Explaining the Mysteries in the Story “Lucky” by Viet Dinh Essay

Viet Dinh’s short story is about the adjustment in connection between a man and his Aunt and Uncle. Jae, the principle character in the story used to like his Uncle Sung and Aunt Kwi superior to his own folks yet abruptly had a difference in heart due to an occurrence he encountered. Jae had been working in his Uncle Sung’s store when it was burglarized one day. The looter put a firearm against Jae’s sanctuary and requested for money. Despite the fact that the looter had obtained the substance of the sales register, he additionally requested Uncle Sung’s wallet, taking steps to place an opening in Jae’s head. While Jae had been startled with his present circumstance, dreading for his life, Uncle Sung went about as though his nephew were not in a hazardous circumstance, declining to give up his wallet. At long last, Uncle Sung paid off Jae $20 for his quietness. Regardless of his Uncle Sung’s demand for him to keep quiet, Jae told his Aunt Kwi what truly occurred during the occurrence planning to get the compassion of his Aunt. To Jae’s alarm, Aunt Kwi likewise mentioned for his quiet. Jae was just 12 years of age during the occurrence. While Jae’s change of heart in his relationship with his Aunt and Uncle is justifiable, there are a few riddles in the story. To start with, for what reason would Uncle Sung and Aunt Kwi not need Jae to mention to others what truly occurred during the burglary? What might Uncle Sung achieve or get by not coming clean or by reexamining the story? Unquestionably, Uncle Sung has nothing to do with the entire occurrence and he was a casualty as much as Jae seemed to be. Second, for what reason were Uncle Sung and Aunt Kwi still frantic at Jae 16 years after the burglary episode when it didn't generally did them any mischief whether Jae recounted to the genuine story or not? Truly, they were the ones who ought to be upset for what they did to their nephew. Third, Jae’s emotions towards his Aunt and Uncle were not so much settled. The responses to these inquiries were not exceptionally obvious from the story but rather I will endeavor to discover the rationale behind such activities by the characters. The response to the main riddle might be found in Uncle Sung’s feeling of experience. Toward the start of the story, Jae, who was additionally the storyteller, related how Uncle Sung passed on. Uncle Sung, with all his benefit from his organizations, had the option to purchase various vehicles, every one of them worked for speed. Uncle Sung kicked the bucket while driving one of these games vehicles, where he clearly lost control, presumably hustling on an expressway. Jae held that he generally felt threat around Uncle Sung. Uncle Sung’s feeling of experience was clear during the burglary by keeping his cool regardless of the nearness of dangerous peril that he boasted about it in a social gathering after the theft. He even reproached Jae for acting fearful during the entire occurrence while forgetting about the significant part that Jea had been held hostage. The main riddle could likewise be comprehended by Uncle Sung’s ravenousness with cash. It was evident during the theft episode that cash was more significant for Uncle Sung than the lives of his laborers, particularly of Jae who was held hostage by the burglar, forcing a genuine danger to his life. In spite of the fact that, the burglar was requesting for his wallet, Uncle Sung went about as though he couldn't have cared less about Jae’s life remaining in a precarious situation. He told the burglar that he didn't have his wallet right now despite the fact that he had it in his pocket from the start. In spite of the fact that Jae wound up keeping his life, Uncle Sung would not give the looter his wallet in return for Jae’s life. That Uncle Sung held his cash more significant than everything else is demonstrated likewise by his disposition with respect to cash. By paying off Jae, he would have liked to purchase Jae’s quietness, and by giving an enormous whole of cash during Jae’s wedding, he planned to conciliate Jae. Uncle Sung viewed cash to such an extent as to might suspect he could purchase individuals with it, as through the indication of their quietness or endorsement. Note that this disposition of Uncle Sung works pair with his being bold to understand the primary riddle. By asking Jae to be quiet, Uncle Sung trusted the endorsement of the individuals who heard his adaptation of the episode, that he would pick up their esteem by keeping his cool in spite of the startling occurrence. To completely achieve this, notwithstanding, it was significant for him to forget about the part that he put Jae’s life at risk, which additionally set aside him hard-earned cash in his wallet. Having discovered the response to the main puzzle, the answer for the second gets evident. Uncle Sung and Aunt Kwi were as yet distraught at Jae in light of the fact that they held respect a significant viewpoint, despite the fact that this respect was not legitimately earned. Knowing the genuine story of what occurred during the burglary and his evident refusal to keep quiet, Jae spoke to a danger to Uncle Sung’s respect. In spite of the fact that it was truly not satisfactory whether Jae recounted to the story to other people, he at any rate told it to his folks, as could be appeared with their understanding why Jae would not have any desire to see or be related with his Uncle Sung. Truth be told, the entire episode was the motivation behind why a strain in the all-inclusive family’s relationship created. Uncle Sung and Aunt Kwi were as yet frantic at Jae in light of the fact that, after all that they had accomplished for their nephew, he despite everything wouldn't keep quiet compromising the notoriety his uncle endeavored to accomplish. They held that Jae’s refusal to keep quiet is an indication of his insolence for them as well as of his lack of appreciation towards what they accomplished for him and his family. Once more, it showed Uncle Sung’s mentality towards cash, that he expected Jae and his family not to cross him by aiding Jae’s family on their business. Shockingly, the third puzzle couldn't generally be fathomed from the answers for the initial two riddles. In spite of the fact that Jae consented to go to his uncle’s wake, it is questionable whether he had just excused his uncle for placing him in harm's way and requesting that he keep quiet. Possibly he consented to come, similarly as he was asked to consent to welcome Uncle Sung in his wedding, as a result of his parents’ encouraging that Uncle Sung is as yet a relative. In any case, in his uncle’s wake, Jae told his Aunt Kwi that his uncle looked so serene. It is muddled whether this was an indication of him making harmony with his uncle or not and it doesn't resist knowing the response of his auntie. Auntie Kwi, subsequent to hearing what Jae needs to state, drove him away saying that he was dissatisfied. There are two conceivable arrangements why Aunt Kwi may have acted the manner in which she did. To start with, she despite everything may hold resentment against Jae for being insubordinate towards Uncle Sung. There is anyway an imperfection in this arrangement. It was clear that Aunt Kwi was forestalling for the connection between her better half and Jae from deteriorating through her activity during Jae’s wedding, wherein she attempted to comfort her significant other while Uncle Sung was reprimanding Jae before others. By keeping her significant other from saying any further that may destroy Jae’s notoriety, notwithstanding of the way that she objected to what Jae had chosen to conflict with their desires, at that point it is conceivable that Aunt Kwi no longer hold any resentment against Jae. The second conceivable arrangement why Aunt Kwi acted towards Jae the manner in which she did during the wake was that she may have discovered no earnestness in Jae. Recollect that Jae was just asked by his folks to go to the burial service and it is very conceivable that Jae went simply because of this and not in view of his needing to offer appreciation and tribute for his uncle. Investigating his eyes, Aunt Kwi may have closed of this reality thus pushed Jae away while expressing her consternation towards him and his being selfish, that after all the years and after his uncle has just died, Jae was all the while unforgiving. Saying this, the answer for the third puzzle might be that Jae despite everything has not excused Uncle Sung. This could likewise be set up by the way that Jae doesn't affirm of his uncle’s adventurism, as is evident by expressing that he generally realized Uncle Sung would bite the dust in the expressway and that he generally felt risk around him. Works Cited Dinh, Viet. â€Å"Lucky. † Zeotrope All-Story vol. 8, no 2, 2008.

Compare and contrast reform under Khrushchev and Gorbachev Essay

Look into change under Khrushchev and Gorbachev - Essay Example 2009). In 1934 Khrushchev turned into an individual from the partys focal board of trustees. He had a nearby connect to Soviet pioneer Joseph Stalin, and after Stalins demise in 1953 Khrushchev surfaced as the new pioneer. He began rebuilding Stalins most appalling boundaries, and as he condemned a few violations of Stalin which was considered as a sensational turn of events. Khrushchev too attempted to make new dealings with the United States; in 1959 he visited the U.S. what's more, met with President Eisenhower (answers.com. 2009). Khrushchev conveyed his notable mystery discourse in 1956 wherein he uncovered the truth of a letter composed by Lenin preceding his passing. The letter was critical of Stalin’s wrongdoings, and Khrushchev made use it as weapon to denounce Stalins rules and practices, mostly the cleanses that he upheld. This denigration prompted de-Stalinization, a course that prompted changes, for example tolerance towards government control of the press, transference of financial dynamic, and smoothing out of the helpful ranch. Concerning international strategy, Khrushchev advanced ‘peaceful coexistence,’ and decrease of strain including the United States and the Soviet Union. Simultaneously Khrushchev was censured from the beginning for the suggested changes, and his political and military disappointment in the Cuban Missile Crisis made certain his loss of control. Also, most of his changes were not working by the mid 1960s (phs.prs.k12.nj.us/ewood., N.D) The Khrushchev’s term of rule didn't constrain itself to the monetary framework. Where as he proceeded to exhibit how changing money related prerequisites were reflected in the social and political ‘superstructure’. The most amazing perspective after the Stalin time frame was the decrease of alarm and most of the work camps were out of dread and progressively loose. Fundamental nuts and bolts of the standard of law were reestablished, as the

Book Riots Deals of the Day for February 3, 2020

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Professional Student - 4171 Words

Chapter 1: Understanding Sociology 1. The scientific study of social behavior and human groups is known as A. psychology. B. political science. C. anthropology. D. sociology. Answer: D 2. Sociology A. is the scientific study of social behavior and human groups. B. focuses primarily on how social relationships influence people’s behavior. C. focuses on how societies develop and change. D. all of these Answer: D 3. The awareness that allows people to comprehend the link between their immediate, personal social settings and the remote, impersonal social world is called A. the sociological imagination. B. anthropology. C. a theory. D. verstehen. Answer: A 4. A key element in the sociological imagination is the ability to†¦show more content†¦A. functionalist perspective B. conflict perspective C. interactionist perspective D. global perspective Answer: B 17. Critics of television often suggest that executives of major television networks and movie corporations are wealthy White males who decide which programs or movies will be produced and which directors and actors will obtain jobs in the industry. This analysis reflects the A. functionalist perspective. B. conflict perspective. C. interactionist perspective. D. global perspective. Answer: B 18. Contemporary conflict theorists are concerned with the conflict between A. women and men. B. cities and suburbs. C. Blacks and Whites. D. all of these Answer: D 19. Which sociological approach focuses on the macrolevel and would tend to view inequality in gender as central to behavior and organization? A. functionalist perspective B. conflict perspective C. interactionist perspective D. feminist perspective Answer: D 20. Which sociologist explored what it meant to be female and Black living in the U.S.? A. Jane Addams B. Ida Wells-Barnett C. Harriet Martineau D. Meda Chesney-Lind Answer: B 21. Which sociological perspective generalizes about everyday forms of social interaction in order to understand society as a whole? A. functionalist perspective B. conflict perspective C. interactionist perspective D. all of these Answer: C 22. Which sociological perspective holds the view thatShow MoreRelatedThe Prevalence of Younger Students Lying to Health Professionals1198 Words   |  5 Pagesprevalence of various forms of lying in the context of human communication. The significance of lying is that it can change various outcomes that negatively impact various circumstances. 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Uranium in a Nutshell

Uranium is an extremely heavy metal, but instead of sinking into the Earths core it is concentrated on the surface. Uranium is found almost exclusively in the Earths continental crust, because its atoms dont fit in the crystal structure of the minerals of the mantle. Geochemists consider uranium one of the incompatible elements, more specifically a member of the large-ion lithophile element or LILE group. Its average abundance, over the whole continental crust, is a bit less than 3 parts per million. Uranium never occurs as bare metal; rather, it most often occurs in oxides as the minerals uraninite (UO2) or pitchblende (partially oxidized uraninite, conventionally given as U3O8). In solution, uranium travels in molecular complexes with carbonate, sulfate and chloride as long as the chemical conditions are oxidizing. But under reducing conditions, uranium drops out of solution as oxide minerals. This behavior is the key to uranium prospecting. Uranium deposits mainly occur in two geologic settings, a relatively cool one in sedimentary rocks and a hot one in granites. Sedimentary Uranium Deposits Because uranium moves in solution under oxidizing conditions and drops out under reducing conditions, it tends to gather where oxygen is absent, such as in black shales and other rocks rich in organic material. If oxidizing fluids move in, they mobilize the uranium and concentrate it along the front of the moving fluid. The famous roll-front uranium deposits of the Colorado Plateau are of this type, dating from the last few hundred million years. The uranium concentrations are not very high, but they are easy to mine and process. The great uranium deposits of northern Saskatchewan, in Canada, are also of sedimentary origin but with a different scenario of much greater age. There an ancient continent was deeply eroded during the Early Proterozoic Era some 2 billion years ago, then was covered by deep layers of sedimentary rock. The unconformity between the eroded basement rocks and overlying sedimentary basin rocks is where chemical activity and fluid flows concentrated uranium into orebodies reaching 70 percent purity. The Geological Association of Canada has published a thorough exploration of these unconformity-associated uranium deposits with full details of this still-mysterious process. At roughly the same time in geologic history, a sedimentary uranium deposit in present-day Africa actually grew concentrated enough that it ignited a natural nuclear reactor, one of Earths neatest tricks. Granitic Uranium Deposits As large bodies of granite solidify, the trace amounts of uranium become concentrated in the last bits of fluid left. Especially at shallow levels, these may fracture and invade surrounding rocks with metal-bearing fluids, leaving veins of ore. More episodes of tectonic activity can concentrate these further, and the worlds largest uranium deposit is one of these, a hematite breccia complex at Olympic Dam in South Australia. Good specimens of uranium minerals are found in the final stage of granite solidification—the veins of large crystals and unusual minerals called pegmatites. There may be found cubic crystals of uraninite, black crusts of pitchblende and plates of uranium-phosphate minerals such as torbernite (Cu(UO2)(PO4)2Â ·8–12H2O). Silver, vanadium and arsenic minerals are also common where uranium is found. Pegmatite uranium is not worth mining today, because the ore deposits are small. But they are where the good mineral specimens are found. The radioactivity of uranium affects the minerals around it. If you are examining a pegmatite, these signs of uranium include blackened fluorite, blue celestite, smoky quartz, golden beryl and red-stained feldspars. Also, chalcedony that contains uranium is intensely fluorescent with a yellow-green color. Uranium in Commerce Uranium is prized for its enormous energy content, which can be harnessed to generate heat in nuclear reactors or unleashed in nuclear explosives. The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and other international agreements govern traffic in uranium to ensure that it is used only for civilian purposes. World trade in uranium amounts to more than 60,000 metric tons, all of it accounted for under international protocols. The largest producers of uranium are Canada, Australia and Kazakhstan. The price of uranium has fluctuated with the fortunes of the nuclear power industry and the military needs of various countries. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, large stores of enriched uranium have been diluted and sold as nuclear fuel under the Highly Enriched Uranium Purchase Agreement, which kept prices low through the 1990s. As of about 2005, however, prices have been climbing and prospectors are out in the field again for the first time in a generation. And with renewed attention on nuclear power as a zero-carbon energy source in the context of global warming, it is time to become familiar again with uranium.

Virgin Blue Free Essays

VIRGIN BLUE UNDERSTANDING EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT 1. Attractiveness of the Industry 1a. Identify the industry, product segments and value chain The industry is the Australian airline industry (global). We will write a custom essay sample on Virgin Blue or any similar topic only for you Order Now Core activities cover providing travel services to leisure travellers in Australia and overseas, including flights, travel insurance, holiday packaged deals, and freight business. Products segments including ? Business travel? 57. 1% of industry revenue ? full-fare ? business government travellers ? growth of video conference (-) impact on growth unit value of sale/pax double leisure travel fare ? Leisure travel? 29. 4% of industry revenue ? low-fare ? leisure travellers ? price is an important factor and strong driver for growth ? high cost incurred for flight changes ? Freight and other? 13. 5% of industry revenue ? freight transport, time sensitive high value to weight item charges on excess baggages, late fee,etc†¦ 1b. What is the current life cycle of the industry? The Australian airline industry is at the mature stage of its life cycle. This is demonstrated by the low average growth rate of the production, and the low airline operating margins around 2 percent over the last five years. Declining fares in the leisure travel segment due to strong competition have combined with increasing costs to lower profitability over this period. Yield management is critical to profitability due to high fixed costs involved in operating a flight, that is, the marginal cost of passenger on a flight is very low, so having a plane full, with as many full-fare passengers as possible, is important to maximise profitability. Over recent years, there has been consolidation, brand transformation in the industry and more services been introduced to attract higher yield customers. This is evidence of a low growth environment, wherein the industry is at the mature stage of its life cycle, the organisation focus is on efficiency, cost control, and market segment. 1c. What have been the key issues affecting historical industry growth? What was their impact? Key issues influencing historical industry growth using TEMPLES model FactorIssuesNature of Impact ————————————————- +/ =/ -) Technology? The growth of video conference- Negative has had a slightly negative impact on growth in this segmenting recent ————————————————- years Economy? Threat of the uncertainties of the global financial- Nega tive crisis, changing interest rate and fierce competition ————————————————- from low-cost carriers in its domestic market Market? the low density of population and the size of Aus+ Positive Air travel in Australia is somewhat of necessary ? Declining fair in the leisure travel segment due to- Negative Strong competition have combined with increasing costs to lower profitability over this period; fierce competition from low-cost carriers in its domestic ————————————————- markets Politics? Being restricted in the ability to expand overseas due – Negative to Singapore Airline’s right to veto the use of the Virgin ————————————————- Blue name internationally. SIA had the power to block ————————————————- Virgin Australis’s brand due to 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic ————————————————- hat SIA acquired in 1999 Law —— ——————————————- Environment? With a launch of the first real low-cost arline in+ Positive Australia, one class of ticket and minimal on-board, complementary service, there had been strong growth in the 2000s in market for travel for leisure, encourage ————————————————- Australians to take more holidays and air travels Society? low density of population and size of Australia+ Positive ————————————————- Air travel is somewhat necessary Overall+ Positive 1d. What are the key issues that will affect future industry growth? What are their likely impact and the overall assessment of the industry’s future growth? Future growth for the overall industry is assessed as positive (although it will be at a lower rate than historically growth) Key issues influencing future industry growth FactorIssuesNature of impactAssessment of (+/ =/ -)impact on future Industry growth ————————————————- (Low/Med/High) Technology? The growth of video conferenceNegativeLow as had a slightly negative impact on growth in this segmenting recent ————————————————- years Economy? Threat of the uncertainties of the global Negative Low Financial crisis, changing interest rate and fierce competition from low-cost carriers in ————————————————- its domestic market Markets? Threat of new entrances present theNegativeLow Possibility the firms will enter industry And diminish the industry return by passing along value to buyers in form of lower price and raising cost of competition the alliance with SIA was one of thePositiveMedium several that Virgin had formed in building ————————————————- its international network Politic? the alliance with SIA was one of PositiveMedium several that Virgin had formed in building its international network, allow Virgin to offer global flight coverge, epscially South-east asia and China, attractive to International business and leisure ——————————————— —- travellers Legal ————————————————- Environment? Along with alliance with SIA, there have beenPositiveMedium forged alliances with other international airlines such as Etihad, Air NZ, and US giant Delta Air Line to give business travellers an attractive overseas ————————————————- and flequent flyer network Society? the airline developed and preserved its PositiveMedium culture by spending a lot of resources on recruiting the right people to serve its leisure customers and providing a culture and conditions that retain good ————————————————- people Overall ImpactPositiveMedium In conclusion, the future industry growth is assessed as Low to Medium 1e. What have been the key issues affecting historical profitability? What was their impact? Industry revenue was estimated to be $14. 5 billion in 2012, with its main business being the transportation of passengers and freight on scheduled routes within Australia. Approximately 86% of the industry revenue is generated from airline ticket sales. The business travel segment is accounted for 57. 1% of industry revenue in 2012, while leisure travel segment is 29. 4% and freight and other are 13. 5%. Airline operating margins are relatively low, averaging around 2% over the last five years. Declining fares in the leisure travel segment due to strong competition have combined with increasing costs to lower profitability over the period. Using Porter’s five forces model, we can review the factors affecting historical profitability, it can be concluded that industry’s rivalry has increased. This is the result of many factors including: ? Threat of new entrance is low due the barrier of entry high. Capital requirements required to enter the airline industry. High fixed cost in operating the fly. The power of suppliers has been high due to limited number of service options available in business travellers segments such as proving access to hundreds of destination and business lounges around the world, offering high quality catering and other on-board service like newspapers magazine in premium class cabins, car hire and hotel reservation services. ? The increasing power of buyers’ buyers due to the price sensitivity of consumers (low price) and the search for best deal available, as well as air travel in Australia is somewhat of a necessity, given the size of Autralian and the low density of population. The increasing impact of substitutes such as alternative services like video conference maintaining low-cost services ? Industry rivalry is high: Jetstar, QAL’s low cost airline, was introduced in 2004 in response to Virgin Blue’s success in the industry and the loss of market share away from Qantas’s full-fare service to the low-fare carrier; Jetstar is a low-cost carrier targeting low-fare leisure travellers; The airline industry growth is average and as it is easy for buyers to switch between the airline companies, depending on price. Thus rivalry is increased. Furthermore, the high fixed cost create opportunity for the airline companies to have price wars to compete each other, the great market share of Qantas will kill Virgin Australia at last. Porter’s competitive model Airline industry Potential New entrants Airline club loungesForeign carriers Priority ticketingRegional carriers Priority check-in High quality catering Newspaper ; magazine Hire car ; hotel reservationIndustry Rivalry Bargaining power of buyers Bargaining power of suppliers Qantas Jetstar Alternative services Business travellers Subsitute products ; services Video conferenceLeisure travellers Freight ; other, tour packages 1f. What are the key issues that will affect future industry profitability? What is their likely impact and the overall assessment of the industry’s future profitability? Attracting higher yielding corporate and government customers has been a key driver of improving the industry profitability. Yield management is critical to profitability due to high fixed costs involved in operating a flight – that is, the marginal cost of a passenger on a flight is very low, so having a plane full, with as many full-fare passengers as possible, is important to maximise profitability. Also, in order to improve profitability, the major competitors in the industry (Jetstar, Qantas, Virgin) have become vertically integrated. Strategic airline alliance been introduced. Qantas and Malaysia airline negotiated an agreement for access markets in Asia and code-sharing. SIA and Virgin formed an alliance, allowed SIA customers access to Virgin Australia’ s domestic airline airport’s lounges. This partnership, along with Virgins’ other alliance, would allow Virgin to offer global flight coverage, attractive to international business and leisure travellers. The key factors influencing the future profitability of the industry can be summarised as follows: ? Positive factors include ? Forming alliance has allowed Virgin to offer global flight coverage, attract more international business and leisure travellers ? introducing a premium – valued service ? develop new lounge – product enhancement ? introduce new uniform and new menu – product enhancement ? Negative factors include ? Strong competition in the industry between major companies as growth slow and more emphasis is placed on maintaining or increasing market share with price becoming a key factor. Potential entrance of other new low-cost carriers. The future profitability of the industry will continue to be medium. 1g. Who are the industry’s key competitors? What are their strengths and weaknesses? In 2012, the industry is dominated by two airlines, Qantas Airways Ltd and Virgin —————————†”——————- CompetitorValueStrengthWeaknessRelative ————————————————- Propositionproposition Qantas Airways Ltd? Fully integrated? Highest market? Less focus on? Strong ? Accounting for 65%shareleisure travellers share of industry? Dominates business evenue in 2012segment ? More services offered such as full service, ————————————————- low cost, regional Virgin ? Fully integrated? Second highest? No coverage? Strong ? Accounting for 17. 2 %? Strong presencein regional share of industryin leisure market revenue in 2012? Offer services in full service and low ————————————————- cost service Others? Accounting for 17. 8%? private charter ? group of small? Weak share of industrypassenger flights orcompanies revenue in 2012freight operation UNDERSTANDING EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT 2. Summarise the strategic position of Virgin Blue 2a. Who are Virgin Blue’s key stakeholders, what are their objectives and are their objectives aligned with Virgin Blue’s strategic goals? As stated in the section on â€Å"Game change program- a new strategic direction for Virgin in Australia†, Virgin regard itself as number one position in the leisure segment and maintaining its low-cost focus. Its state strategic goals are as follows: ? Growing its share of the Australian business travel segment from 10% to 20% ? Establishing a ‘virtual’ global network through strategic airline alliances ? Ensuring capacity was closely aligned to profitability ? Maintaining a strong presence in the leisure market ? Enhancing its brand in Australia and overseas markets There are numerous stakeholders (individuals/groups that have interest in the business or corporate strategy of the organisation) in relation to Virgin Blue. An analysis of the objectives of each of these stakeholders and the alignment of these objectives with Virgin’s strategic goals as follow ————————————————- Who are theWhat do they seek to receive fromIs Virgin Blue delivering against their stakeholders? he organisation? expectation? John Borghetti? Launching â€Å"Game Change† program? Yes, the transformation of Virgin (CEO)with the vision to be the airline of has been well on the way and choice for Australian business and attract numbers of business leisure travellersleisure travelles ? Rein vent the company as a full-service? No, still not yet take over Qantas brand by altering its low-cost, no-frillsbusiness market model to take market share from Qantas ————————————————- in the higher-margin, business market Board including: Roger Linderman? new management team, formed to? Yes, its chase growth in business (General manager)take on Qantas, particularly in thesegment, but not yet take over Jane McKeoncompetition for business travellerQantas (running government’s relation team) Hope Antzoutlatos (head of domestic ; International network Operations) Will Owens (Heads of yield Management) Hans Hulsbosch? develop the airline’s economy ;? Yes, have been attractive to (Creative director)business class cabins to attract numbers of business travellers ————————————————- Business traveller segment Employees? Secure employment prospect? Yes, as its chase growth in the family based, teamwork,business segment, it has to ensure ————————————————- respect and funlow turnover and maintain culture Singapore Airline? SIA and Virgon form an airline? yes, the agreement between SIA alliance, allow the use of Virgin Ausand Virgin has allowed SIA customer Band overseas. Virgin able to build to use Virgin’s domestic network its international network, and alsowith just one ticket allow two allows SIA customer access to Virginairline gold member to access to Australia’s domestic networkVirgin’s domestic airline’s airport ————————————————- ounge 2b. What business strategy is Virgin Blue supposed to have been pursuing and has this in fact been the case? The five questions (5Qs) approach is used to understand Virgin Blue’s stated business strategy Business strategy usingExamples of how Virgin has been pursuing this stated ————————————————- 5Qs approachbusiness strategy ? D oes Virgin Blue want to growthVirgin blue wants to grow. We can see from their new vision profitability? â€Å"to be the airline choice for Australian business and leisure Travellers†. And its targeting to grow the share in business travel segment from 10% – 20%. The airline alliance strategy to establish it built its international alliance network in Asia as it is a critical market for Virgin ? What products/services will Virginleisure travel segment maintaing its low-cost; Virgin Blue Blue provide? began offering a premium economy fare, reinvent itself as a full service brand by altering its low-cost, no-frills model to take market share from Qantas in the higher margin, business market; developed its passenger lounges, introduced a loyalty reward scheme, ‘Velocity Rewards’, and offered the first Web check-in service in Australia. In what market will Virgin BlueGeographic market – Australia domestic airline, global flight operate? coverage after Virgin formed alloances with Singapre Airlines Customer market – business traveller, leisure traveller, freight and other include travel insurance, and formed a new venture with ZUJI, an online travel company. ? What generic strategy will VirginGeneric strategy – lo w cost leadership (no-frills models) adopt? -;Differentiation: take market share from Qantas in the igher margin, business market (full-service model). ? what is the position in the insutryVirgin Blue had grown through expanding its leisure travel does Virgin Blue plan to hold? segment, and growing low-fare passenger numbers to hold the number one position in the leisure segment and maintaining its low cost focus; By 2010, Virgin had about 10 per cent of business travellers and an approximate 30 per cent of all domestic air travellers; Growing its share of the Australian business travel segment from 10 per cent to 20 per cent. SWOT ANALYSIS Identify the capabilities of the organisation in the context of the competitive environment, using SWOT analysis ? Strength: Virgin Blue had grown through expanding its leisure travel segment, and growing low-fare passenger numbers to hold the number one position in the leisure segment and maintaining its low cost focus. _ Virgin had formed alliances with Singapore Airlines in building its international network _ Borghetti was a former QAL executive who was appointed CEO and MD of Virgin in 2010. He quickly established a new management team capable of taking on Qantas, particularly in the competition for business travellers, by recruiting some highly experienced ex-Qantas staff including: Roger Lindeman as General Manager Service Experience; Jane McKeon, to run Virgin’s government relations team; Hope Antzoulatos as head of domestic and international network operations; and Will Owens as head of yield management. ? Weakness: Qantas has 65% of industry revenue in 2012 but Virgin only has 17. % and no regional offered compete with Qantas; Qantas dominates the business segment. _ Unprofitable routes in New Zealand and to destinations including Fiji, Phuket and South Africa, high costs in maintaining its four brands, and confusion in the market between the brands. ? Opportunities: Acquire 20% of market share in market sector _ brand transformation reduce the cost of advertising and less confuse customer _ expand alliance with SIA to enter Asia market, broaden its offering by adding more services to enter the business segment and attract higher yield customers ? Threats: fierce competition from low-cost carries in its domestic market; Jetstar would have in capturing part of the leisure market _ Declining fares in the leisure travel segment due to strong competition have combined with increasing costs to lower profitability over this period. EVALUATION OF STRATEGIC OPTION ? Competitive advantage Benefits:yes, to sustain growth and profitability Valued by customers_ maybe not as people perceived Qantas as leading provider for business segment _ have to be careful not losing loyalty customers External consistency Industry’s life cycle:Fits well – moves to more competituve environment TEMPLESto respond to the external environment particular social cultural factors and economy factors – fit well to maintain profit Profit well with the changes in external environment where more competitive from low cost Jetstar and profit due to pressure on price, to sustain growth profitability by capturing more market sharee in business se gment ? Internal consistency Revenue costrevenue increased by capturing more in business segment Cost reduced by consolidating into one brand Not implementmore difficult to complete in the industry because of competition Reputation riskculture issues Loyal customer * Consistent in term of growth and sustainability But not consistent with the current culture and balance low cost leisure and business segment ? Internal consistency Capabilities:experience management team from Qantas Capitalcan be quite costly to reposition itself and do it property Strong culture in family oriented can be quite difficult for business market How to cite Virgin Blue, Papers

Zumwald Case free essay sample

Zumwald AG Management Accounting Background: Zumwald AG, headquartered in Cologne, Germany, produced and sold a range of medical diagnostic imaging systems and biomedical test equipment and instrumentation. The company was organized into six operating divisions. Total annual revenues were slightly more than â‚ ¬3 billion. Zumwald manages ran the company on a highly decentralized basis. The managers of each division were allowed considerable autonomy if their performances were at least on plan.Performance was evaluated, and management bonuses were assigned, based on each division’s achievement of budgeted targets for return on invested capital (ROIC) and sales growth. Even though the company was partly vertically integrated, division managers were allowed to source their components from external suppliers if they so chose. In August 2002, a pricing dispute arose between the managers of 3 of the divisions of Zumwald AG: Imaging Systems Division (ISD), the Heidelberg Division (Heidelberg), and the Electronic Components Division (ECD).The case describes a transfer pricing issue that is common in decentralized, divisionalized firms. We will write a custom essay sample on Zumwald Case or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The case raises issues about internal pricing and, more generally, the operation of a decentralized management structure. Analysis 1: If we see the facts that came out in ensuing the discussion: [pic] It is obvious why ISD take Display tech as their supplier, a total cost difference of â‚ ¬ 39,500. Thus, Heidelberg price would result in ISD negative gross margin. Even though if we look in terms of contribution margin, ISD will still get positive numbers if they took the display monitor fromHeidelberg, but looking at the objective of having the X73 as the next best thing in a competitive market, longer term it would not be viable for ISD to continue having a negative gross margin. Analysis 2: Now if we try to analyze further on Heidelberg and ECD facts: [pic] Looking at the top part, look like Heidelberg applies standard markup policy for their customers (33. 3% from its total cost). This makes the price not competitive to Display tech. As a newcomer in the industry that look for growing its market share, obviously Display tech are willing to compete in price.Furthermore, if we look on bottom part, with Heidelberg still having excess capacity, especially in bidding process, it should apply the contribution margin concept, which they should only consider relevant cost. In this case relevant cost would be â‚ ¬ 50,000. With the target price of â‚ ¬140,000 Heidelberg would get â‚ ¬90,000 contribution margin. The context of X-73 project was clear, that it wants to acquire share in the competitive market, and it can’t compete if the price isn’t match with what customer are willing to pay.Answering the questions: 1. What sourcing decision for the X73 materials is in the best interest of? a. The Imaging Systems Division? It is better for ISD to focus on marketing the X-73 in pricing that is competitive. It is obvious that Display tech can give better price to offer for the X-73 display monitor. If we look at ISD contribution margin in analysis 1, it still shows a contribution (â‚ ¬101,700) even though they buy the display from Heidelberg, however in a long term; X-73 may not be a rofitable product to market. b. The Heidelberg Division? Mr Halperin says that he needs full margin business in order to achieve his plan. In my opinion, this is the way Mr Halperin manage his division and been emphasizing this to his salespeople. This can be illustrated with below hypothetical figures: [pic] Maybe because of market conditions and customer price sensitivities, Heidelberg is better of giving up some business to retain higher margins, even though they are operating in a below capacity mode.If this is the principal that Mr Halperin apply, then he should understand Mr Bauer Argument, that his quoted price can’t compete with display tech. but if this is not case, he should have to reduce his price by only putting relevant cost to ISD and get that bid. Strangely, he also implied that Heidelberg engineer had helped ISD develop the X-73, and Heidelberg was reimbursed for the cost of the engineers, but earned no profit for this work. He should’ve considered that this assistantship does not mean that ISD will buy the display from them at any price quote.The other option that Heidelberg might consider to bring down the cost is: looking for source other than ECD, or asking ECD to lower down their price, but I doubt this would bring down much of the cost. c. The Electronic Components Division? ECD was originally established as a captive supplier to other Zumwald divisions, so in this case eventhough ECD could quote price based on their relevant cost, and still make a contribution, but it has established that internal pricing policy of full manufacturing cost + 20% mark up.Overruling this policy for a 5% business could jeopardize ECD policy. zumwald other 5 division could ask the same from ECD d. Zumwald AG? In the perspective of overall Zumwald AG, I would say is better off if Heidelberg supplying to ISD, considering Heidelberg and ECD are not working in full capacity. Looking at analysis 2, Zumwald could get a contribution margin of â‚ ¬90,000 from Heidelberg and â‚ ¬12,600 from ECD, which is a total of â‚ ¬102,600. This is can be foregone if ISD order from Display tech.In a sense, for Zumwald as a whole, getting it vertically integrated would be better off, since opening a new market that can absorb most of the internal sourcing would benefit the whole organization, in addition, also can close out Display tech act as Zumwald competitor in getting more shares in monitor display market. But again, I don’t think this would create goal congruence between the 3 divisions, as this would forfeit the decentralization that has been build by the company and also need to be recognized that transfer pricing are just moving profits from one divison to another.Need to b e considered what is fair to all parties 2. What should Mr. Fettinger do regarding the X73 sourcing issue? I had to advice to Mr. Fettinger to not intervene in this dispute. If the managing directors are all making rational arguments and Zumwald is operating in a decentralized environment, then let the managing directors have their autonomy and freedom of sourcing. We’re talking about a small fraction (less than 5%) of the 3 division’s business. If Fettinger intervening this, then he would be involved in many similar disputes of all the Zumwald 6 divisions.If the deal were a more substantial part of Zumwald’s overall business, then a stronger argument can be made for Fettinger intervention. 3. Can a system be designed to motivate each of Zumwald’s division managing directors to take actions that are not only in the interest of their division but also in the best interest of Zumwald? Yes, it can, there is a possibility to establish transfer pricing policy within internal organization (for example at variable cost plus normal markup if still have excess capacity), to induce better sourcing decision.Of course this need to be followed by adjusted KPI for the managing directors; otherwise this would lead to more complex dispute between them, hence goal congruence would be hard to achieve. In addition, of course there is also a possibility to vertically integrate some of the relevant division to achieve optimum result for Zumwald. However, the questions remain: would those kinds of policy really leads to better organizational decision making? It really needs to be strategically decided weighing all risks and benefits associated.