Proposal to avoid managerial derailment and failure Essay Example for Free

Proposal to avoid managerial derailment and failure Essay Southwest Airlines strict adherence to its mission to provide the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit is a key factor to the company’s success (About Southwest Airlines Co, 2013). The airlines ability to commit to employees to provide them with a stable work environment that ensures equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Southwest prides itself on allowing all within the company to be creativity and innovative to help improve the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. The most important benefit, employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer. Southwest uses an unorthodox leadership style created by Herb Kelleher. The basic idea is that the organization works like an upside down pyramid. The upper management is at the bottom and supports the front line employees, who are the experts. This strategy works for Southwest Airlines because management decisions are made by everyone in the organization, not just the head executives. The company’s emphasis on creativity and innovation bodes well for a company that stresses free will over structure and titles (About Southwest Airlines Co, 2013). While Southwest Airlines offers the bare minimum in flight options, it does meet and exceed customer expectations when it comes to service. They base their model on the motto, which states that if theyre happy, satisfied, dedicated, and energetic, theyll take real good care of the customers. When the customers are happy, they come back. And that makes the shareholders happy, (About Southwest Airlines Co, 2013). Southwest Airlines have managed to keep a happy medium between labor unions and contract employees by maintain a healthy relationship with its employees. It is an added benefit to offer employees longer hours with more than just competitive pay. Southwest has had the ability to succeed because of the vision to realize and obtain its goals in business. The focus on bare essentials for flight is the catalyst for its low cost business model. A low cost plane with short travel between major cities has equally allowed Southwest Airlines to focus on a specific type of consumer. The customer base for Southwest Airlines is largely the business class will take service or luxury when it comes to being efficient and cost effective. The ability to focus that theidea that customers, can be satisfied without having expensive options available for them, Southwest Airlines has successfully lured those consumers away from the bigger airlines. Combined with the influences of the internet, Southwest Airlines can continue to excel in the industry by bypassing travel agents and their fees ensuring to avoid any managerial derailments or failures. Reference About Southwest Airlines. (2011). Retrieved October 12, 2013, from Southwest Airlines: http://www.southwest.com/html/about-southwest/index.html

Right Before My Very Eyes :: Vision Brain Seeing essays

Right Before My Very Eyes "I'll believe it when I see it:" is one of many common catch phrases included in our every day vernacular. A person who declares this is asserting that they will not be fooled by another's assumptions or perceptions of the world. This understanding raises a great sense of security within us, concerning the things that we do see, and inversely, an unavoidable sense of insecurity in those beliefs that are not supported by vision. Do you believe in Ghosts? Angels? Out of body experiences? Would you believe if you could see them? Maybe not. But it is possible to offer those who are withholding there stamp of approval on things that exist but cannot be seen, a better summary of evidence, which could make the inability to see something an invalid criteria for belief. Could a summary of evidence be compiled that would support this: Our vision is incomplete, incorrect, and can even be as misleading as to create something within the brain that does not exist at all, shedding light on a b rain that is more of a visionary, and less of a reporter. Human beings rarely contemplate the significance of their own blind spot, a place where processes of neurons join together and form the optic nerve; it is here that the brain receives no input from the eye about this particular part of the world. What I discovered while entertaining myself with a simple eye exam aimed at divulging the capabilities of the brain in the face of the eyes blind spots was fundamental in my exploration of the trust we place in vision, and so I will explain it briefly. Our brain can ignore a dot that exists on the page and "fill" the spot with the color of its surroundings, no matter what the color. However, it is not that our brain cannot conceive of an image or of a shape to fill this place. Continuing with the experiment leads you to find that the brain will continue the line that is obstructed with the black dot, covering the sides of the dot in the surrounding color, and transforming the image before you into a line within your brain. A line that i s absolutely not there. This reveals more than just a weakness in the eye, but an ability of the brain! (1)

College Gap Year Essay

Graduation is the time when young students become liberated from the daily grind and gain freedom to choose whatever they want to do with their lives. Some students decide to go directly to college, while some prefer to go to the workforce. A gap year, or a year off of school between high school and college, is another option for graduated students. In 2009, The Chicago Tribune published an article titled †Should Teens Take a Gap Year or go Straight to College?† by Cory Marchi claiming that a gap year is used to postpone a student’s future because they want to sightsee. He thinks that students won’t benefit from a year off of schooling, and doesn’t acknowledge the real world experience that can be gained from working or learning valuable life lessons during that time. A gap year after high school can help students determine what they want to pursue as their major, and what they desire out of their career. Marchi believes that because tuition is very expensive, increasing an average of eight percent or more annually, students should directly go to college in order to keep tuition costs down. However, if students aren’t sure what direction they want to take in life, they might benefit from year out of school to carefully consider their options. If they proceed with college before they know what they want, they may make a choice of major that they will regret later on, and they will then have to change their major, which could add another year’s tuition, exhausting limited college funds. During a gap year, students can take time to â€Å"soul search† and find what they really want out of their life. If the young graduates need another year to determine what career will make them the happiest in years to come, it is worth an eight percent penalty. During a gap year, students can find employment while determining their major and career. College is very expensive, and some students need an extra year of savings to put toward the cost of their education in order to keep their debt manageable. Although students may lose roughly eight percent in tuition from one year to the next, they would be able to save money to pay for that eight percent and the extra could be applied toward the rest of their tuition. Responsible students wouldn’t use a gap year as â€Å"a year of sightseeing,† like Marchi suggests, but instead would use it to help pay for their higher education. Marchi feels that students may not be motivated enough to continue with college after a gap year, but students who choose to take a gap year have the relaxation of a full year before they have to continue their education in college, and can recharge their batteries after twelve straight years of schooling. Students who are forced to attend college will get less out of their college education than those who work hard during their gap year. If a young adult doesn’t want to put in the effort toward their education, then they won’t be able to reap the rewards. If any student wants to attend college and is willing to put forth the effort, it will not make a difference if they take a gap year or if they don’t. Marchi also states that â€Å"delaying college can also delay the start of a career,† which may be true. However, a single year won’t be a handicap that can’t be overcome after graduation. The average job search lasts for about six months, and can take much longer. If students start their job search right after their graduation from college, they might have to wait until the next year to find a job. If gap year students start their search in the beginning of their senior year, and have a job lined up for after graduation, they could be only months behind the class they graduated high school with. They would also have a year of real-life experience in the work force to add to their resume that the non-gap year students wouldn’t have. Students can do whatever they want during their year off of school, but many get jobs and learn valuable life lessons that look good on a resume, helping them stand out in the crowd of applicants. A break from the daily grind of school can help students determine what career they want to pursue for four or more years of college. Cory Marchi believes that gap years do nothing for students other than hold them back, but gap years can help students find their ambitions, save money for tuition, and use their college years more effectively.

History of Macys Inc. Then and Now Research Paper

Macy’s is the miracle of United States’ retail industry and the largest chain of department stores in the world. However, it is not a mere store it truly is the embodiment of priceless experience and traditions of American nation. Macy’s Inc. is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and New York, New York. As of January 30, 2010, the company operates a total of 800 shops in the U.S (Macy’s Inc., n.d.). During 150 years Macy’s Inc. has been doing impossible things to continuously surprise their customers care (Grippo, 2009, p.23). Their department stores have absolutely everything for people with any taste and any budget. For this reason we say: â€Å"If you cannot find it in Macy’s, it simply does not exist.† Its rich and revealing history is a powerful showcase of magical transformation from dry goods store into the symbol of success and customer. The Beginning In 1858 in New York City, on the corner of 14th Street and 6th Avenue, a small dry goods store named â€Å"R.H. Macy Company† was opened and over the years expanded into the famous Macy’s Inc. The founder, Rowland Hussey Macy, after five previous failed attempts to open a store in Manhattan, managed to reach sales of one million dollars by 1870 offering its clientele not only dry goods, but also ties, costume jewelry, silver, and fancy imported goods (Grippo, 2009, p.56). In 1875 Robert M. Valentine and Abiel T. La Forge became Macy’s partners, and soon proprietors after unexpected death of Rowland Macy in 1877.   However, in 1887 Charles Webster, Valentine’s relative who became a single owner of â€Å"R.H. Macy Company† was unable continue operating a difficult business solely by himself. For this reason, he approached Straus brothers, who later in 1895 acquired the company (Hower, n.d.). During thirteen years the Straus family was selling chinaware in Macy’s store, generating a quarter of total store sales back then. Under Straus family Macy’s was successfully competing, out pricing its rivals, and within a year reached five million dollar sales (Hower, n.d.). They were the first to use psychological pricing, charging 3.99 instead of 4 dollars, thus making their customers buy more in order to save more. Soon they started selling new lines of merchandise including bicycles, ornate furniture, and rugs. In 1901-1902 the original R.H. Macy and Company Store was built in Broadway by famous architects De Lemos and Cordes, while later additions to the design were made by Robert D. Kohn in Art Deco style, making the building a National Historic Landmark (Grippo, 2009, p.67). In the next decade Macy’s department stores were opened outside New York City in Toledo, Atlanta, San Francisco, Kansas City, in 1983 in Miami, and New Jersey in 1986 (Macy’s Inc., n.d.). In the years of Great Depression and World War 2 Federated Department Stores, Inc. as Macy’s was renamed, were doing its best adapting to new conditions by becoming more flexible and resilient. The company implemented â€Å"pay when you can† credit policies, and started arranging goods by size replacing brand or price store management. Division and Bankruptcy in 1992-1994 In 1986 Macy’s purchased Californian Bullock’s, Bullock’s Wilshire and I. Magnin divisions of Federated Department Stores, and as a result, the company was comprised of three divisions, namely Macy’s Northeast, Macy’s South, and Macy’s California.   However, in spite of countless efforts, Macy’s poor management and diminishing public image inevitable led to profit losses (Grippo, 2009, p.124). Already in 1992 the company was unable to repay its suppliers, and on January 27 Macy’s was officially bankrupt. The management team developed a new business plan which had to reduce advertising expenditures, and proposed focused promotions, significantly improved client service, and a brand-new inventory management system. The plan was successful and the company started to increase its profit, even though in 1993 eleven stores were closed in Connecticut, California, Seattle, and New Jersey (R.H. Macy, n.d.). Nonetheless, Macy’s c ontinued to take actions and following its strategy of cutting costs and increasing the level of productivity. Day by day their sales were growing, bringing new opportunities and paying off all past failures. Merging with the May Department Stores As of 28 February, 2005, Federated Department Stores have merged with The May Department Stores Company. Since that day, Macy’s became one of the largest U.S. chains of department stores with more than one thousand stores all over the country, selling merchandise worth 30 billion dollars annually. The company acquired 330 May department stores, including May’s Marshall Fields, Kaufmann’s, Foley’s, The Jones Store, and others. This event received negative reaction of many May’s customers, who promised to switch to competitors and never shop in converted May stored ever again (Grippo, 2009, pp.145-147). A National Brand In September of 2006 the company owned a total of 850 stores in the U.S., and used the most effective marketing communication tools in order to acquire new customers and grow sales. Television advertising became one of the most promising investments, as well as developing brand management techniques. The company used â€Å"Dancing in the Street† hit song in its advertising, and in 2007 appeared in television series Desperate Housewives. Macy’s traditional Thanksgiving Day Parade is an effective method to gain customer loyalty (R.H. Macy, n.d.). It is considered as a gift to the nation, which aims to unite families and provide entertainment, privately sponsored by Macy’s. Recent Years Macy’s Inc. 150th birthday was celebrated two years ago in 2008. The company launched a commercial, which informed the entire nation of Macy’s past and present accomplishments, values and philosophy. In 2009 an opened Lifestyle Center Store was opened in Gilbert, Arizona, followed by additional stores in Idaho, Texas and Missouri. The new concept was meant to meet modern customer needs and offer a more convenient shopping experience, by providing wireless internet and comfortable fitting rooms (Grippo, 2009, p.183). In October 2006, the company signed a contract with Zoom Systems, turning over Macy’s electronic sections to hundreds of eSpot ZoomShops. In 2009 Macy’s have started its nationwide expansion, and created 49 local stores, which possess a unified operating structure (Macy’s Inc., 2009). In addition, Macy’s extensively uses social media advertising as an innovating contemporary way of customer acquisition and retention. Conclusion Former Federated Department Stores Inc. is now a company that after seventy-nine years of its existence continues to prosper and gain respect by adapting to our ever-changing world. As one of Macy’s founders said: â€Å"The company succeeds by striving to be a living mirror of our civilization in which we see the constant changing needs and wishes of our people† (Macy’s Inc., 2009). This saying demonstrates real, original understanding of marketing a philosophy, according to which the company seeks and understands changing customer needs, creating genuine customer value. The success story of this company is an excellent representation of how effort and continuous struggle over circumstances, flexibility and innovation can win the hearts of the millions and transform a small dry goods store into nation’s miracle. References Grippo, R.M. (2009). Macy’s: The Store. The Star. The Story. The Square One Publishers. Hower, R.M. (n.d.). History of Macy’s of New York 1858-1919. Harvard University Press. Macy’s, Inc. History. (n.d.). In Macy’s Inc. Retrieved December 20, 2010, from http://www.macysinc.com/pressroom/History/ Macy’s, Inc. Press Kit. (2009). In Issue You Publish. Retrieved December 20, 2010, from http://issuu.com/mariaprysock/docs/presskit R.H. Macy Co., Inc. (n.d.). In Funding Universe. Retrieved December 19, 2010, from http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/RH-Macy-amp;-Co-Inc-Company-History.html