian congregations were composed of both Jews and Greeks. Did Jews have priority because of being Abraham’s descendants?Did mature Christians, exer cising their liberty from the Mosaic Law, have the right to stumble weaker Jewish brothers who still held to ancient customs? In this letter Paul firmly established that Jews and non-Jews are equal before God and that men are declared righteous, not through the Mosaic Law, but through faith in Jesus Christ and by God’s undeserved kindness. At the same time, God requires Christians to show proper subjection to the various authorities under which they find themselves.