Legalization of Marijuana Debate

Legalization of Marijuana Debate What if one of Americas most illegal plants was also one of the worlds most beneficial plants? Marijuana has a wide variety of different applications in society, but remains illegal by federal law.  Some states have decriminalized cannabis, but federal law does not recognize state law.  Suppose that by federal law, cannabis were a decriminalized or legal substance.  An entire new world of research could arise and each of its uses would become definitive.  Perceptions concerning the use of marijuana would likely be altered.  The decriminalization or legalization of marijuana would presumably cause many economical, industrial, and medical adaptations focused towards the benefit of the United States of America. Being an activist plays a key role in the decriminalization of marijuana. Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede or direct social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activists for the legalization of marijuana have made great strides in 20 states to date based upon the supporters of its medical uses. Although Congress classified marijuana as a Schedule 1 substance (a category of drugs not considered legitimate for medical use) in 1970, instantly making it the most widely used drug in the U.S. Many disagree with this and the fight (in the media, courts, and on the streets) raises ethical issues, such as whether or not the government should be allowed to govern what people do in their own homes. In fact, up until the government started imposing restrictions in 1930, physicians still widely prescribed marijuana to their patients for a variety of reasons that are similar to the reasons people use it today (Bostwick, 2012). Marijuana, as most people commonly know it, is actually a plant called hemp, or cannabis sativa. Hemp is any durable plant used since prehistory for many purposes, such as rope, paper, and clothing. The cannabis plant also produces three very important products that other plants do not (in usable form): seed, pulp, and medicine. The cannabis sativa plant grows as weed and cultivated plant all over the world in a variety of climates and soils (Legalizing Hemp 2). Marijuana has been used throughout history; in 6000 B.C. cannabis seeds were used as food in China; in 4000 B.C. the Chinese used textiles made of hemp; the first recorded use of cannabis as medicine in China was in 2727 B.C.; and in 1500 B.C. the Chinese cultivated Cannabis for food and fiber (Legalizing Hemp 2). MEDICAL USES Paul  Armentano, Deputy Director of the NORML (The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) Foundation, stated at the beginning of this year that scientists are investigating cannabinoids ability to moderate the pain associated with disorders such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease, as well as the cannabinoids role in the treatment of several neurological disorders including Alzheimers disease and Lou Gehrigs disease (par.  3).  The cannabinoids contained in marijuana have the potential to provide therapeutic relief for a multitude of diseases.  The potential therapeutic uses of medical marijuana include relief from clinical conditions like gliomas, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimers, ALS, fibromyalgia, tourettes syndrome, dystonia, HIV, hepatitis c, hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, gastrointestinal disorders, pruritis, incontinence, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis (Armentano, par.  8).à ƒâ€šÃ‚  Armentano  also stated in his report in the  Recent Research on Medical Marijuana:  Investigators are currently studying the anti-cancer properties of cannabinoids.  A growing body of preclinical and clinical data concludes that cannabinoids can reduce the spread of specific cancer cells via apoptosis (programmed cell death) and by the inhibition of angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels).  Arguably, these latter trends represent far broader and more significant applications for cannabinoid therapeutics than researchers could have imagined some thirty or even twenty years ago (par.  4) If cannabis were to be decriminalized, an entirely new domain of medicinal research could possibly be unlocked.  The medicinal properties of marijuana including the transient as well as therapeutic relief to a broad list of clinical conditions could be further researched and bestowed upon society.  Allen F.  St.  P ierre states in his article  About Marijuana: Modern research suggests that cannabis is a valuable aid in the treatment of a wide range of clinical applications.  These include pain relief particularly of neuropathic pain (pain from nerve damage) nausea, spasticity, glaucoma, and movement disorders. Marijuana is also a powerful appetite stimulant specifically for patients suffering from HIV, the AIDS wasting syndrome, or dementia.  Emerging research suggests that marijuanas medicinal properties may protect the body against some types of malignant tumors and are neuroprotective.  (par.  10) Newer and healthier methods of the application of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) could be researched in order to prevent any negative effects that inhaling the combusted material of cannabis may have on your respiratory system. New branches of research dedicated to showing the positive aspects of marijuana could be possible decriminalization were set in motion. Canada has already benefited tremendously from their nation-wide legalization of marijuana. Andrew D.  Hathaway and Kate Rossiter state in their article on Canadas society involving medical marijuana that In 2001, Canada announced it would be the first country to legalize cannabis for therapeutic purposes and earmarked funding for clinical trials.  By June, 2007, legal access had been granted to about 1,800 patients with terminal illnesses and serious medical conditions (1). Not only does cannabis have the potential to provide the United States with an extremely broad range of medical application, but this plant also has the potential to provide various industrial applications. INDUSTRIAL USES Hemps uses include but are certainly not limited to: fuel; food (hemp seeds provide an incredible source of protein-not only for people but for birds who seek out hemp seeds which have been mixed with other seeds); paper; textiles, (i.e. canvas, paper, cloth, rope); paint; detergent; varnish; oil; medicine; and building materials. Almost any product that can be made from wood, cotton, or petroleum (including plastics) can be made from hemp. Every year the United States government spends billions of dollars to fund the war on drugs, which is conducted mainly by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). More specifically, the extremely well funded Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program (DCESP) is the portion of the DEA that specifically deals with the enforcement of cannabis laws. In the last 25 years, the enforcement of cannabis prohibition has grown stricter. Despite this, marijuana production in the U.S. has increased ten-fold since 1982 (Crop Report 17). Along with this increased production and DEA enforcement, the cost of the war on marijuana has increased greatly in the last few decades. For example, in 2002 roughly 730,000 people were arrested for state marijuana charges meaning they did not possess enough to get charged federally. The total criminal justice  cost of these marijuana arrests was about $7.6 billion, which equates to roughly $10,400 per arrest (NORML 131). The legalization of marijuana would eliminate the need for all these arrests which would result in an economic boost, not to mention save the money required to incarcerate someone for said offense. In addition to reducing the amount of money spent keeping marijuana illegal, the legalization of marijuana would free up much needed space in our already overcrowded jails. U.S. citizens account for about 5% of the worlds population, yet U.S. prison inmates account for 25% of the worlds prisoners (Eitzen 368). By eliminating the need for marijuana related arrests, a great burden would be lifted off of our police force. Our police would be able to focus their energy on the real criminals in our nation as opposed to wasting money charging citizens with minor marijuana offenses. Most importantly, the legalization of marijuana would eliminate all of the crime involved with marijuana such as sale, possession, paraphernalia, and cultivation.   The Author of Social Problems, Stanley Eitzen explains the concept behind why the legalization of marijuana would do so:  organized crime, which now acquires most of its income from providing illegal goods and services, would no longer be able to hide its investments and profits. Thus, laws against victimless crimes are indirectly responsible for maintaining organized crime (Social Problems 352).   By making marijuana legal, it makes it impossible for criminals to conduct crimes involving marijuana. However, the prohibitive laws regarding marijuana provide organized criminals with one of their most lucrative source of income: the sale of illegal marijuana. Legislation against marijuana does not eliminate the demand for it amongst society either. Due to marijuana being illegal, the price of marijuana is much higher than what it would be if legal. This unintended result of the prohibitive laws against marijuana has caused a slight increase in crime revolved around the purchase of the herb. New crimes are being committed to produce money so that users can afford the high prices; though not as severe as a crime directly related to the sale and cultivation of marijuana, any crime eliminated because of legalization helps. The eradication of crime associated with marijuana and the corresponding money earned as a result will only become possible through the regulation and production of marijuana by the U.S. government. These would not be the only benefits legalization would have to offer either; the government could generate substantial contributions to the economy through the taxation and sale of marijuana within our borders. Ultimately, the war on marijuana has failed. Marijuana use and production continue to increase from year to year despite the increased efforts against marijuana. New regulatory policies need to be researched and tried if the government ever wants to have control over one of the  biggest issues in the war on drugs. ECONOMIC BENEFITS Today marijuana is the number one cash crop in America, generating over $35 billion in dirty money each year (Crop Report 14). That is $18 billion more than second most generated crop corn. Although the prices of marijuana would decline if legalized, the government could still make enormous amounts of money through the taxation, production and sale of marijuana. Marijuana is the fourth most widely used psychoactive drug in the U.S., following caffeine, nicotine and alcohol (Eitzen 385). Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol, are all legal, regulated by the government and all contribute greatly to our economy. Why not do so with cannabis? Tobacco addiction resulting from cigarette smoking kills more Americans than alcohol, cocaine, crack, heroin, homicide, suicide, fires, car accidents, and AIDS combined (Eitzen 389). Yet the government encourages and regulates the sale of cigarettes, this is because the tobacco industry is a major contributor to the U.S. economy. Roughly $158 billion are ge nerated each year by the tobacco industry (Eitzen 389). Aside from the sale of cigarettes, tobacco companies spent $21.2 million professional lobbying firms in 2003, which amounts to more than $127,000 for every day Congress was in session (Eitzen 390). Government intervention in the theoretical cannabis industry could produce monetary gains similar to that of the tobacco industry through essentially the same means. Alcohol, the third most used drug in America, is another example of how government regulation of a drug can be successful. Each year, the government makes billions off of the regulation and sale of alcohol. In addition to the revenues that could be generated through the sale of marijuana, the government could institute a marijuana tax, which would only increase revenues. POLITICAL ASPECT In California On November 2, 2010, Proposition 19 failed at the polls. If it passed, marijuana would have been decriminalized, and the government would have been allowed to regulate and penalize marijuana use and distribution to generate additional revenue (Viswanthan 1). Small groups have risen throughout the United States, primarily in California, advocating for marijuana legalization. One of the most well known groups and Californias largest medical group, the California Medical Association, has also endorsed the legalization of marijuana. But if a similar proposition is proposed, President Barack Obama will not support it. In a press conference in Colombia, Obama said he would engage in a debate regarding legalizing drugs, but elaborated that his administration will not support any bill to legalize them (2). With elections approaching, his stance from 4 years ago has shifted greatly. Presidential  GOP  candidate Mitt Romney has explicitly expressed his dissension around medicinal marijuana in his campaign. After hearing from an individual with muscular dystrophy about his need for medicinal marijuana to survive, Romney repeated fervently that he was not in favor of legalizing medicinal marijuana. The young man with the degenerative illness expressed his worries to the candidate and showed genuine concern for his survival. Five different doctors had recommended the use of medicinal marijuana for this patient, yet the federal government continues to impose fear by prosecuting those who use and prescribe such treatment. Romney continued to ignore his pleas and ended the conversation by walking away from the wheelchair-bound man (CNN). Potential third party candidates such as Ron Paul and Gary Johnson have voiced their support concerning the legalization of marijuana, and have clearly made it known that if they are elected, they will take measures to legalize the drug nationwide (Viswanthan 2). During his 30 years in the House of Representatives, Paul has authored and co-authored multiple marijuana-friendly bills. Hes proposed laws to  decriminalize marijuana, permit industrial hemp farming, and constitutionally delegate to states how to enforce extant medical marijuana (Camia 1).   For those who favor the legalization of marijuana, the ideology revolving around the subject is conveyed perfectly by  Thomas Szasz, a libertarian,   I favor free trade in drugs for the same reason the Founding Fathers favored free trade in ideas. In an open society, it is none of the governments business what idea a man puts into his mind; likewise, it should be none of the governments business what drug he puts into his body (74). Though the federal government did not adopt this ideology, there are other valid reasons that the legalization and regulation of marijuana in the U.S. would provide our nation with significant benefits. The taxation and sale of marijuana alone would provide immense economic contributions. The ending of the war against marijuana would save billions of dollars spent each year hunting down and incarcerating marijuana offenders. The potential that marijuana has to offer as a medicine are all possible results of the legalization of marijuana in the United States. OPPOSING VIEWS Scientific studies may have conflicting results, but overall they link smoking marijuana to heart and lung disease, throat cancer, and a decreased memory capacity. Making marijuana legal would increase the number of people being affected by these diseases. Others point to the staggering amount of drugs that have been seized coming into the United States. They point to how drug use is strongly linked to criminal activity, and predict that legalizing marijuana would lead to an increase in violence and crime (Two Sides of the Conflict Anti-Marijuana). The federal government, which overall is working to keep marijuana illegal, agrees that there is no real benefit to legalizing marijuana. Gil Kerlikowske, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy wrote As a former police chief, I recognize we are not going to arrest our way out of the problem. We also recognize that legalizing marijuana would not provide the answer to any of the health, social, youth education, criminal justice, and community quality of life challenges associated with drug use.(Gane-McCalla) SOLUTIONS One of the main reasons that cannabis has not been legalized in the U.S. is the perceived danger that smoking it presents to its user; the perception that getting high is harmful. Yes, smoking cannabis is bad for you, but smoking anything is bad for you. Most of the negative health effects that cannabis users experience are a result of the act of inhaling smoke into their lungs, not the actual THC present. Cannabis can be consumed in ways that do not involve combustion, such as edibles or the use of a vaporizer. Through healthier consumption, marijuana can be used medically to relieve certain patients of pain and other ailments as well as serve as a basis for newer, more effective cannabinoid drug development. The legalization of marijuana would help capitalize on the medicinal benefits that THC and other  cannabinoids  present in marijuana have to offer. Though large amounts of THC have been found to disrupt short-term memory and impair motor skills, THC has also been proven to help relieve symptoms of many common health problems (Joy 51). In particular, medical marijuana has had the most significant effect on patients suffering from symptoms such as chronic pain, nausea, appetite loss, muscle spasms, insomnia, and glaucoma (Joy 51). There are plenty of legally prescribed drugs that are often used to treat symptoms like those mentioned above; however many of them can be expensive, cause undesirable side effects, and in several cases can become addictive. For example, Xanax and Vicitin are two of the most widely distributed prescription painkillers on the market today despite their high cost and high risk of dependence. In addition, they are most frequently prescribed to patients experiencing symptoms that THC has been found to alleviate. Not to say that medical marijuana, or THC, will always be better than Xanax or Vicitin or any other prescription drug because there are extreme cases where medical marijuana would not suffice. However, medical marijuana would offer a cheap alternative to expensive prescription drugs without the negative side effects or risk of addiction. Despite popular belief, marijuana has not been proven to be physically addictive. Studies indicate that day-to-day marijuana users will develop a minor physiological addiction to the drug, but no evidence was present of a physical addiction one might face with cocaine, heroin or even caffeine abuse (Joy 92). This trait of THC is but another reason that the developmen t of more advanced cannabinoid based drugs should be looked into if marijuana were legalized. The idea of synthetic THC or a pill form of THC is not a new one. Scientists developed Marinol, the only cannabinoid approved for marketing in the U.S., was introduced in 1985. Although Marinol was not a huge success and is rarely used today, it did lead to the discovery of the neuroprotective qualities  cannabinoids  possess. Janet Joy, author of Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base, explains neuroprotection: One of the most prominent new applications of  cannabinoids  is for neuroprotection, the rescue of neurons from cell death associated with trauma, ischemia, and neurological diseases (202). This quality of  cannabinoids  could prove to be valuable in the development of medicines designed to slow the deterioration of the brain, such as certain types of brain damage and other illnesses causing brain damage. If the use of medical marijuana were legal, people would be provided with a cheaper, and if consumed properly, sometimes healthier alternative to certain ailments they may be experienci ng. Along with the numerous medical uses marijuana already has to offer, the legalization of marijuana would enable scientists to develop state of the art medicines involving  cannabinoids.  Investigators are currently studying the anti-cancer properties of cannabinoids.  A growing body of preclinical and clinical data concludes that cannabinoids can reduce the spread of specific cancer cells via apoptosis (programmed cell death) and by the inhibition of angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels).  Arguably, these latter trends represent far broader and more significant applications for cannabinoid therapeutics than researchers could have imagined some thirty or even twenty years ago (par.  4) . If cannabis were to be decriminalized, an entirely new domain of medicinal research could possibly be unlocked.  The medicinal properties of marijuana including the transient as well as therapeutic relief to a broad list of clinical conditions could be further researched and bestowed upon society.  Allen F.  St.  Pierre states in his article  About Marijuana: Modern research suggests that cannabis is a valuable aid in the treatment of a wide range of clinical applications.  These include pain relief particularly of neuropathic pain (pain from nerve damage) nausea, spasticity, glaucoma, and movement disorders. Marijuana is also a powerful appetite stimulant specifically for patients suffering from HIV, the AIDS wasting syndrome, or dementia.  Emerging research suggests that marijuanas medicinal properties may protect the body against some types of malignant tumors and are neuroprotective.  (par.  10) DISCUSSION There are laws in place making it illegal for anyone under the age of eighteen (in most states) to purchase Nicotine products, and twenty one to purchase alcohol products. Thoughts are that at eighteen/twenty one, one is old enough to have been properly educated and understand what it is they are doing when they purchase these products. Why cant we do this with the legalization of marijuana?    Maybe we should look to European countries for the answer to marijuana legality. Many have made their laws less strict or repealed them entirely, which were fashioned after laws made here in the United States, in favor of the legalization of marijuana. Commander Brain Paddock in a neighborhood of London called Brixton ran a small experiment. Over a six month period, he instructed his officers to warn those caught with small amounts of marijuana rather than arrest them. At the end of those six months, Scotland Yard issued a report that stated more than 2500 hours of manpower was saved by giving warnings (Katz). Not making arrests meant not spending valuable time transporting prisoners and filling out paper work, not to mention court time and costs saved prosecuting those arrested. That time could then be spent on investigating and enforcing other more serious criminal activities. Marijuana use is legal or otherwise overlooked, in many European areas such as Holland. In an article called Europe Loosens Its Pot Laws, written for Rolling Stone Magazine, Gregory Katz wrote that Senior Drug Policy Advisor to the Dutch Minister of Health, Bob Krizer, has said marijuana consumption in Holland has been consistently lower over the past twenty-five years than it has in the United States. During those same twenty-five years, the United States had been waging the War on Drugs, while Holland had been embracing a more liberal policy. Mr. Krizer also states that their rate of harder drug addicts is largely lower than many other countries that have stricter drug policies (Katz). If true, this goes a long way towards proving education is a much better way to get a message across than making laws and arresting people. CONCLUSION Marijuana has the potential to be one of the most useful substances in the world. Even though cannabis prevails as possibly one of the most useful plants on the face of the Earth, it still remains illegal in the United States. With countless uses, whether they be industrial, medical, or economical, it is hard to believe that marijuana still remains a regulated and prohibited substance. It seems as if this harmless flower is considered illegal for no other reason than to be considered illegal. Cannabis is a possible nationwide head start towards the economys stability and withholds the potential to assist in the addressing of some of the United States most pressing issues.  The decriminalization of cannabis has the potential to become one of the greatest economical advances in the history of the United States of America. If people took action and the government legalized it today, we will immediately see benefits from this decision. People suffering from illnesses ranging from manic depression to Multiple Sclerosis would be able to experience relief. The government could make billions of dollars off of the taxes it could impose on its sale, and its implementation into the industrial world would create thousands of new jobs for the economy. Also, because of its role in paper making, the rain forests of South America can be saved from their current fate of extinction. No recorded deaths have ever occurred as a result of marijuana use, it is not physically addictive like alcohol or tobacco, and most doctors will agree it is safer to use than those substances. A quote by Abraham Lincoln describes the situation perfectly. Prohibitiongoes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a mans appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded. Marijuana being illegal has no validity at all. Due to all the positive aspects of marijua na it should be legalized in the United States.  

Easyjet Casestudy

The elements of marketing process is referred to â€Å"As a set of controllable tools that the firm blends to produce the response it wants in the target market, so it consists of everything the firm can do to influence the demand for its product†( Kotler and Armstrong, Principles of Marketing 2004, Tenth Edition, New Jersey Pearson Education Inc. ). The Elements of Marketing or Marketing mix which is famously known as the â€Å"4P’s of Marketing†( stated by McCarthy in 1960) which include Product, Price, Placement or Place and Promotion. When these elements of marketing are analysed with the Easyjet case study, it gives a good example as how the 4P’s help an organization scale to new heights with increased sales and customer base. They are; Product:- In the respective case study as Easyjet is a airline industry, its main fleet consists of Airbus A320-200, Airbus A319 and Boeing 737-700. Easyjet is a budget airliner and intended to attract business customers and leisure travelers spending lesser time travelling between destinations. The company does not provide complimentary meals or refreshments on board to reduce costs and increase space to accommodate more customers, whereas customers can buy items on board by using Easyjet Bistro (buy on board programme). The onboard programme also helped the airliner to increase its revenue. Easyjet has also got other value added services like Eastcars, Eastjet holidays and Easyjet Hotels. With these services Easyjet can provide one stop shop for its customers, both Business customers as well as travelers on holiday. Price: In generally it is a conception that if a company lowers the price of its product, the organization would have expanded sales. Practically it is an invalid argument as the customers do not decide on price; they do look for other components such as quality, cost effectiveness, time, easy accessibility and value added services with also keeping in mind the customer relation management of a firm. The element â€Å"Price† of marketing mix could be divided into two categories, such as price determination and price administration respectively. Easyjet whose business model is similar to the Southeast airlines of US has kept its prices lower than that of other airlines. Easyjet reduced its prices to accommodate more passengers and to fill out empty seats on the flight. The reduced prices by cost cutting in various areas such as airport charges, direct sales to the customer and also reducing their advertisement costs. The per seat cost was cut down by 16% by increasing the seating density and no business class. Easyjet saved 64% of cost per seat by these strategies, which helped them to reduce their overall prices to the customer. Figure 1. (Referred www. corporate. easyjet. com) Placement/Place: â€Å"Placement or Place under marketing mix involves all company activities that make the product available to targeted customers†(Kotler and Armstrong, 2004). The Easyjet strategy has to serve all big continental European destinations such as Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, London and many more cities. They are also targeting the Asia Pacific market as there is a potential to grow business. Figure 1. b Promotion: Promotion is nothing but the means in which a company communicates to its customers about their product, values and benefits of a product. Easyjet used various strategies to communicate to their customers. They are: The company has mentioned its website address where ever it can. They have literally put the address on its Boeing 737’s. Easyjet also runs internet promotions on newspapers. Its first promotion was in â€Å"The Times† in February 1999. The result of this promotion ended up with Easyjet selling 20,000 out of its 50,000 seats in the first day and all other seats were sold in next 3 days. Using this strategy the company was able to cut down 250 jobs and saved money. Easyjet also follows first come first serve basis, the following table gives a clear indication. Figure 1. c The website was also used as a tool instead of paying the PR companies. Captions such as â€Å"The web’s favourite airline†, â€Å"Battle with Swissair† and the latest â€Å"come let’s fly†. Easyjet became a house hold name in the United Kingdom as it was listed in a Airline TV series which was aired on TV during 1999 to 2007. (b) Evaluate benefits and costs of marketing orientation for the case organization. Marketing Orientation means how a company develops new product considering the two approaches of orientation, which are product oriented and marketing oriented. Product Orientated† approach means a firm develops product based on its choice or what the company is good at delivering to the customer rather than keeping the customer in mind. This approach is not appreciated in competitive markets and may often lead to unsuccessful venture. â€Å"Marketing Orientated†, in this the businesses analyses the needs and wants of t he customer in developing a product. The product revolves round the information and data provided by research on the customer’s needs and wants and developing a right product. This type of orientation often leads to successful business. Easyjet uses marketing orientated strategy towards its customers into its business. The have researched and came to a conclusion that a business customer or a leisure customer do not like to spend more time in traveling and waiting at the airports. They also used the cost cutting strategy to reduce its cost and their cost expenditure per customer is about 15? per person whereas other competitors spend about 25? on each passenger. This strategy is very successful in the airline industry as there is another example of a similar airliner that operates in the US, called as the South West Airlines. The company is making a gross profit of 15 to 20% annually. The achieve this, they have hollowed various strategies. No refreshments served onboard except for snacks for which the customer has to pay. The above mentioned concept leads towards fewer cabin crews. Business class seats were removed to accommodate more passengers onboard Regional airports were used to reduce airport charges. Direct marketing, use of the internet, and saving commission by selling the tickets directly to the customer. 2. (A) Describe macro and micro environmental factors which influence marketing decisions. The â€Å"Micro Environment†, in these factors influences the business directly. This factor includes suppliers, employers, caterers, Financers and any other stake holders who directly influence the business. The Micro Environmental factors are relationship between the driving forces and the business that controls the above mentioned relationship. The management of the firm controls the relationship between the stake holders and the business. When Easyjet is taken into consideration, the micro environmental factors that influence its business are: Assets: Easyjet owns all of its planes and has complete control over it. They do not take any property or asset on rental basis. They go for 100% ownership. Hence complete control over assets. Employees: Easyjet has fewer staff due to no-flinch strategy onboard. Agents and vendors: Easyjet uses direct selling strategy and does not out source its ticketing or customer service to any other organization which means they have control over marketing and customer relation management. The â€Å"Macro-Environment†, these factors that indirectly influence the business and the company do not have a direct control over these factors. The company need to resolve round these as the company should be in a position to adapt to these factors. The factors include such as Political, environmental, social and technological factors. Easyjet has adapted to these macro factors. By keeping themselves advanced enough in technological factor by consistently upgrading there planes. They also use the internet technology to sell there products to the end users. When it comes to environmental factor, they have adapted a new process called the â€Å"Ecojet† in which they are using new engines which are environmental friendly which would be introduced in 2015. They are well ahead of there competitors like the BA and Ryanair. 2. (B) Propose Segmentation criteria to be used products in different markets. Marketing segmentation is nothing but to target specific customers in the market who give more value to the business. In business market segmentation there are 3 types: Geographic: Includes customer orientation, regional growth rate and macro economic factors. Demographic: â€Å"Includes age, gender, ethnicity, education, occupation, income and family status†. Psychographic: includes values, attitudes, factors such as loyalty and order size. According to the owner of the Easyjet who says that he wants only 6 million customers in a year rather than targeting all 56 million people in Europe to keep his airline seats occupied. Easy marketing segmentation is targeted towards business customer and leisure travelers in Europe. Easyjet flies to all major tourist and business destinations in Europe. Easyjet has segmented or concentrated more on business customer who’s tickets are normally paid by the companies and leisure travelers who fly to major European destinations with travel packages, which include easycar and easyhotel value added services. . (c) Choose and explain targeting strategy for the product/service in the case organization. Targeting strategy may be influenced with the following factors: Maturity of the market. Buyer’s needs and choices. Competition. Number of sales required for profit. In the case study of Easyjet, if you use the above template: When Easyjet entered market it was quiet mature as t hey had stiff competition with Biritish Airways and Ryanair but Easyjet understood the users needs and wants by research. In which they came to a conclusion which notes that business customers prefer cheaper flights for shorter destinations and value added services if customer is looking for leisure travel. Competition was stiff from Ryanair and British Airways, to a get better of these competitors Easyjet user various promotional campaigns using the internet and newspapers. They also used direct selling strategy to have control over there sales and eventually improved the sales. They worked towards having there airline seats filled up on any given day and ensured they pay as less a charge in the airports. 2. D) Demonstrate how buyer behaviour affects marketing activities in different buying situation. Consumer or End user buying behaviour is influenced by the following factors: Social factors. Psychological Factors. Personal factors. Social factors: These are the factors wherein a customer is influenced by other people in the market or other social factors that influence on the customer to accept or de cline the product. In the above case study, Easyjet used some of the captions like â€Å"Battle with Swissair† or â€Å"Low fares needn’t BA con! † on their website. This influenced lot of customer’s visiting Easyjet website. The more customers visited the website the more Easyjet became an household name. Psychological Factor: This factor depends on the individual customer who is influenced by motives, perception, learning, personality and attitude. When Easyjet had majority of users coming to their website, they introduced trivia’s, luck dips and questionnaires on their website which influenced the customer and made kept the users visiting back to the site. In 2002, Five thousand customers won 2000? each using the Easyjet website, but the company had sales over 2 million pounds from the customers who visited during this period. Personal Factors: This factor includes situational, life style and demographic factors. Easyjet entered the market as a low budget airline, which means its main target will be business customers by providing customers with good quality, affordable and quick service. They successfully achieved the above motive. 2. (E) Propose New market positioning for a selected product/service. Easyjet has started its venture in Asia-pacific market. There is a lot of potential in North America and in India. As Business customer in these mentioned countries are frequent flyers and use airways a median of transport for short destinations. Easyjet also has sister companies such as Easycar and Easyhotels which it can utilize in the new markets to stabilize its hold and attract new customers. They could also start a new venture for road transport or have a Joint venture with road transport and railway companies to offer a complete package to both its business and leisure customers. (A) Explain how products are developed to sustain competitive advantage. When a company sets standards and bench marks in a particular business over its competitors, is known as competitive advantage. All the companies work towards having a competitive advantage in the market. According to Michael Porter there are two types of competitive advantage, cost advantage and differentiation advantage. Cost Advantage: This advantage is gained by a company when it delivers similar products or services as their rivals at a lower cost. Easyjet attained this advantage by flying to the same destinations but at a lower cost as it is a budget airliner when compared with other airlines such as British Airways, Lufthansa and Air France. Differentiation Advantage: When a company provides value added services and a better overall package to the end users at the same price as provided by the competitors in the market. Easyjet has always aimed at providing value for money for its customers by punctual flights and flexibility to the customers. Easyjet and Ryanair have similar price tags on their tickets but Easyjet flies to major European destinations whereas Ryanair lands at airports of smaller cities. (B) Explain how distribution is arranged to provide customer service. Distribution is a important part of marketing strategy. Distribution is the channel in which the company supplies or provides its products or services to its customers. The main functions of Distribution are Information (Market planning), Promotion (Spreading information and offers about the product), Contact (Communicating with buyers), Matching (Adjusting offers to fit customers’ needs and wants), Negotiation, Physical distribution (transportation) and financing. Easyjet uses a distribution channel called â€Å"Direct marketing†, as the company wants to reduce its costs by avoiding resellers and distribution partners. This approach of Easyjet has ensured that their ticket selling price to the customers is reduced and they also have a direct control over sales. The company also handles its own customer service. 3. (c) Explain how prices are set to reflect an organisation’s objectives and market conditions. Easyjet follows penetrating price strategy, wherein they have reduced the price towards the customers needs and wants. Here leaser the price the more demand for the product or service. Easy jet have also reduced their costs to gain more profits, hence lesser they spend the more profit they have. 3. (d) Illustrate how promotional activity is integrated to achieve marketing objectives. There are two main kinds of promotional strategy named a push strategy and pull strategy. Push strategy is a form of promotional activity wherein the company promotes the products to wholesalers and retailers. Whereas in pull strategy the company promotes the products or services directly to the customers. Easyjet is a service industry and also believed in direct marketing uses the pull strategy to communicate with its customers. The various forms of communications they followed were: The company has mentioned its website address and phone number where ever it can. They have literally put the address on its Boeing 737’s. Easyjet also runs internet promotions on newspapers. Its first promotion was in â€Å"The Times† in February 1999. The result of this promotion ended up with Easyjet selling 20,000 out of its 50,000 seats in the first day and all other seats were sold in next 3 days. Using this strategy the company was able to cut down 250 jobs and saved money. Easyjet also follows first come first serve basis, the following table gives a clear indication. The website was also used as a tool instead of paying the PR companies. Captions such as â€Å"The web’s favourite airline†, â€Å"Battle with Swissair† and the latest â€Å"come let’s fly†. Easyjet became a house hold name in the United Kingdom as it was listed in an Airline TV series which was aired on TV during 1999 to 2007.

Laptops in classroom? No problem Essay

Elena Choy is a paraprofessional at NYC Board of Education. In her argument â€Å"Laptops in the Classroom? No Problem† published in the book â€Å"Forming a Critical Perspective†, she believes the arguments that people use in favor of banning laptops in the classroom are not valid arguments to be using to make an assumption. Choy states her side of the argument against banning laptops and proceeds to give four main reasons on why people want to ban laptops: upraised lids of laptops distract the teacher, laptops distract other students, students take overly excessive notes on laptops, users are so busy on the laptop, they don’t participate in group discussion. Choy goes into detail talking about why each of these arguments will not work. Choy uses many different tactics to give evidence for her side of the argument. First of all, Choy uses a stern and matter of fact tone to try and convince the reader that the argument is not valid. This stern tone makes Choy sound confident, which makes it easier for the reader to accept her side of the argument. Choy also uses the point that students pay for tuition. Once a student pays his or her tuition, it is completely up to them as far as making decision on how to spend their time studying and doing homework. This means that if students want to mess around in class and play different games while the teacher is discussing the material from the class, it is not the job of the teacher to be their baby sitter and make sure they are paying attention. She also gives the reason that every student has their own way of taking notes and understanding information to shoot down the argument that people using laptops take too extensive notes. Choy uses these multiple strategies to help shoot down each argument that is for banning laptops. Through the use of many different techniques, Choy analyses the question as to should laptops be banned in classrooms and gives many examples as to why she believes banning laptops would not be helpful. Her confidence is what really makes her argument valid and believable to its readers. Choy achieves this confidence by going from one reason to the other as though she has a list. This â€Å"list† way of writing, makes her sound more credible because she  has so many different reasons. For example, she uses phrases such as, â€Å"Let’s look at each of these arguments (Choy)† and â€Å"Which gets to the second argument (Choy).† She does not show any doubt in her writing. This type of diction makes her seem extremely confident in her statements, and the more confident she seems, the more believable her argument becomes. Another reason Choy effectively analyzes the argument in this essay is the fact that she fully acknowledges the other side of the argument and spends a good bit of time discussing it. Throughout most of the essay, she spends time on giving reasons argument for banning laptops are wrong. If Choy would have only given the reasons as to why laptops should be allowed in the classrooms, then the audience would not listen to what she has to say because everything would be extremely biased. In her analysis, Choy admits the main points to the argument for laptops being banned in the class. However, she gives specific examples each argument against laptops and knocks out each one by giving a specific example as to why it wouldn’t work. For example, she says, â€Å"we go too far when we prohibit students from taking notes in the way they find most useful (Choy).†The strategy of admitting a few points and then shooting all of these points down really enhances the argument to make it more believable. Choy used multiple strategies to help make her argument credible. Her argument is well organized and believable for readers, however, I feel that Choy spends too much time talking about the arguments for banning laptops in the rooms. This is one area where Choy could improve to make her argument stronger. She spends most of the time on proving the reasons for banning laptops and never gets deep into talking about why laptops should be allowed. If Choy were to add reasons and examples as to why laptops should be allowed, it would add the finishing touches to an already successful argument. Overall, Choy does a fantastic job of getting her point across and trying to convince her readers as to why banning laptops in the classroom would not make much of a difference and could possibly be harmful to students ability to learn in class.

Their Eyes Were Watching God1 essays

Their Eyes Were Watching God1 essays In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie battles to find Individualism within herself. Janie, all her life, had been pushed around and told what to do and how to live her life. She searched and searched high and low to find a peace that makes her whole and makes her feel like a complete person. To make her feel like she is in fact an individual and that shes not like everyone else around her. During the time of Their Eyes, the correct way to treat women was to show them who was in charge and who was inferior. Men were looked to as the superior being, the one who women were supposed to look up to and serve. Especially in the fact that Janie was an African American women during these oppressed times. Throughout this book, it looks as though Janie makes many mistakes in trying to find who she really is, and achieving the respect that Living with her Grandmother and theWashburns, Janie was surrounded and raised with white children. She always believed that she was white herself, and that she was no different than anybody else. As she was growing up, she was told what to do and how to live by her grandmother. Janies grandmother planned her life out for her. She told her that she must get married right away. Yeah, Janie, youse got yo womanhood on yuh. So Ah mout ez well tell yuh whut Ah been savin up for uh spell. Ah wants to see you married right away. Janies grandmother did want what was best for Janie, but she basically told her what to do instead of letting her know what she wanted for her. Janies grandmother told her exactly who she was going to marry and who she wasnt even to think about. Whut Ah seen just now is plenty for me, honey, Ah dont want no trashy negro, no breath-and-britches, lak Johnny Taylor usin yo body to wipe his foots on. Brothe...

New Negro Essays

New Negro Essays New Negro Essay New Negro Essay Essay Topic: The New Negro Blacks thought there was hope through art. The Harlem Renaissance was the most artistic period in African-American history. Since the abolition of slavery, great social and cultural transformations were taking place and the Harlem Renaissance reflects that change. Now that they had freedom to express themselves on their own terms, African-Americans began to explore their own culture and celebrate it through their artistic and intellectual means. Langston Hughes in â€Å"When the Negro was in vogue† and Rudolph Fisher in â€Å"The Caucasian storms Harlem† manage to rise well above mere written entertainment by offering practical social challenges. No reader is left without a public dilemma to personally ponder. Both essays share the same goal of getting people to think and act seriously when it2 comes to social and civil issues. Using tones ranging from anger and solemnity to shock and outright jest, these authors seek to alter the status quo by persuading readers to thoughtfully approach the problems presented. In his essay, Langston Hughes reminisces about the Harlem Renaissance. He says that white interest and patronage of black clubs and artists was not appreciated by most Blacks. It causes Blacks to alter their art to please the Whites. Some thought that this new interest in Black culture would lead to tolerance, but it didn’t. In fact, Hughes says it had very little impact on the lives of regular people: â€Å"The ordinary Negroes hadn’t heard of the Negro Renaissance. And if they had, it hadn’t raised their wages any. † Rudolph Fisher speaks about the manner in which the Harlem Renaissance operated in the same way. A huge dynamic of the movement was in how it was received by white America. Whites were fascinated by the culture and society that they found so separate from themselves. They would venture to Harlem at night to get a taste of something â€Å"exotic†. It is the first time in American history where attention and admiration was given to anything African-American. Unfortunately, this fascination displaced the original clientele who became uncomfortable with all the attention. He says: â€Å"The managers don’t hesitate to say that it is upon these predominant white patrons that they depend for success. These places therefore are no longer mine but theirs. † A similarity to notice is that each author is alerting the readers about the progress made by the African- American artists of the time. It is a period of great achievement in theatre (Katharine Cornell, Margaret Wicherly, Leslie Carter), music (Gladys Bentley, Roland Hayes) and literature. Now that they have the freedom to express themselves on their own terms African-Americans began to explore their own culture and celebrate it through their artistic and intellectual means. I think that even though the Blacks took the interest in their entertainment as a form of exploitation of their talents they also gained from their spotlight and used it to the best of their advantage. This was progress on the road towards acceptance and race equality.

'All-inclusive resorts can never be reconciled with principles of Essay

'All-inclusive resorts can never be reconciled with principles of sustainability - Essay Example Despite all these, little has been done concerning tourism resorts as a tourism destination, more so the all- inclusive resorts. An important issue for discussion in tourism development has been the sustainability development. However, deeper understanding is given by addressing the concepts of demand and supply in relation to market conditions. The key issues associated with sustainable tourism are the achievement of social inclusion, effectual environmental protection, and reliable economic development. These are yet to be seen if achievable with the all-inclusive resorts. Many have had to look for ways of encouraging and enhancing international diffusion, as well as knowledge exchange. This has to do with the volatile nature of tourism as a business; the reason for this dynamism is political instability and fluctuation of currency (Nagle, 1999). This paper also discusses the key issues facing the industry, the main challenge being globalisation. Tourism as a business entity responds to globalisation by creating alliances and collaborations. The public sector is mostly concerned to provide protection to small businesses that face the challenge of globalisation. It has to be acknowledged that the tourism industry has not been embracing the advantages of the knowledge economy, especially by utilising management practices and increasing competition through innovation and development of new products. A well networked tourism industry incorporates adequate knowledge of globalisation and economy. By so doing, the industry benefits from global trends. Network developments can be used to see the weak points in the industry by examining destination and tourism. Anon (2011) identifies that â€Å"embeddedness within networks is identified as a key strategy for survival for contemporary tourism businesses† (p. 261). The concept of tourism sustainability began in late 20th century when the tourism industry turned green (Swarbrooke, 1999). The aim was to have

Is the institutionalisation of social movements inevitably Essay

Is the institutionalisation of social movements inevitably emasculating - Essay Example These movements make demands through various means like lobbying, protesting and other campaigns. This is in contrast with the historic system of overthrows whereby people, mainly men, with dissatisfaction with a given regime, used various means to either overthrow the entire government or military cessations that led to a complete revolution and change in the nation. This paper examines whether the institutionalisation of social movements are emasculating or not. Hence, this research paper will examine the following research question: whether the institutionalisation of social movements is inevitably emasculating or not. To this end, the paper critiques various theories and concepts of social movements and its impact. The paper will draw on contemporary and historical examples in order to critique the topic in order to synthesise different concepts and theories to draw conclusions on the fundamental research question. In previous times, protest groups were seen to be an affront to the nation and to the authorities of the state (Marx, 1974). Therefore, the governments, police and authorities in these different nations and communities used informants to spy on these protest groups in order to get inside information about these protesters in order to make arrests (Marx, 1974) . Examples of these situations and phenomenon include totalitarian regimes like Tsarist Russia, the Soviet Union, North Korea and other nations. These countries used various approaches and means to gain information and feedback about protest groups. However, in the West today and in most parts of the world which are democratic, the attitudes and approaches to protests are different. Save for a few countries like Egypt and North Korea today, most countries are nations with freedom of speech and the right to free association. Nations like the United States and the United Kingdom have also come a long way. And the previous system of viewing