Creative Writing A Short Story - 1005 Words

You settled across from Sean in the recording room in yours and his apartment, set up on his second monitor and sharing a microphone. You were both about to be playing some Gold with Friends with Mark, Bob and Wade, something you had been trying convince Sean to let you do for a while, but he hadn’t finally given in until now. Sean never told you why he never wanted you to join them, and it hurt every time he never gave an answer even though he always swore that it wasn’t because he was embarrassed of you, you couldn’t help but think that was the reason why. â€Å"Hey guys!† Sean called out when Skype connected and the three popped up on the screen. A chorus of greetings were returned. â€Å"Is Y/N there?† Bob asked. â€Å"You said he was joining us.†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Everyone was joking and laughing and they included you as if you had always been one of the group, never making you feel like an odd one out. The only issue was Sean. All the time you had been playing Sean kept watching you, a weird look in his eyes. You had never seen him look at you like that before, and it was slightly unnerving. Were you doing something wrong? As far as you knew you didn’t. You were polite to everyone, didn’t say anything that would be inappropriate for YouTube, or When you got to the final hole, you and Wade were pretty much neck and neck, him being only one point in front you. The others were cheering for you being the new one, and somehow you managed to find a cheat and end up almost at the hole, eventually getting it in three. Wade shouted loudly in joke anger, getting stuck on a loop and taking 9 shots to get it in. â€Å"Yes!† You cheered loudly, doing a little victory dance in your chair and Sean laughed at your ridiculous dance moves. â€Å"I can’t believe I got beaten by a first timer!† Wade complained, the others taunting him. Once everyone had left and you and Sean were left alone, Sean went weird again, ignoring you with a flimsy excuse and you finally had enough of it. â€Å"What have I done?† You asked, now standing across the room. â€Å"You’ve never wanted me to meet your friends but after today I still have no idea why, since they all wanted to meet me asShow MoreRelatedCreative Writing : A Short Story1020 Words   |  5 PagesThe girls sat seperated in two stark, cold rooms. Each of the girls was sat at a table with a clear plastic cup of water sitting at arm’s length from them, both cups untouched. How could they drink when their best friend was no where to be seen? They had been having an innocent night of fun at Mercedes’ house three weeks ago, the first of many planned for the spring break, watching movies on Netflix and eating a pizza they ordered. The night was full of rambling about how classes were, drama floatingRead MoreShort Story : Creative Writing1550 Words   |  7 PagesIn the woods when the sun was just starting to set, there was a van driving on a long-abandoned road, behind the wheel of said van was a tired looking girl who seemed to be about 19. She took a sip of the long cold coffee, and turned to the turquoise haired girl sitting next to her. Hey uhhhh Cas, Cassie? Where are we? Noting the headphones, she stopped the car and turned around to inquire of the two boys in the back, Kenny, Timmy, do either of you have an idea where we are? It seems like weveRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1281 Words   |  6 PagesSMACK! I was on my back, peering up at Josh as he laid on top me. â€Å"Gotc....† He begins to say but stopped. The look of victory slowly vanished from his face at the realization of how little space was between us. I could feel his heart hammering in his chest or maybe it was mine. Because, Josh was now searching my eyes as if he was looking for an answer to a question. His lips were only inches from mine and I could feel the heat coming off of them. Everything inside of me screamed to move awayRead MoreShort Story : Creative Writing865 Words   |  4 Pages Brrring! Brrring! Brrring! Brrring! â€Å"What is someone doing calling at 2am† whispers Dave groggily as he wipes his eyes and p icks up the phone. Yawning, somehow he manages to make something comprehendible come out of his mouth, â€Å"Hello? This is Dave speaking.† â€Å"Dave! This is Joe†¦ your old roommate from college. How are you doing?† â€Å"I am doing fine.† says Dave thinking and thinking about who Joe is when suddenly he remembers. At that moment he groans but manages to put out a polite response,Read MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1037 Words   |  5 PagesThere she goes again. Mother can’t ever mind her own business, Seriously will it kill her to just leave her thoughts to herself. Little Mike came up tugging at her sleeve, his soft little fingers grasping at the cloth, a pull then another. â€Å"Yes sweetheart.† Mike looked at her, his finger pointed forwards, just at the edge of my vision. â€Å"It’s our turn now mommy.† She looked up; Mike quickly ran forward. â€Å"Woah slow down buddy, you can’t walk away by yourself.† Mike came to a sudden stop;he turned toRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1102 Words   |  5 PagesWhen their parents entered their room, Charlie watched as Maggie walked to the window and kept her back to them. They could al l tell she was upset about something. Looking at Elliot, she pushed herself up further in the bed, as Callum grabbed Ian and took a seat on the chair next to her. Ben clasped his hands in front of him as he took a deep breath. â€Å"Ive been asked to stay here in order to help Rachel on her work supplying the Republic with power. I plan on asking Miles to let all of you andRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1148 Words   |  5 Pagesbench nearby. And that’s what she was doing now. She sighed and stood up to go home. The next day she went to school and her best friend Sarina asked, â€Å"What’s wrong?† She then told her the whole story as she didn’t know what happened yesterday because she was absent. Hearing the story she said, â€Å" It’s a good thing that I upgraded my remote few days ago. You should go to the remote shop today after school.† Then they both went to class. When Maya entered her first class she saw Tasha andRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1583 Words   |  7 Pagesforbid, if you don’t find it within two seconds, then youre most definitely an incompetent driver. Almost needless to say, Jason didn’t follow in the outlier’s footsteps, and he aced the questionnaire. Though he did take note that his examiner was creative with her questions. She was probably was deeply saddened that there wasn’t a convoluted touch screen to inquire about, Jason thought to himself. Finally all the formalities were complete, consequently, he took a second to get himself mentally, andRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1440 Words   |  6 PagesPayday arrived for both me and Patsy, giving us the opportunity to attend the luxurious cinema and a wider variety of movies. As we stand before the array of movie posters, deciding between an action or comedy, somehow, how conversation shifts over to John. â€Å"He was so excited about the other night,† says Patsy. I abandon the posters and give her a questioning look. â€Å"About what?† â€Å"Well, first of all spending the evening with you, and then because you hugged him the way you did.† She taps her fingerRead MoreCreative Writing : A Short Story1615 Words   |  7 Pagestown to barter, we’ll ask around.† Shocked that her husband knows about Miles tattoo on her arm, Rachel clings to him in the silence, her mind racing at the possible implications. XXX Rachel sits stunned at the table, listening to Ben relay the story that he’s heard over and over in the village nearest to the house they’ve decided to ride out the winter in. â€Å"Soul Marks? How is that possible? These are just replicas of tattoos,† she replies with a disbelieving shake of her head. Ben shrugged

Tesco Case Analysis Free Essays

Tests had an In store policy that a new checkout line would be opened If there was m re than 1 person waiting In line and they were pioneers In self service checkout terminal. Tests was also innovative with its store formats. Tests stores ranges in size and service fro m; Express, Metro, Superstore, Extra, and Homeless. We will write a custom essay sample on Tesco Case Analysis or any similar topic only for you Order Now Tests used consumer purchase data to tailor assortments to local customer needs. Tests also increased the amount of non food items they stocked to include a clothing line. The Club card, which offered cash back rewards and redeemable vouchers, was successful In creating loyalty among Its consumer. Tests proved successful In International operations by expanding Into emerging entries with minimal competition such as those in Eastern Europe and Asia. It AC aired smaller, established retailers and kept local management in place. They were flexible in their strategy and acted locally using multiple formats. Tests also leveraged its brand loyalty to expand in other service areas such as; flan telecommunications, and grocery delivery. This by partnering or eventually acquiring recognized and trusted brands/organizations. 2. Which success factors are or are not transferable to the US? Transitioning to the United States presented a challenge for Tests considering that t Eire major factor of international success have been the lack of strong competition in the new areas to expand. Clearly not this case, because there were around 35,000 supermarkets In t and in addition, almost every retailer from drugstores to home improvement centers sold some grocery items. There existed intense price competition as the U. S. Was over stored, according to some industry analysts, and the average U. S. Supermarket realized an operating proof t of 2% to 3% of sales, presenting a much different landscape from what Tests was transitioning g from in the U. K. Nevertheless, Tests identified an increasing consumer interest in wellness, in health conscious food choices and a continuing trend towards on the go consumption, especially evident in California as a result of greater automobile commuting times compared to the national average. Tests hoped to avoid the headed head competition for the weekly family shopping trim with the established grocery chains, a niche it dominated in the U. K. , and rather focus s on targeting an undeserved niche in the marketplace. 3. Was Tests smart to enter the US market? In California, Arizona and Nevada? Although early analysis led decision makers to believe the US, especially the Southwest was a good market to enter actual performance leads one to think otherwise. Tests c inducted a great deal of due diligence prior to entering the US market. They analyzed trends I indicated by market research, sent senior managers to live with Californian families, and conducted d a mock store tour with 200 focus groups. By targeting an undeserved niche in the marketplace ace, Tests hoped to avoid headed head competition for the weekly family shopping trip with established grocery chains. Several other factors demonstrated potential to include: o Grocery retailing in the US embraced multiple formats (in keeping with Tests strategy No national grocery retailer in the US None of the principal supermarket chains (Kroger, Safely, Supernal) commanded more than 15% of US grocery sales Market size: $600 billion Possible gap between convenience stores and supermarkets that might be filled by neighborhood markets o Increasing customer interest in wellness, in health conscious food choices, and a Tests specifically looked to the following benefits of California, Arizona and Nevada: S Grocery retailing not dominated by any one chain S Lower penetration by Wall Mart than in other US regions S CA: rapidly growing, ethnically diverse population of over 35 million, median house hold income well above national average S AZ, NV. Similarly diverse and growing rapidly Despite all of the potential benefits, Tests faced several challenges to include: Competition (35,000 supermarkets) Almost every retailer from drugstores to home improvement centers also sold grocer y items (overstated) Intense price competition Economic downturn Low average operating profits of 23% of sales Prior attempts by British supermarket chains to expand into the US had proven nuns successful 4. What is the Fresh Easy value proposition? Is it likely to be appealing in California, Arizona and Nevada? â€Å"C†¦ ] customers wanted great service, choice, and value† (p. 4) â€Å"offer fresh, wholesome food at affordable prices† (p. 7) â€Å"strong commitment to being a good neighbor and a great place to work† (p. ) emphasis on everyday low pricing rather than weekly specials hoped to leverage lower operating costs to deliver â€Å"honest low prices† on â€Å"fresh wholesome food† that â€Å"should be available to everyone† in a â€Å"neighborhood market† ( Employees from local community, carefully selected to fit Deco’s culture (p. 7) Nonfood items would account for only 5% of sales (p. 7) â€Å"ready to sell† approach, whereby many products sent from distribution center to store packaged, extending product freshness , protecting produce from damage, cutting down on spoilage, requiring less refrigeration, and reducing labor needed to stock shelves (p. ) Leveraging relationships with collaborators for distribution (p. 8); this centralized MO del was similar to Walter’s Smaller stores = easier permitting process Taking over existing, vacant drugstores = cheaper than building from scratch New stores built from prepare materials = quicker construction, lower overhead, streamlined supply chain Energy efficient stores (30% less energy than comparable, traditional stores; some stores LED certified) Fresh Easy emphasized everyday low pricing rather than weekly specials and hope d to on â€Å"fresh wholesome food† that â€Å"should be available to everyone† in a â€Å"neighborhood market. Fresh Easy leveraged relationships with collaborators for distribution to create value e by minimizing costs and emphasize fresh. Their â€Å"ready to sell† approach, whereby prepare caged products went directly from distributors to local stores, promotes that it extended pro duct freshness. The prepackaging protected produce from damage, cut down on spoilage, required less refrigeration, and reduced labor needed to stock shelves. Fresh Ease’s appeal in new markets relied on various factors. California offered the rapidly growing, ethnically diverse population of over 35 million with a median house hold income well above the national average. The percentage of Caucasians had fallen to below 45 and 40% of people spoke a language other than English at home. Hispanic Americans accounted for 37% of the population, Seminarians for 12% and African Americans 6%. The populations of Arizona and Nevada were similarly diverse and growing rapidly. Ethnically diverse pop populations are likely to appreciate Fresh Ease’s value propositions. The emphasis on â€Å"honest 10 w prices† and a â€Å"neighborhood market†appeal to various ethnicities. However, Fresh Easy built many stores in suburban neighborhoods. The population n in these neighborhoods tend to shop less times per week but spend more at each visit. These habits clash with the Fresh Easy concept of daily visits to grab a quick and inexpensive vive bite. It may have been a better idea to have targeted urban cities like New York or Chicago w here the population’s buying habits are more compatible with Fresh Ease’s intended target. 5. How to cite Tesco Case Analysis, Papers

A Project on Distributed Systems

Question: Describe about the Report for A Project on Distributed Systems. Answer: Introduction The Application Programming Interface in consideration with Java is nothing but the prewritten classes, packages, interfaces with their respective constructors, fields and methods. Generally the user interface facilitates the interaction between computers and human (Reisinger et al. 2012). In case of the API, software program interfaces facilitates the interactions. The most basic tasks related to programming are performed through the API packages, classes those are helpful for minimizing the number of lines used in a developed ode. There are several models used in Java programming language. In this report two models related to Java programming language are discussed in details. These are: client server model and multithreading model in Java (Ahrendt et al. 2012). The model concerned with the Multithreading concept elaborates process of executing number of threads at a time. The client server model elaborates essential mechanism utilized to use the internet in a proper way. This report is elaborating the detailed information about the java interfaces, and serialization of the Java objects (Paterson and Law 2012). In addition to this, two models concerned with the java interfaces are also described in this report to analyze the impacts of Java interfaces on the technological world as well as in the contemporary situations. Review of Java Interface Definition of Java Interface Java comprised of the concept of the interfaces within it. It is almost similar to a class but its not a proper class. The Java interfaces do not contains the implementation of the Methods only considers the signature of the Methods (name, parameters and exceptions). The java interfaces are mainly used to achieve a way of Polymorphism (Arend et al. 2012). The interfaces can have the methods and variables just like the classes but the methods are default abstracts, they only consist of the signature of the methods. Example: The Java interface can be easily explained by this example: public interface MyInterface { public String hi = Hi; public void sayHi(); } In this example, the Java interface is shown by using the keyword interface. The java interface also can be declared as public or package scope (Java Excel 2013). The above example contains one method and one variable. The variable in the interface can be directly accessed as follows: System.out.println(MyInterface.hi); This process of accessing the variable is almost similar to the accessing of variable from a class. In addition to this, the Method must be implemented in some class before it is accessed. Utilizations of Java interface There are several usages of java interfaces in Java programming. To understand these usages it is important to understand that where the java interfaces should be used first (Platform 2014). The interface defines the rule of functionality in the programming. At the time of the implementation of these interfaces these functionalities should be implemented in the concrete classes. Generally the user interfaces cannot be understood but when the consideration is about the large evolving program then it is important and mandatory to implement the interface within the program (Yu et al. 2014). The most particular advantage of using the interface within the program is that it offers and allows multiple inheritances. The strength of the interfaces is analyzed when the dependency techniques related to injection is implied for injecting on required implementation (Reisinger et al. 2012). The ripple effects are minimized as the concrete implementation of classes helps in it. Implementations of Java Interface Implementation of Java interfaces introduces the implementation of that interface within some predefined Java class (Ahrendt et al. 2012). This aspect explains that the java interface have to be implemented on the some predetermined and defined classes before it can be accessed or its variables are accessed through the instructions. Example: The following example can explain the variables and implementation technique of interfaces within Java programming: public class MyInterfaceImpl implements MyInterrface { public void sayHi() { System.out.println(MyInterface.hi); } } The above example shows the implementation technique of Java interface within any Java program. The part implements MyInterface is the part of the declaration of the class. This part sends the signal to the Java compiler that the MyInterfaceImpl class has implemented the MyInterface interface (Paterson and Law 2012). As stated before that the Methods should have to be implemented in some interface before it is used. In addition to this, the Methods must have the similar signature as the interface (Name + parameters). This is done according to the declaration in the interface (Arend et al. 2012). The class does not have to implement the variable that belongs to the interface; it only needs to implement the interface within it. Review of Java Object Serialization Definition of Java Object Serialization It defines that the objects can be identified as the sequence of bytes that provides the information about the type of the object as well as the data stored in the objects (Imre, G., Charaf and Lengyel 2013). The next step of data serialization into the file, the content can be desterilized and read from that file. The type of the information and the type of the object introduces the techniques of recreating and recovering the data from the format. It is totally related to the memory. The entire process explained in this section is independent of the JVM (Yu et al. 2014). This aspect states that, one object is serialized in one object and can be desterilized from some other objects. The classes ObjectInputStream and ObjectOutputStream are two high level streams that are used in case of the serialization and deserializing an object. Example: the following example is explained is the aspect of serialization in Java programming: public class Employee implements java.io.Serializable { public String name; public String address; public transient int SSN; public int number; public void mailCheck() { System.out.priintln(Mailing a check to +name + + address); } } Use of Object Serialization in Java There are several usages of serialization these usages are described as follows: Communication: Two machines those are running the same code needs to be communicated. An easy way to make the communication possible is that these two machines should build one object with the information to be transmitted through serializing their codes (Imre et al. 2013). This aspect makes the communication possible. Persistence: The state of any operation in a database is stored. This aspect makes the object serializable to a byte array. This information is stored in the array to be retrieved later. Deep copy: The replication of a concerned object can easily be done by avoiding the conceptual method of writing the same specialized class again (Tauro et al. 2012). Serialization of any object to a byte array and then deserialization of the same object makes the fact possible. Caching: There are certain processes that need 10 minutes to build an object, whereas, it only takes 10 seconds to desterilize an object. Therefore, it is not necessary to store a giant object in memory (Pratt-Szeliga et al. 2012). This can be cached though the process of serialization. In addition to this it can be retrieved any time after the serialization. Objet serialization The object serialization can be easily explained with respect to the following example: Any object which have the java.io.Serializable interface within its class can only implemented within the class within a few line of code (Imre, G., Charaf and Lengyel 2013). This interface identifies the classes that can be easily serialized at the run time. Serializable classes are identified as: public class UserData implements java.io.Serializable Example: FileOutputStream f_out = new FileOutputStream(myobject.data); ObjectOutputStream obj_out = new ObjectOutputStream (f_out); obj_out.writeObject (myObject); In this example, it is shown that any serializable object can be implemented within any serializable interface. This is core part of the Java API. Any object refereed by the serializable object can be also be stored in the interface (Imre et al. 2013).. This implies that the collections, lists, vectors and other many elements can be stored accordingly in a same manner. There is no need to save each one individually. This aspect helps to develop a code that is time efficient and is of short length. Java Multithreading Model Definition of Multithreading Multithreading is the concept in Java programming that defines the process of handling several threads at a time. The concept of thread can be easily understood if the concept of thread is made clear. A thread is the light weighted and smallest part of a process that can run at a time with any other part of the program (Roland et al. 2013). Threads are the processes that are totally independent of any other process. It is independent as there are totally separate execution path for the each thread. If there is any exception in between the execution of one thread then this will not affect the execution of the other thread. The process of executing more than one thread at a time is called the process of multithreading. Example: The following example shows the multithreading process: } publicclassWorkerimplementsRunnable { publicstaticvoidmain(String[]args) { System.out.println("Thisiscurrentlyrunningonthemainthread,"+ "theidis:"+Thread.currentThread().getId()); Workerworker=newWorker(); Threadthread=newThread(worker); thread.start(); } publicvoidrun() { System.out.println("Thisiscurrentlyrunningonaseparatethread,"+ "theidis:"+Thread.currentThread().getId()); } Difference between the process and thread Thread Process Threads are easier to be created. Processes are hard to be created than the threads. The process of multithreading requires comparative careful programming as threads share a data structure that can be modified by one thread at a time (Maeda 2012). the process do not share the same slot of address for the modifying data structures. A thread uses less number of resources within it. A process uses comparatively more resources than a thread. A thread shares the same address so they are interdependent. Processes are not dependent (Mastrangelo et al. 2015). A thread consists do not consists of multiple process. A Process consists of several threads. Two way of creating java threads There are specifically two way by which provides scope of creating the threads. These are: though the implementation of Runnable interfaces and though the extension f the Thread class. Runnable interface: The easiest way to implement a thread is to create a class that implements runnable interface (Panwa and Sharma 2014). After the implementation of the runnable interface the run() method is implemented within it to introduce a concurrent thread into the program. class MyThread implements Runnable { public void run() { System.out.println("concurrent thread started running.."); } } class MyThreadDemo { public static void main( String args[] ) { MyThread mt = new MyThread(); Thread t = new Thread(mt); t.start(); } } Output: Concurrent thread started running Extending Thread class: This is the way of creating the thread within the Java program. This aspect makes a new class which extends the Thread class while making a instance of that class (Reisinger et al. 2012). The extending class should override the run() Method that is concerned as the entry point of the new threads. class MyThread extends Thread { public void run() { System.out.println("Concurrent thread started running.."); } } classMyThreadDemo { public static void main( String args[] ) { MyThread mt = new MyThread(); mt.start(); } } Start of running of a java thread It is possible to make the thread runnable by two processes (Saternos 2014). These are: by providing a runnable object and creating a subclass thread. Runnable object: In this process the Runnable interface mainly defines a single method run(). This explains code executed in the thread (Ahrendt et al. 2012). The Runnable object is passed through the Thread constructor. public class HelloRunnable implements Runnable { public void run() { System.out.println("Hello from a thread!"); } public static void main(String args[]) { (new Thread(new HelloRunnable())).start(); } } Subclass thread: The following example shows the example of subclass thread: public class HelloThread extends Thread { public void run() { System.out.println("Hello from a thread!"); } public static void main(String args[]) { (new HelloThread()).start(); } } Review of Client- Server Model Definition of Client Server Model The client server model is most effective model for analyzing the distributed computing protocols. Any client- server application is typically stores the huge amount of data with costly and expensive server. in addition to this, most of the user interface and program logic is handled by the software running on the relatively cheap PC (Goel et al. 2015). There are several cases in which the server generally sends the data and the client receives the data at the same time. One of the most reliable distinctions is that the clients can initiate the conversations while the server can wait until the client start the conversation (Matos and Grasser 2014). The following figure explains the clients-server relationship. Figure : Client- Server Model (Source: Carr et al. 2016, pp- 60) Importance of multithreading of servers Multithreading is nothing but a certain condition where several threads can be operated at a time in the interface or program. There are several importance of multithreading of servers. These important aspects are described as follows: Time efficiency: The conventional way of running a program was very lengthy and time taking as well, this aspect was recovered through using the multithreading concept (Kremic 2012). In the contemporary time the aspect called thread have solved this problem, as more than one thread can be operated at a time. The multithreading concept spent less time outside the accept() call. Requests of clients: There are several kind of requests raise from the side of the client, that may affect the total system of the server (Harold 2013). Multithreading saves the server from blocking. Conclusion The application programming interface is a set of predefined and prewritten classes, packages and methods those are almost same as the classes used in java programming language. The main aims of Java API are to minimize the line of codes and make it easier than the conceptual heavy codes. The interface provides the facilitation for enabling the interaction between two machines. The JDK setup provided by the Java platform helps make this interaction possible. The Java Development Kit (JDK) is the base of the developing a program in Java. These parts of the Java programming is comprised of three elements: compiler in Java, Virtual Machine in Java, Application programming Interface in Java. In addition to this, serialization of objects, multithreading model and client server model are three core aspects of Java. These three concepts related to Java are discussed in this report. This report has elaborated the concepts and importance of serialization, multithreading and client server mode l. Serialization is nothing but transformation of objects into a set of byte codes. Several importance of the serialization is discussed in this report. Secondly, the concept of multithreading helps to operate a set to threads at a time that makes the execution of program easier. Thirdly the concept of client- server model explained in this report elaborated that this model helps in describing the distributed computing protocols. References Ahrendt, W., Mostowski, W. and Paganelli, G., 2012, October. Real-time Java API specifications for high coverage test generation. InProceedings of the 10th International Workshop on Java Technologies for Real-time and Embedded Systems(pp. 145-154). ACM. Arend, D., Lange, M., Colmsee, C., Flemming, S., Chen, J. and Scholz, U., 2012, October. The e! DAL JAVA-API: store, share and cite primary data in life sciences. InBioinformatics and Biomedicine (BIBM), 2012 IEEE International Conference on(pp. 1-5). IEEE. Carr, D.W., Jones, C.A., Wesley, A.A. and Wong, C.A., International Business Machines Corporation, 2016.Interleaving the XForms processing model with java server faces request processing. U.S. Patent 9,256,407. Goel, N., Laxmi, V. and Saxena, A., 2015. Handling Multithreading Approach Using Java.International Journal of Computer Science Trends and Technology,3(2), pp.24-30. Harold, E.R., 2013.Java network programming. " O'Reilly Media, Inc.". Imre, G., Charaf, H. and Lengyel, L., 2013, August. Estimating the Cost of XML Serialization of Java Objects. InEngineering of Computer Based Systems (ECBS-EERC), 2013 3rd Eastern European Regional Conference on the(pp. 33-40). IEEE. Java Excel, A.P.I., 2013. A Java API to read, write, and modify Excel spreadsheets.2009-03-16]. https://www. andykhan, com/jexcelapi. Kremic, E., Subasi, A. and Hajdarevic, K., 2012, June. Face recognition implementation for client server mobile application using PCA. InInformation Technology Interfaces (ITI), Proceedings of the ITI 2012 34th International Conference on(pp. 435-440). IEEE. Maeda, K., 2012. Comparative Survey of Object Serialization Techniques and the Programming Supports.Journal of Communication and Computer,9(8), pp.920-928. Mastrangelo, L., Ponzanelli, L., Mocci, A., Lanza, M., Hauswirth, M. and Nystrom, N., 2015. Use at your own risk: The Java Unsafe API in the wild.ACM SIGPLAN Notices,50(10), pp.695-710. Matos, V. and Grasser, R., 2014. An experience on multithreading using Android's handler class.Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges,30(1), pp.80-86. Panwar, K. and Sharma, D., 2014. Multithreading In Java.International Journal of Research,1(10), pp.1595-1598. Paterson, T. and Law, A., 2012. JEnsembl: a version-aware Java API to Ensembl data systems.Bioinformatics,28(21), pp.2724-2731. Platform, J., 2014. Standard Edition 6 API Specification.Last accessed May. Pratt-Szeliga, P.C., Fawcett, J.W. and Welch, R.D., 2012, June. Rootbeer: Seamlessly using gpus from java. InHigh Performance Computing and Communication 2012 IEEE 9th International Conference on Embedded Software and Systems (HPCC-ICESS), 2012 IEEE 14th International Conference on(pp. 375-380). IEEE. Reisinger, F., Krishna, R., Ghali, F., Ros, D., Hermjakob, H., Antonio Vizcano, J. and Jones, A.R., 2012. jmzIdentML API: a Java interface to the mzIdentML standard for peptide and protein identification data.Proteomics,12(6), pp.790-794. Roland, M., Langer, J. and Mayrhofer, R., 2013, December. (Ab) using foreign VMs: Running Java Card Applets in non-Java Card Virtual Machines. InProceedings of International Conference on Advances in Mobile Computing Multimedia(p. 286). ACM. Saternos, C., 2014.Client-Server Web Apps with JavaScript and Java. " O'Reilly Media, Inc.". Tauro, C.J., Ganesan, N., Mishra, S. and Bhagwat, A., 2012. Object Serialization: A Study of Techniques of Implementing Binary Serialization in C++, Java and .NET.International Journal of Computer Applications,6(45). Yu, A.R., Wang, J., Ye, X.G. and Chen, G.Y., 2014. Application and research of instruction serialization technology in the simulation test system. InAdvanced Materials Research(Vol. 1049, pp. 2049-2053). Trans Tech Publications.

Medievel Knights Creative Essay Essays - , Term Papers

Medievel Knights: Creative Essay Sir Dolan was the greatest king to ever rule England. He was successful in uniting all of the weak kingdoms under his rule through a series of glorious campaigns with his army. Dolan silenced opposing nobility and aided the peasantry. In a m atter of years, he was loved and respected by those within his kingdom, all swearing allegiance to him. However, despite all of his fame and prestige, a dark shadow of sadness covered the king's face. No matter how many battles he won or how many of those in his court praised and thanked him, the blanket of sadness never disappeared. His onl y love, the beautiful Queen Ariah, had been taken from him by the evil Sir Francais months earlier . Sir Francais was Dolan's most loathed enemy, and during a battle for supremacy Francais was able to snatch the lovely Queen Ariah. For months Dolan wandered around his castle feeling nothing but sorrow. He dare not leave his castle for fear that his enemies were plotting revenge against him and his kingdom. On a certain day, Sir Rowa approached him and asked,"Sir, what bothers you so that you seem to be flooded with sadness?" "Ah, my brother Rowa, you have heard of Queen Ariah's kidnapping. This is what bothers me so. Without her, I am lost." "Sir Dolan," Rowa replied, "I am ashamed that such a strong and distinguished warrior as yourself has given up hope of rescuing his beloved Queen from the evil Sir Francais. I tell you, Sir, that it is not for a man of your honor to grieve and feel pity for himself. I also tell you, Sir, to rise up and rescue the queen. I will protect your castle with my life while you go in search of Queen Ariah." "You are right, Sir Rowa. What a fool I have been to allow Sir Francais to go unchallenged for the actions he has committed. I thank you, Sir Rowa, and will leave this castle to go in search of my queen. I leave you this promise my dear friend that if I do not rescue the beautiful Queen Ariah, then I will die trying!." "So be it !" Sir Rowa exclaimed. Early the next morning, Sir Dolan left the castle in search of the queen. With him he took his armor. Upon his shield lay his coat of arms consisting of a black horizontal line, with three arrows- one red, another blue and the third green and pointing downward. The red arrow represented blood and the bravery Dolan showed in battle. The blue arrow symbolized honor and his respect towards other knights. The green arrow, which was the most important resting in the middle, represented the land and the allegiance to his people and the queen of his kingdom. With his shield, Dolan carried only the sword given to him by his beloved father. As the sun rose over the land, Dolan and his trusty horse, Lightning, entered the forest, deter mined to return the queen to her rightful place. A short time had passed when Sir Dolan came upon a lovely woman in the woods. This lady was so beautiful that she reminded him of Queen Ariah. Approaching the woman Sir Dolan spoke, "How do you do my fair lady?" "Very well, sir, but I beg of you to tell me your name." "I am Sir Dolan, King of England," he replied. Upon hearing this, the eyes of the lady sparkled. Sir Dolan noticed this and realized that her sparkling eyes were the sign of a witch. He dismounted Lightning and asked,"How may I help you my fair lady? I am on my way to rescue Queen Aria h and will continue on my way if you are in need of no assistance." "No Sir Dolan. I need no help. However, I offer you this drink to satisfy your thirst from your journey." Sir Dolan, knowing her true identity, refused the drink. "Thank you miss. However, I need nothing to drink now." "Please, Sir, have but a sip. You have ridden far and must be thirsty." "Thank you, but I must be on my way." As Sir Dolan uttered these words, the woman became angry and transformed herself into an ugly, distorted sorceress. "You are clever, Sir Dolan, to resist my drink, but you will not be strong enough to stop the spell I will cast upon you!" she rasped in an evil voice. Sir Dolan, a valiant warrior, drew

history of middle america essays

history of middle america essays Central America is a land bridge that connects North America to South America. Today, this area of the world is under major reconstruction. Its recent history is filled with civil wars, military dictatorships, and native uprisings. Though the recent economy has turned toward the better, the history of the economy in Central America has not been a fortunate. Poverty, disease, and discontent were common among the people living in this region. Many of the problems faced by these nations date back to the Spanish Colonization of the area. Before the Spanish arrived, this region contained a civilization with a rich written history, sophisticated agricultural systems, and amazing cities. Civilized society in Central America can be traced back thousands of years to around 2,000 B.C. It is believed that around this time the native people began to plant crops instead of hunting animals. Pottery, which was discovered in the Parita Bay region of Panama, is believed to made around 2,130 B.C. and it reflects some South American cultural influences. After 1,000B.C. organized, sedentary farming communities began to sprout, and communication and commerce developed among them. After 500 B.C. an advanced civilization, the Mayas, emerged in the present-day lands of Guatemala and El Salvador. Kaminaljuyà º was on of the earlier Mayan cities, and was located in the highlands near present-day Guatemala City. Other Mayan cities arose southeastward, towards Nicaragua (a map of Mayan cities is located at the back of the paper). It is clear that the early Mayan people inhabited the higher terrain in Central America because of the suitable climate, but as the civilization grew, the lowland cities became centers for a higher civilization. In the Mayan cities they developed an advanced system of writing, and with their hieroglyphs on stone monuments, they were able to record their history. Many achievements by the Mayan people exceeded those of the same era European...

Biography of Felipe Caldern

Biography of Felipe Caldern Felipe de Jesà ºs Calderà ³n Hinojosa (1962 - ) is a Mexican politician and former President of Mexico, having been elected in a controversial 2006 election. A member of the PAN (Partido de Accià ³n Nacional/National Action Party) Party, Calderà ³n is a social conservative but a fiscal liberal. Background of Felipe Calderon: Calderà ³n comes from a political family. His father, Luà ­s Calderà ³n Vega, was one of several founders of the PAN party, at a time when Mexico was basically ruled by one party only, the PRI or Revolutionary Party. An excellent student, Felipe earned degrees in law and economics in Mexico before going to Harvard University, where he received a Masters of Public Administration. He joined the PAN as a young man and quickly proved capable of important posts within the party structure. Calderons Political Career: Calderà ³n served as a representative in the Federal Chamber of Deputies, which is a little like the House of Representatives in United States Politics. In 1995 he ran for governor of the state of Michoacn, but lost to Lzaro Crdenas, another son of a famous political family. He nevertheless went on to national prominence, serving as national chairman for the PAN party from 1996 to 1999. When Vicente Fox (who is also a member of the PAN party) was elected president in 2000, Calderà ³n was appointed to several important posts, including director of Banobras, a state-owned development bank, and Secretary of Energy. Presidential Election of 2006: Calderà ³n’s road to the presidency was a bumpy one. First, he had a falling-out with Vicente Fox, who openly endorsed another candidate, Santiago Creel. Creel later lost to Calderà ³n in a primary election. In the general election, his most serious opponent was Andrà ©s Manuel Là ³pez Obrador, representative of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD). Calderà ³n won the election, but many of Là ³pez Obrador’s supporters believe that significant election fraud took place. The Mexican Supreme Court decided that President Fox’s campaigning on Calderà ³ns behalf had been questionable, but the results stood. Politics and Policies: A social conservative, Calderà ³n opposed issues such as gay marriage, abortion (including the â€Å"morning-after† pill), euthanasia and contraception education. His administration was fiscally moderate to liberal, however. He was in favor of free trade, lower taxes and privatization of state-controlled businesses. Personal Life of Felipe Calderon: He is married to Margarita Zavala, who herself once served in the Mexican Congress. They have three children, all born between 1997 and 2003. Plane Crash of November 2008: President Calderons efforts to fight organized drug cartels suffered a major setback in November, 2008, when a plane crash killed fourteen people, including Juan Camilo Mourino, Mexicos Secretary of the Interior, and Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos, a high-profile prosecutor of drug-related crimes. Although many suspected the accident was the result of sabotage ordered by drug gangs, evidence seems to indicate pilot error. Calderons War on the Cartels: Calderon gained worldwide recognition for his all-out war on Mexicos drug cartels. In recent years, Mexicos powerful smuggling cartels silently shipped tons of narcotics from Central and South America into the US and Canada, making billions of dollars. Other than the occasional turf war, no one heard much about them. Previous administrations had left them alone, letting sleeping dogs lie. But Calderon took them on, going after their leaders, confiscating money, weapons and narcotics and sending army forces to lawless towns. The cartels, desperate, responded with a wave of violence. When Calderons term ended, there was still a stalemate of sorts with the cartels: many of their leaders had been killed or captured, but at a great cost in lives and money for the government. Calderons Presidency: Early on in his presidency, Calderà ³n adopted many of Là ³pez Obrador’s campaign promises, such as a price cap for tortillas. This was seen by many as an effective way to neutralize his former rival and his supporters, who continued to be very vocal. He raised the wages of the armed forces and police while placing a cap on the salaries of high-level civil servants. His relationship with the United States is relatively friendly: he has had several talks with US lawmakers regarding immigration, and ordered the extradition of some drug traffickers that were wanted north of the border. In general, his approval ratings were fairly high among most Mexicans, the exception being those who accused him of election fraud. Calderà ³n staked much on his anti-cartel initiative. His war on the drug lords was well received on both sides of the border, and he forged close ties with the United States and Canada in an effort to combat the cartel operations all over the continent. The continuing violence is a concern - an estimated 12,000 Mexicans died in 2011 in drug-related violence - but many see it as a sign the cartels are hurting. Calderà ³ns term is seen by Mexicans as a limited success, as the economy continued to slowly grow. He will forever be linked with his war on the cartels, however, and Mexicans have mixed feelings about that. In Mexico, presidents may only serve one term, and Calderons came to a close in 2012. In the presidential elections, moderate Enrique Pena Nieto of the PRI won, beating out Là ³pez Obrador and PAN candidate Josefina Vzquez Mota. Pena promised to continue Calderons war on the cartels. Since stepping down as President of Mexico, Calderon has become an outspoken proponent of global action on climate change.

How best to improve competition in the banking market Essay - 1

How best to improve competition in the banking market - Essay Example In most cases, application of the efficient structure hypothesis is projected in two primary ways depending on the nature of efficiency considered. When considering the X-efficiency form, the more efficient organizations have relatively lower costs, which results to higher profits and a larger share market. According to WISE, BLINDER & GORDON, (2001), this is true because of presence of superior ability in diminishing production costs. On the other hand, Scale Efficiency form serves the same purpose as the X-efficiency, since it works towards achieving production to the minimum average-cost point. Relationship between quiet Life Hypothesis and efficiency structure If quiet life hypothesis holds, then it implies that, the positive profit structure association is partially offset by cost increase from poorer cost efficiency, which explains why the profit-structure association is weak in numerous banks. A unified approach based on the both quiet life hypothesis, structure hypothesis can be used to define the degree to which competition, and stability in the banking sector is influenced (WISE, BLINDER & GORDON, 2001). ... Relationship between quiet Life Hypothesis and efficiency structure If quiet life hypothesis holds, then it implies that, the positive profit structure association is partially offset by cost increase from poorer cost efficiency, which explains why the profit-structure association is weak in numerous banks. A unified approach based on the both quiet life hypothesis, structure hypothesis can be used to define the degree to which competition, and stability in the banking sector is influenced (WISE, BLINDER & GORDON, 2001). Structure Conduct Performance The SCP studies of banking universally can be subdivided into two primary groups according to the measure of performance (JOHNSON, 2003). The groups include the use of measure of pieces of some banking products and service in order to capture the firm’s performance. The second involves the application of profitability measure such as return on assets or equity. Nonetheless, using the piece of a single product may be misleading sue to the multi-product nature of a bank’s output. On the other hand, profit measure may be more informative, however may exhibit difficulty in comprehending and interpreting due to the complexity of the accounting procedures. Relationship between QLH, ESH and SCP The relationship between market structure and performance treated within the framework of structure-Conduct –Performance (SCP) explains well, the competitive status of a banking system. The SCP closes relates with that efficiency Hypothesis (JOHNSON, 2003). When Efficiency Hypothesis is applied in a banking sector, the hypothesis defines that a bank, which operates more efficiently than its competitors achieve higher gains that results from low operational costs.

Midterm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Midterm - Essay Example History is a subject in which all the past events are collected, organized and studied in detail. The main purpose of history is to obtain all the information from past, organize it in a proper manner so that it could be provided at the time of need. The Spanish interest in Hispaniola is due to the fact that it is one the largest islands in the world i.e. 22nd largest and probably the second largest island in Caribbean. The Spanish interest was also due to the fact that the island provided a major trade route as well as an important place for Spanish colonies to invade and get settled in. 17th century i.e. the 1600s is called the century of misery due to various reasons. The first one being that the most of the population of the world spent most of the century fighting wars which led to a huge loss of money, manpower and lack of industrial skill. Secondly, the century was marked by different epidemics that came during different decades of the 17th century e.g. the epidemic of plague that went on to take millions of life throughout the time period. Lastly, from the very start of 17th century, different areas of world were marked by bad harvests which led to millions starving and dying because of that. In the years between 1791 and 1804, slaves of Saint-Dominigue started a movement or rather a revolt against the outlanders French to remove them of power and bring it back to the locals. The revolt ended up in the formation of Republic of Haiti and is known as the Haitian Revolution. The main effect it had on the island is that it led others to take lesson from and push the outlanders out of their own lands but also it led to the formation of a totally new country now known as Haiti. The global effects of this revolution include, it proved to be a guiding light for others to remove French and dismantle their rule worldwide, especially in America and it was the first time ever that the slaves stood up against the elite and ended up

The international space station Essay Example for Free

The international space station Essay Space explorations by the United States, and perhaps, by any other nation, are fueled by the desire for human exploration and scientific discovery (Griffin, 2007). The ultimate end could be the possibility of establishing a habitat in space. As ambitious that vision may be, the construction of an International Space Station is considered as a step towards that direction (Griffin, 2007). The international Space Station is a construction in space where astronauts and other experts could study the possibility of living and working in space. The building of the space station is seen by NASA as one of the steps towards making the United States a â€Å"spacefaring nation† (Griffin, 2007). Picture 4. The International Space Station (ISS), is considered as the â€Å"the most complex construction feat ever undertaken. † Photo retrieved from www. nasa. gov/ Current NASA Projects In accordance with Bush’s vision for space exploration, NASA is currently studying and developing lunar habitats that could be used in building an outpost on the Moon’s surface. This outpost is intended to serve as a base camp that could accommodate researchers and experts when necessary, but is stable enough to be left without supervision (NASA, 2007). NASA intends to use the outpost in its study of the moons natural resources. This study is a necessary step in the preparations for America’s ultimate goal of journeying to Mars (NASA, 2007). Below is a photo of a test structure of a lunar habitat, which is yet to be tested by NASA on the ground. Picture 5. Test structure of a lunar habitat. Photo retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://www. nasa.gov/mission_pages/exploration/mmb/inflatable-lunar-hab. html Bush’s Space Mission Bush’s vision may be ambitious, as it pushes the American scientific community to the limits of its capability. It is also ambitious because it is very costly, not only in money, but also in other resources, such as manpower. Thus, debates on the topic usually revolve around the propriety of allotting portions of taxpayers’ money on space explorations when they could be used in funding other, more pressing, national concerns. Nevertheless, the utility of space explorations and studies being conducted for such purpose cannot be denied. Even in the present time, when space explorations can still be considered conservative, practical and invaluable uses of space technology have been discovered, such as â€Å"image processing used in medical scanners, foetal heart monitors and insulin pumps† (BBC News). Future discoveries of other uses of space explorations are anybody’s guess. The important thing to realize in this matter is that discovery of new and yet unexplored terrain, such as space, the Moon, and Mars should not be seen as a wasteful and futile occupation. Where the means allow such studies and explorations, such activities shall be pursued because precious finds may be waiting as a result. These ventures, however, must be kept in check such that important services such as welfare, health, and education of the populace would not be sacrificed because the latter are more pressing issues that need to be addressed. References 1969: Man takes first steps on the Moon. BBC News. Retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/21/newsid_2635000/2635845. stm Boeing. What is the Space Shuttle? Retrieved March 6, 2007, from www.boeing. com/hsfe_shuttle/what_is. html Bush unveils Moon and Mars plans. BBC News. Retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3395165. stm Camping on the Moon Will Be One Far Out Experience. (2007). Retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://www. nasa. gov/mission_pages/exploration/mmb/inflatable-lunar-hab. html Griffin, M. (2007). Why Explore Space? National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://www. nasa. gov/ Hunt, K. (2007). Budget crunch will delay NASAs first manned moon flight. USA Today. Retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://www. usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2007- 03-01-moon-delay_N. htm Lane, E. (2004). Bush: Moon Return by 2015, Space shuttle to be retired. Retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://www. newsday. com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-bush-space- 0114,0,4190003. story? coll=ny-nationalnews-headlines The History of Moon Exploration. Retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://www. telescope. org/nuffield/pas/moon/moon7. html The Washington Post Writers Group. (2007). Going Back to Moon will be Uplifting Endeavor. The Kansas City Star. Retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://www. kansascity. com/mld/kansascity/news/opinion/16828980. htmÃ'Ž

Virgil’s Vision of the Underworld and Reincarnation in Book VI of the A

Virgil’s Vision of the Underworld and Reincarnation in Book VI of the Aeneid â€Å"Virgil paints his sad prophetic picture of the Underworld in shadowy halftones fraught with tears and pathos. His sources are eclectic, but his poetic vision is personal and unique† (Lenardon, 312). Despite countless writings regarding the region of the Underworld, such as Homer’s Odyssey and Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Virgil bases his book upon traditional elements accompanied with his own vision of the Underworld and reincarnation. In doing so, Virgil’s book VI of the Aeneid serves as an exploration of Virgil’s concept of the Underworld and religious beliefs, one in which the hybrid of the traditional and the personal, create a more poetic vision than standard retelling of past illustrations. Following his entrance into the Underworld, with his guide the Cumaean Sybil, Aeneas is thrust into the realm of Virgil’s Underworld, beginning first with primarily traditional elements. â€Å"Now from the Stygian water the boatman, seeing them in the silent wood and headed for the bank cried out to them (lines 516-518).† Upon reaching the River Styx, the traditional river shades must cross to enter the underworld; Charon the boatman serves as ferryman to transport the two across the river. Upon progressing further, the two come to a fork in the road leading to two separate traditional Underworld realms Tartarus and Elysium: â€Å"now of a sudden Aeneas looked and saw to the left, under a cliff, wide buildings girt by a triple wall round which a torrent rushed with scorching flames†¦they came to places of delight, to green park land, where souls take ease among the Blessed Groves (lines 548-678).† Tartarus, the realm of torment, was reserved for those to be eterna... ...rgil creates within these passages. Because of the parallels with Christianity within the Underworld passages, and the notion of Aeneas as an anti-hero with false dreams, Virgil’s work connects itself with future works, inspiring Dante and future authors. As illustrated, the Underworld images Virgil leaves the audience with greatly questions the overall integrity of the epic itself, while not completely alienating his audience through the combination of the new and traditional within the book. In the end, the afterlife is a matter of personal opinion, mixed with tradition, and a dash of doubt and ambiguity. Works Cited/Referenced Fitzgerald, Robert trans. The Aeneid. Vintage: New York. 1990. Lenardon, Robert J., Morford, Mark P.O. Classical Mythology. Fourth Edition. Longman: White Plains, NY. 1991. pp. 312-327. Press, Inc.: New York, NY. 1967.

Black Virgin Mountain

â€Å"Black Virgin Mountain: A Return to Vietnam† by Larry Heinemann is called â€Å"indicative of the emotional black hole those who have been in war often carry within them†. It is seen throughout the whole book that the author hates war and doesn’t romanticize his services when being a young soldier who has been sent to Vietnam in 1967-1968. Author’s intentions are noble as he wants to shed light on the realities of the war, though very often he writes a piece of traveling providing historical backgrounds to cultural places which bear no relation to the narrative.It is necessary to underline that the book illustrates emotional maiming coming from the war. (Heinemann 2005) The author starts with describing noise and energy of the combat and it is the strongest position of Heinemann, because he manages to reflect the power of weapons being hold in the arms and the violence created by the war. Heinemann attacks the lies sold to those people who returned ho me. Nevertheless, the author loses his balance when remembering his being an agent of death.Author writing here is too flabby and filled with cliches. Furthermore Heinemann provides long unnecessary descriptions of the visit to Hanoi, because the author thinks it lacks historical background. (Heinemann 2005) Actually Heinemann demonstrates in his book great courage in facing death and describes the horrifying realities of war. It is seen that the author uncovers his own dislocation and pains. However, he does realize the position of violence, because war takes a heavy tool in lives of thousand soldiers.The main hero (the author) suffered not only from trauma, but also because of his two brothers, because one of them has committed suicide, whereas other has been missing for many years. The author ends the book on the scared mountain called Black Virgin Mountain. The author is able to view from its heights the place of the battles and he tries to find the answer to the horrors created by war. (Heinemann 2005) Works Cited Heinemann, Larry. Black Virgin Mountain: A Return to Vietnam. New York: Doubleday, 2005.

7ps of Airline

LALA LAjpatrai College | | |AIRLINE INDUSTRY | |SERVICE SECTOR MANAGEMENT | | | | | | | INDEX |Table of Content |Pg. No | |Chapter 1 | | |Introduction |3 | |Importance |4 | |Presence Scenario |5 | |Classification & Types |6 | |Advantages |8 | |Chapter 2 | | |PEST Analysis: The Indian Airline Industry |10 | |Five product levels |15 | |Chapter 3 | | |4 P’s |17 | |Chapter 4 | | |Extended Marketing Mix |24 | |Chapter 5 | | |Segmentation |29 | |Chapter 6 | | |Role of Technology |31 | |Chapter 7 | |8 Quality Dimension |33 | |Chapter 8 | | |Conclusion |35 | |Future |36 | |Reference |37 | CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Airline Industry in India is one of the fastest growing aviation industries in the world. With the liberalization of the Indian aviation sector, airline industry in India has undergone a rapid transformation. From being primarily a government-owned industry, the Indian airline industry is now dominated by privately owned full service airlines and low cost carriers. Private airlines account for around 75% share of the domestic aviation market. Earlier air travel was a privilege only a few could afford, but today air travel has become much cheaper and can be afforded by a large number of people. The origin of Indian civil aviation industry can be traced back to 1912, when the first air flight between Karachi and Delhi was started by the Indian State Air Services in collaboration with the UK based Imperial Airways. In 1932, JRD Tata founded Tata Airline, the first Indian airline. Airline organizations can be classified into a number of segments depending on the nature and degree of services they provide. Major Indian carriers are pressing their feet on the accelerator to reach an acme of service level by the year 2010 when their fleet strength will meet 500 to 550. In the previous two years more than 135 aircrafts have been introduced to keep up with the increasing number of passenger traffic in Indian aerospace. A number of domestic airline groups have emerged in a reasonably short span of time to make the market furiously competitive. IMPORTANCE Growing tourism: Due to growth in tourism, there has been an increase in number of the international and domestic passengers. The estimated growth of domestic passenger segment is at 50% per annum and growth for international passenger segment is 25%. Airlines play an important role in international tourism. Developing airline services helps the nation to cash on tourism as more than 85% of the foreign tourist arrives by air. Improving Infrastructure: We all know that India's air transport infrastructure is out-of-date. In fact the overall situation is critical. A recent report by McKinsey suggests that half of India's highly qualified graduates are located in cities without international airports. Without massive change, infrastructure will not be able to handle growth. We must move quickly now. Benefit all—the government, the airport, shippers, passengers, local communities and airlines †¢ Result in greater efficiency—lower costs †¢ Result in better service levels Globalization: Globalization has improved the lives of many in developing nations. Globalization in of its self is the trading of goods and services of a local economy into an integrated global economy. Technological advances have made this practice more feasible within the last 50 years. The major milestones were the development of the internet and increased transportation technology. These two advances made the world coined â€Å"flat† and set the stage for higher living standards. PRESENCE SCENARIO Revolutionized by privatization along with active participation of the foreign investors, the Indian airline industry has experienced phenomenal transformation over the last couple of years. From being a service catering to the needs of the privileged group only it is now well within the reach of middle class population. This has been the result of increased competition in the Indian aviation industry due to the presence of a wide variety of private and public airlines with their low price tags. It was further helped by the entry of Air Deccan, the first budget airline in India, offering unbelievable tariffs to the customers. In the financial year 2006-07 there has been a significant 22. 3 percent growth in passenger traffic in the domestic airports while the aircraft movement recorded a growth by 14. 2 percent. In terms of the number of flights Jet Airways secures the top position with 8,168 flights operating till June 2007. Indian Airlines is in second position with 7,562 flights. Sahara (3,225 flights), Air Deccan (2,889 flights), Spice Jet (483 flights) and Kingfisher Airlines (367 flights) come thereafter in the list of domestic and national carrier operators. CLASSIFICATION & TYPES The Indian airline sector can be broadly divided into the following main categories: 1. Scheduled air transport service, which includes domestic and international airlines. 2. Non-scheduled air transport service, which includes charter operators and air taxi operators. 3. Air cargo service, which includes air transportation of cargo and mail. Scheduled air transport service: It is an air transport service undertaken between two or more places and operated according to a published timetable. It includes: 1. Domestic airlines, which provide scheduled flights within India and to select international destinations. Air Deccan, Spice Jet, Kingfisher Airline and IndiGo are some of the domestic players in the industry. 2. International airlines, which operate scheduled international air services to and from India. Non-scheduled air transport service: It is an air transport service other than the scheduled one and may be on charter basis and/or non-scheduled basis. The operator is not permitted to publish time schedule and issue tickets to passengers. Air cargo services: It is an air transportation of cargo and mail. It may be on scheduled or non-scheduled basis. These operations are to destinations within India. For operation outside India, the operator has to take specific permission of Directorate General of Civil Aviation demonstrating his capacity for conducting such an operation. At present, there are 2 scheduled private airlines (Jet Airways and Air Sahara), which provide regular domestic air services along with Indian Airlines. In addition there are 47 non-scheduled operators providing air-taxi/non-scheduled air transport services. Apart from this, the players in airline industry can be categorized in three groups: †¢ Public players †¢ Private players †¢ Start up players. There are three public players: Air India, Indian Airlines and Alliance Air. The private players include Jet Airways, Air Sahara, Kingfisher Airlines, Spice Jet, Air Deccan and many more. The startup players are those planning to enter the markets. Some of them are Omega Air, Magic Air, Premier Star Air and MDLR Airlines ADVANTAGES 1. Foreign equity allowed: Foreign equity up to 49 per cent and NRI (Non-Resident Indian) investment up to 100 per cent is permissible in domestic airlines without any government approval. However, the government policy bars foreign airlines from taking a stake in a domestic airline company. 2. Low entry barriers: Nowadays, venture capital of $10 million or less is enough to launch an airline. Private airlines are known to hire foreign pilots, get expatriates or retired personnel from the Air Force or PSU airlines in senior management positions. Further, they outsource such functions as ground handling, check-in, reservation, aircraft maintenance, catering, training, revenue accounting, IT infrastructure, loyalty and programme management. Airlines are known to take on contract employees such as cabin crew, ticketing and check-in agents. 3. Attraction of foreign shores: Jet and Sahara have gone international by starting operations, first to SAARC countries, and then to South-East Asia, the UK, and the US. After five years of domestic operations, many domestic airlines too will be entitled to fly overseas by using unutilised bilateral entitlements to Indian carriers. 4. Rising income levels and demographic profile: Though India's GDP (per capita) at $3,100 is still very low as compared to the developed country standards, India is shining, at least in metro cities and urban centres, where IT and BPO industries have made the young generation prosperous. Demographically, India has the highest percentage of people in age group of 20-50 among its 50 million strong middle class, with high earning potential. All this contributes for the boost in domestic air travel, particularly from a low base of 18 million passengers. 5. Untapped potential of India's tourism: Currently India attracts 3. 2 million tourists every year, while China gets 10 times the number. Tourist arrivals in India are expected to grow exponentially, especially due to the open sky policy between India and the SAARC countries and the increase in bilateral entitlements with European countries, and US. 6. Glamor of the airlines: No industry other than film-making industry is as glamorous as the airlines. Airline tycoons from the last century, like J. R. D. Tata and Howard Hughes, and Sir Richard Branson and Dr. Vijaya Mallya today, have been idolized. Airlines have an aura of glamour around them, and high net worth individuals can always toy with the idea of owning an airline. All the above factors seem to have resulted in a â€Å"me too† rush to launch domestic airlines in India. CHAPTER TWO PEST Analysis: The Indian Airline Industry A PEST analysis is an analysis of the external macro-environment that affects all firms. P. E. S. T. is an acronym for the Political, Economic, Social, and Technological factors of the external macro-environment. Such external factors usually are beyond the firm's control and sometimes present themselves as threats. For this reason, some say that â€Å"pest† is an appropriate term for these factors. Let us look at the PEST analysis of the Indian aviation sector: Political Factors In India, one can never over-look the political factors which influence each and every industry existing in the country. Like it or not, the political interference has to be present everywhere. Given below are a few of the political factors with respect to the airline industry: The airline industry is very susceptible to changes in the political environment as it has a great bearing on the travel habits of its customers. An unstable political environment causes uncertainty in the minds of the air travellers, regarding travelling to a particular country. Overall India’s recent political environment has been largely unstable due to international events & continued tension with Pakistan. The Gujarat riots & the government’s inability to control the situation have also led to an increase in the instability of the political arena. The most significant political event however has been September 11. The events occurring on September had special significance for the airline industry since airplanes were involved. The immediate results were a huge drop in air traffic due to safety & security concerns of the people. International airlines are greatly affected by trade relations that their country has with others. Unless governments of the two countries trade with each other, there could be restrictions of flying into particular area leading to a loss of potential air traffic (e. g. Pakistan & India) Another aspect is that in countries with high corruption levels like India, bribes have to be paid for every permit & license required. Therefore constant liasoning with the minister & other government official is necessary. The state owned airlines suffer the maximum from this problem. These airlines have to make several special considerations with respect to selection of routes, free seats to ministers, etc which a privately owned airline need not do. The state owned airlines also suffers from archaic laws applying only to them such as the retirement age of the pursers & hostesses, the labour regulations which make the management less flexible in taking decision due to the presence of a strong union, & the heavy control of the government. This affects the quality of the service delivery & therefore these airlines have to think of innovative service marketing ideas to circumvent their problems & compete with the private operators. Economic Factors Business cycles have a wide reaching impact on the airline industry. During recession, airline is considered a luxury & therefore spending on air travel is cut which leads to reduce prices. During prosperity phase people indulge themselves in travel & prices increase. After the September 11 incidents, the world economy plunged into global recession due to the depressed sentiment of consumers. In India, even a company like Citibank was forced to cut costs to increase profits for which even the top level managers were given first class railway tickets instead of plane tickets. The loss of income for airlines led to higher operational costs not only due to low demand but also due to higher insurance costs, which increased after the WTC bombing. This prompted the industry to lay off employees, which further fuelled the recession as spending decreased due to the rise in unemployment. Even the SARS outbreak in the Far East was a major cause for slump in the airline industry. Even the Indian carriers like Air India was deeply affected as many flights were cancelled due to internal (employee relations) as well as external problems, which has been discussed later. Social Factors The changing travel habits of people have very wide implications for the airline industry. In a country like India, there are people from varied income groups. The airlines have to recognize these individuals and should serve them accordingly. Air India needs to focus on their clientele which are mostly low income clients & their habits in order to keep them satisfied. The destination, kind of food etc all has to be chosen carefully in accordance with the tastes of their major clientele. Especially, since India is a land of extremes there are people from various religions and castes and every individual travelling by the airline would expect customization to the greatest possible extent. For e. g. A Jain would be satisfied with the service only if he is served jain food and it should be kept in mind that the customers next to him are also Jain or at least vegetarian. Another good example would be the case of South West Airlines which occupies a solid position in the minds of the US air travelers as a reliable and convenient, fun, low fare, and no frills airline. The major element of its success was the augmented marketing mix which it used very effectively. What South West did was it made the environment inside the plane very consumer friendly. The crew neither has any uniform nor does it serve any lavish foods, which indirectly reduces the costs and makes the consumers feel comfortable. Technological Factors The increasing use of the Internet has provided many opportunities to airlines. For e. g. Air Sahara has introduced a service, through the internet wherein the unoccupied seats are auctioned one week prior to the departure. Air India also provides many internet based services to its customer such as online ticket booking, updated flight information & handling of customer complaints. USTDA (US trade & development association) is funding a feasibility study and workshops for the Airports Authority of India as part of a long-term effort to promote Indian aviation infrastructure. The Authority is developing modern communication, navigation, surveillance, and air traffic management systems for India's aviation sector that will help the country meet the expected growth and demand for air passenger and cargo service over the next decade. A proposal for restructuring the existing airports at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata through long-term lease to make them world class is under consideration. This will help in attracting investments in improving the infrastructure and services at these airports. Setting up of new international airports at Bangalore, Hyderabad and Goa with private sector participation is also envisaged. A good example of the impact of technology would be that of AAI, wherein with the help of technology it has converted its obsolete and unused hangars into profit centers. AAI is now leasing these hangars to international airlines and is earning huge profits out of it. AAI has also tried to utilize space that was previously wasted installing a lamination machine to laminate the luggage of travelers. This activity earns AAI a lot of revenue. These technological changes in the environment have an impact on Air India as well. Better airport infrastructure, means better handling of airplanes, which can help reduce maintenance cost. It also facilitates more flights to such destinations. FIVE PRODUCT LEVELS The Core Service: The core service of the airlines industry is to transport goods and services to various destinations. As the needs of the people increased the entire system became more organized and formal. After this stage comes the various supplementary services. The Supplementary Services: The airline industry has many players they had a brand name like ‘Air India’,’ Jet Airways’,’ British Airways’. All of them had some common services to offer like connecting flights, through check-in, tele check in, food on board, and complementary gifts etc. Different classes like economy class, business class were introduced. Air concessions are given to school students, old people etc. Singapore airlines were the first to introduce small 8† television screen for every passenger. The freebies are actually win-win deals between airlines and other services. Sahara, for example, offers its passengers a ‘business-plan’ on two-way economy class ticket, which includes a night’s stay with breakfast, STD facility for 3 minutes and boardroom facility at the Park Hotel, New Delhi. To Delhi based fliers to Mumbai, it offers a night’s stay with breakfast, airport transfers and VIP amenities at The Orchid, Mumbai. For business class, the plan includes a stay at The Leela, with buffet breakfast and late checkout. All these added service helps the customer to decide upon which airlines he wants to travel. As competition increased and the customers wanted more the next phase evolved and that is the augmented service. The Augmented Service: This phase is where the customer’s expectations are met; the service providers kept working on new methods to meet the ever-changing customers’ demands. The players introduced online booking, which was very convenient for the service users. British Airways business class has showers; it’s more spacious and comfortable. Sahara airlines offer its passengers six different types of cuisine like vegetarian, fat free, diabetic etc. They also have auction going on board. Virgin airlines have gambling on board, they also have body massage to offer to their passengers. Air Emirates has something called cab service, they have customized pick up and drop cab service. This phase is the most crucial one; with increased competition service will become the final differentiation. Future Service: As mentioned above the customer needs keep changing, the future is unknown. The customers may be looking in for more frequent inexpensive air travel, something like air taxis, supersonic speed. This decreases the time thus reducing the cost. CHAPTER THREE 4 P’s Product The airline industry is a service that satisfies customer needs for travelling. In the airline industry the customers can be divided into two segments, business and leisure. While the airline industry started out as a luxury item, business travel has changed this industry to a necessity. As we further become a global economy and communication between international companies intensifies, travel needs continue to increase. The leisure traveller has always had the need for the airline industry. Satisfying the customer needs today involves competitive rates, convenient booking of flights and benefits with those flights. Some of the problems with this industry are personally experienced by the customers. The airlines have a difficult time being punctual and this has become the norm in the industry, although some companies try to avoid it. The industry is highly susceptible to situations that result in declines in air travel, such as political instability, regional hostilities, recession, fuel price escalation, inflation, adverse weather conditions, consumer preferences, labour instability or regulatory oversight. Airlines are now in the commodity business as the public demands low-priced transportation. It has moved from elite to a common form of transportation. Today's travellers know how to surf the web for bargains through a myriad of sites such as Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity, Hotwire, and Cheaptickets. As a commodity, airlines cannot increase prices to increase profits, so their only choice is to cut operating costs such as labour costs. Amid the competition, airlines have refocused their attention on the customers. The industry still heavily targets frequent flyers, as members can earn miles through travelling, car rentals, hotels, and credit card use. On overseas flights, business class seats convert to real flat beds. Soon passengers will have internet access during flights. Airlines are also catering to the consumer by offering mostly organic menus, while others are offering meals-to-go before boarding. For travellers pressed for time, many airlines offer fast check-in, online at home before leaving for the airport; or self-service check-in kiosks where passengers identify themselves with a credit card, print their own boarding pass, change their seat, and purchase meal coupons. Price The following are the pricing strategies: Premium Pricing: The airlines may set prices above the market price either to reflect the image of quality or the unique status of the product. The product features are not shared by its competitors or the company itself may enjoy a strong reputation that the ‘brand image' alone is sufficient to merit a premium price. Value for Money Pricing: The intention here is to charge the average price for the product and emphasize that it represents excellent value for money at this price. This enables the airline to achieve good levels of profit on the basis of established reputation. Cheap Value Pricing: The objective here is to undercut the competition and price is used to trigger the purchase immediately. Unit profits are low, but overall profits are achieved. Air India and Indian Airlines have slashed their prices to meet the competition of private airlines so that they can consolidate their position in the market. Airlines usually practice differential pricing. There are three classes: The First Class, The Executive or Business Class and The Economy Class. Fares for each class are different since the facilities provided and the comfort and luxury level is different in each class. Seasonal fares are also fixed, fares rise during the peak holiday times. Low-cost Pricing: With the advent of the low-cost airlines in the Indian aviation industry, a different low-cost flying concept has come up. Since these low-cost airlines are trying to woo the customers by providing air travel in exceptionally low prices, a price-band kind of pricing has to be designed. In low-pricing strategies, the airlines provide very low prices for the flight tickets. Also, they prices are made cheaper by booking the tickets long before the flight date. APEX Fares: In this scheme, people are given very cheap rates only if tickets are booked at least before the specified time period. But the draw-back here is that if the booking is cancelled, a substantial amount of money is not returned. Promotion Integrated Marketing Communication A successful product or service means nothing unless the benefit of such a service can be communicated clearly to the target market. An organisations promotional mix can consist of: ? Advertising ? Public Relations ? Sales Promotion ? Personal Selling ? Direct Mail ? Internet / E-commerce In airline industry all the above methods are use for promotion purpose. The aims of promotion fall into three main categories: to inform, to remind, & to persuade. It will always be necessary to inform prospective consumers about new products & services, but other issue may also need this type of communication to consumers; new uses, price changes, information to build consumer confidence & to reduce fears, full description of service offering, image building. Similarly consumers may need to get reminded about all these types of issues, especially in the off-peak season. It is vitally important to recognize that promotion, or marketing communications generally, may not always be aimed at potential consumer or end user of service. In many business areas, it is to design promotions aimed at channel customers to complement end user promotion. For e. g. Airlines will need to promote their services to tour operators as well as end user. Distribution (Also known as the place variable in the marketing mix, or the 4 Ps) In Airlines, they utilise more than one method of distribution. For e. g. hey sell tickets through travel agents & sell seats on fligh ts to tour operators, whilst also operating direct marketing. Whichever distribution strategy is selected, channel management plays a key role. For channels to be effective they need reliable updated information. For these reason, I. T has been widely adopted such as on-line booking system. Channel structures vary somewhat by the nature of the service ? Internet booking system ? Telephone reservation system. CHAPTER FOUR Extended Marketing Mix Marketers suggest that the unique requirements of selling services require the organization attend to three additional P's. These are people, physical evidence and process. People The people section of the Marketing Mix is the most important section of the extended Marketing Mix. It is broken up into three sections: Employees, Consumers and the Company. Do we have enough employees to provide a good service? ; Do they have the necessary personal and professional skills? , Do they understand the brand-values? , Are they enough motivated or too tired? Those are questions that airlines companies have to ask themselves, and which answers are going to have important consequences in the type of service provided. The analysis of the buyer behaviour is really interesting in this sector. Every individual have different needs and expectations in this market, so segmentation and positioning will be also fundamental. Furthermore, it’s normally an industry where, the user follows all the steps of the buyer behaviour in the selection and purchase of the service. Special importance have the Information Search by the customer (which is normally more complete than in other purchases) and beliefs and attitudes, which are the most important challenges of this analysis because normally have an important weight in the final decision of the customer. In a market as competitive as this one, a personal bad experience or just a non favourable belief or attitude can determine the user's choice forever. That's why the Brand Image is also fundamental for this kind of Companies. For e. g. A Jain would be satisfied with the service only if he is served Jain food and it should be kept in mind that the customers next to him are also Jain or at least vegetarian. Therefore, management faces a tremendous challenge in selecting and training all of these people to do their jobs well, and, perhaps even more important, in motivating them to care about doing their jobs well, and to make an extra effort to serve their customers. After all, these employees must believe in what they are doing and enjoy their work before they can, in turn, provide good service to customers. The â€Å"people† component of the service marketing mix also includes the management of the firm's customer mix. Because services are often experienced at the provider's facilities, other customers who are being served there can also influence one’s satisfaction with a service. For e. g. crying children in a nearby seat on an airplane or ill mannered customer are all examples of unpleasant service conditions caused by a firm's other patrons. Physical Evidence The service is intangible because unlike a product it can't be experienced before it is delivered. It is the ability and environment in which a service is delivered. Because it is intangible customers are at greater risk when deciding whether to use a service, so to reduce this risk, and improve success, potential customer are offered the chance to see what the service would be like with the use of testimonials, demonstrations etc. Physical layout is not only relevant to its promotional materials, but also to the layout and structure of the organization, and websites. Customers have far higher expectations and therefore they select the particular service which they know will satisfy their want. Promotional materials and written correspondence provide tangible reassurance; they can be incorporated into the firm's marketing communications to help reduce customer anxiety about committing to the purchase. Service firms should design these items with extreme care, since they will play a major role in influencing a customer's impression of the firm. In particular, all physical evidence must be designed to be consistent with the â€Å"personality† that the firm wishes to project in the marketplace. They can offer to the consumer more than a fly: additional services, and so they focus their promotional efforts in communicating that to the potential user. Process The customer service department of any airline company deal with a number of processes involved in making marketing effective in an organisation e. g. processes for handling customer complaints, processes for identifying customer needs and requirements, processes for handling requirement etc. Example of Jet (Entire Process) Purchasing process According to epinions. com, travelers' overall purchasing experiences with Jet have been very positive. People like how easy it is to choose from the different one-way fares online to make up a round-trip reservation. Some travelers prefer to use Jettelephone reservation agents for purchasing their tickets. Overall, these reservation agents have been described as very courteous and helpful. Destination Choices We found many negative reviews on epinions. com when it came to Jet destination offerings. Several people complained that Jet doesn't offer service (either non-stop or connecting) to enough destinations. Some complained about Jet operating out of smaller, less convenient airports (like Poona and Nasik). People also complained that Jet only offers limited flights per day to some destinations, making travel less convenient for some. Overall Customer Service Based on our findings at epinions. com, Jet customer service is very highly regarded. Although some people have had unpleasant experiences, almost everyone who gave an opinion raved about the service from Jet flight attendants, gate agents, ticketing/reservation agents, and even the pilots. The 7 Ps – price, product, place, promotion, people, process and physical evidence comprise the modern marketing mix that is particularly relevant in service industry, but is also relevant to any form of business where meeting the needs of customers is given priority. CHAPTER FIVE SEGMENTATION Segmentation involves finding out what kinds of consumers with different needs exist. In the airline industry, for example, some consumers look for only price, while others are much more concerned about other features and services provided. In general, it holds true that â€Å"You can't be all things to all people,† and experience has demonstrated that firms that specialize in meeting the needs of one group of consumers over another tend to be more profitable. Generically, there are three approaches to marketing: In the undifferentiated strategy, all consumers are treated as the same, with firms not making any specific efforts to satisfy particular groups. This may work when the product is a standard one where one competitor really can't offer much that another one can't. Usually, this is the case only for commodities. In the concentrated strategy, one firm chooses to focus on one of several segments that exist while leaving other segments to competitors. For example, Deccan Airlines focuses on price sensitive consumers who will forego meals and assigned seating for low prices. In contrast, most airlines follow the differentiated strategy: They offer high priced tickets to those who are inflexible in that they cannot tell in advance when they need to fly and find it impractical to stay over a Saturday. These travellers usually business travellers pay high fares but can only fill the planes up partially. The same airlines then sell some of the remaining seats to more price sensitive customers who can buy two weeks in advance and stay over. Note that segmentation calls for some tough choices. There may be a large number of variables that can be used to differentiate consumers of a given product category; yet, in practice, it becomes impossibly cumbersome to work with more than a few at a time. Thus, we need to determine which variables will be most useful in distinguishing different groups of consumers. We might thus decide, for example, that the variables that are most relevant in separating different kinds of airlines consumers are: (1) Preference for price, (2) Preference for combination of price and other features, (3) Consumers not worried at all about price: Looking for privacy or luxury (4) Willingness to pay for brand names We now put these variables together to arrive at various combinations. Several different kinds of variables can be used for segmentation. Demographic variables essentially refer to personal statistics such as income, gender, education, location (rural vs. urban, East vs. West), ethnicity, and family size. Jet Airways; for instance, has found that people from western region (India) on the average prefer vegetarian meal whereas people from east prefer non-vegetarian meal. Taking this a step farther, it is also possible to segment on lifestyle and values. Some consumers want to be seen as similar to others, while a different segment wants to stand apart from the crowd. Another basis for segmentation is behaviour. Some consumers are â€Å"brand loyal† i. e. , they tend to stick with their preferred brands even when a competing one is on sale. CHAPTER SIX ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY Intense competition in Indian Aviation Industry has made the role of technology very important for domestic airline companies. Technology can help in making travel comfortable, allow easy access to tickets and reduce time to check-in. A considerable amount of money is also saved by automation. Following points highlight the increasing use of Technology by different Airlines: Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines is planning to install a landscape camera at the bottom of the aircraft that will enable passengers get a view of the take-off and landing of their airplane when flying on domestic routes. They are also going to allow GSM phones to be used on board for the first time. They are already providing live TV as part of our high-end In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) initiatives. Kingfisher Airlines has announced the launch of two world-class technological innovations to enhance guest convenience. The first cutting-edge innovation is the introduction of the ‘Roving Agent’ at the airport. Now guests with hand baggage need not have to wait at the check-in counter to collect their boarding pass, instead they can directly approach the Kingfisher Airline’s Roving Agents deployed outside the security check-in area who will book them on their choice of seats. Also launched is the facility of ‘Web Check-in’. Now Kingfisher Airlines' guests can sit in the comfort of their homes or offices and print their boarding passes. All a guest has to do is log on to the official website of Kingfisher Airlines, www. flykingfisher. com, and click on the link – web check-in. Fill-in your reservation details and the screen will display the choice of seats available onboard that particular flight. Once booked, the guest can conveniently print out the boarding pass and carry it along with him/her on the day of the flight and proceed straight to the security check counter at the airport. The Airbus A380, the world`s largest and most advanced passenger airplane, which is widely regarded as the future of aviation, marks a momentous milestone in the history of civil aviation in India. Kingfisher Airlines, India’s fastest-growing airline, has engaged Sabre Airline Solutions, the global leader of software and services for the airline industry from planning to execution, to provide a full suite of more than 20 enterprise applications to enhance its guest processing functions, as the airline continues its rapid expansion of its operations. Kingfisher Airlines is also leveraging other technology from Sabre Airline Solutions to help analyze the market and determine the best approaches to maximize revenue. Kingfisher Airlines Ltd and Dish TV have joined hands to provide live in-flight entertainment on Kingfisher aircraft. The in-flight entertainment system is one of the best in the world. The increasing use of the Internet has provided many opportunities to airlines. For e. g. Kingfisher has introduced a service through the internet, wherein the unoccupied seats are auctioned one week prior to the departure. Public sector airline Air-India is exploring the possibility of launching an information technology (IT) subsidiary to handle its automation activities. Jet Airways has launched an Interactive Voice Response (IVR)-based payment and ticketing services. The service will allow passengers to complete their reservation with credit cards through a secure gateway and instantly receive their e-tickets via email. Low-cost carriers such as Air Deccan, SpiceJet, GoAir and IndiGo are currently allowing a web-check apart from online booking. CHAPTER SEVEN QUALITY DIMENSION IN CONTEXT WITH AIRLINE INDUSTRY Reliability is most important to customers. Reliability is performing promised service dependably and accurately. If you don't deliver on your promise you can lose customers and your credibility will be damaged. It takes a long time for a company to build up a reputation for reliability, and only a short time to be branded as â€Å"unreliable†. Security in airline industry is a very important issue. Terrorist threats and narcotics are the main threats in Indian airports. The airlines and the security screening people they contract with have a simple choice – employ more staff so as to process their passengers more efficiently, or lay off staff and cause their passengers to spend more time waiting to check in than they actually spend on the flight itself. Tangible – Tangibles refers to physical facilities and facilitating goods. Examples of tangibles would be distinctive materials such as brochures and the cleanliness of the facilities. Tangible is what makes you different than competitors. Customer can see for themselves and then decide whether to go for the service or not. Responsiveness – Responsiveness is the willingness to help customers promptly. Avoid having customers waiting for no apparent reason. Responsiveness is very important because if you provide customers with what they need in a timely fashion they will be satisfied. Nobody likes to wait. Replying to a customer request promptly is a good example of responsiveness. If customers see that the company is willing to help, this will cause loyalty and it will let them know that you are concerned about them. Assurance is the ability to convey trust and confidence. Being polite and showing respect for customers will create trust. Also having professional and knowledgeable staff will create trust and confidence in customers. People enjoy meeting pleasant, knowledgeable people. By being pleasant and knowledgeable to everyone a business will present the kind of business image that draws new business. Empathy is the ability to be approachable. Empathy involves treating customers as individuals. When a customer has a problem they should not be afraid to ask questions. A company should adapt to the specials needs of a customer. Listening to customers concerns and proving them with a positive solution is how you show empathy. CHAPTER EIGHT CONCLUSION Airline industry in India is plagued with several problems. These include high aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, rising labour costs and shortage of skilled labour, rapid fleet expansion, and intense price competition among the players. But one of the major challenges facing Indian aviation industry is infrastructure constraint. Airport infrastructure needs to be upgraded rapidly if Indian aviation industry has to continue its success story. Some steps have been taken in this direction. Two of India's largest airports-Mumbai and New Delhi-were privatized recently. Two Greenfield airports are coming up at Bangalore and Hyderabad in southern India. Investments are pouring into almost all aspects of the industry, including aircraft maintenance, pilot training and air cargo services. The future prospects of Indian aviation sector look bright. The Indian aviation industry has witnessed remarkable growth in recent years, with key drivers being positive economic factors, including high GDP growth, good industrial performance, and corporate profitability and expansion. Other factors include higher disposable incomes, growth in consumer spending, and availability of low fares. FUTURE PROSPECTS OF INDIAN AIRLINE SECTOR Consolidation in the aviation industry: Consolidation will ease competition and give pricing power to the dominant players and as a result of higher fares even smaller players like SpiceJet stand to benefit. The air fares for SpiceJet are expected to increase by 7. 4% and 3. 6% during FY08E and FY09E respectively. Due to booming economy, it is believed that the growth in the aviation industry will continue in the scenario of increased airfares. Generally it is believed that the aviation sector in any country grows at twice the growth rate of its GDP. In India, the GDP is growing at more than 7-8% per annum, which makes the growth rate in the aviation sector to be in excess of 15%. Aviation industry in India is expected to grow at a much better rate than this because the industry is at a nascent stage with lower base and low penetration. Strong passenger growth to boost top-line and profit: Strong passenger growth would lead to 86% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) growth in revenues for the next two years. Increased passenger volume would also help in spreading fixed cost over larger passenger base there by bringing down per unit cost. Domestic Passengers: In the last three years, the number of passengers travelling by air has more than doubled with industry carrying 34mn passenger during FY07. On back of conversion of upper class rail passengers to air travel and the surging tourism industry we expect the number of people travelling by air to increase at a CAGR of 25% to 67mn by FY10E. We expect the revenue passengers for SpiceJet to increase from 2. 8mn in FY07 (12 months) to 6. mn in FY09E, a CAGR of 58%. The expected growth in revenue passenger is on account of aggressive increase in fleet size from 11 aircrafts in FY07 to 23 aircrafts by FY09E. REFRENCE Books and Journals: Adrian Palmer (2001), Principles of S ervices Marketing, third edition, McGraw Hill, London. Kotler (1998) Marketing Management Ninth Edition The Economist, 4th January 2002 A new way to fly Websites Referred: www. 4ds. com www. epinions. com www. business. headlinesindia. com www. oppapers. com www. icmrindia. org www. airindia. com www. flyairdeccan. net www. spicejet. com (www. spicejet. com/pdf/BSE_Q2FY08) www. jetairways. com www. flykingfisher. com