Elimination of the Gas Chamber in Animal Shelters Essay Example

Elimination of the Gas Chamber in Animal Shelters Essay Elimination of the Gas Chamber in Animal Shelters The push for the elimination of the Gas Chamber to euthanasia animals in the Licking County Animal Control Shelter has been recently fueled by protestors that want the gas chamber shut down. The animal rights group together with the members of the Licking County Political Action committee gathered with the purpose of abolishing the use of the gas chamber and reforming the county animal shelter. Although the Euthanasia by Injection is the shelters primary method of putting an animal to death, they are still using the gas chamber, in certain cases, to euthanasia animals. Euthanasia by the gas chamber is a cruel, dated and should not be tolerated. A lethal injection is a faster more humane way to put an animal to death. There are several methods to put an animal to death and all are based on various social, psychological and physical circumstances. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) considers sodium pentobarbital and CO acceptable methods of euthanasia for dogs and cats in animals in shelters. However, although the AVMA considers CO as an acceptable method of euthanasia, they strongly support EBI as the preferred method of euthanasia. EBI is also supported by the National Animal Control Association (NACA), the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (AOSV), and The America Humane Association (AHA) of the United States. According to Doug Fakkemas article in the Euthanasia by Injection (EBI) Myth vs. Fact Sheet, he states that, the gas chamber can take up to 25 to 30 minutes to end an animals life; whereas EBI causes loss of consciousness within 3 to 5 seconds and clinical death within 2 to 5 minutes (Fakkema, n.d.). Euthanasia by these archaic gas chambers should not be allowed. Alth ough animal euthanasia is an act of painlessly putting an animal to death, the Licking County Animal Shelters gas chamber does not apply to this rule. The animals are subjected to a painful death thus disobeying the rule of euthanasia. This has led to numerous complaints by the residents and the county political action committee. On April 24, 2010, an article in the Newark Advocate reported that about 100 protestors gathered to protest the use of the gas chamber outside the Licking County Animal Shelter. According to the article, they have been protesting the gas chamber for about twelve years (Sudar, 2010). The animal rights group together with the members of the Licking County Political Action committee wants the gas chamber abolished. On April 28, 2010, another article appeared in the Newark Advocate in which the protestors lobbied the Licking County Commissioners to remove and disassemble the gas chamber. According to Ronnie Kidd, one of the local organizers said, Weve heard a lot of promises, but the actions are not meeting the words. We will go on until the change happens. We are not going away until the problem goes away (Hollon, 2010). The Licking county citizens want all shelter animals euthanized by EBI. Jon Luzio, Director of the Licking County Animal Control Shelter said that, despite some reports, he wanted to ensure the residents of Licking County that the pets that were euthanasia via the gas chamber they passed quickly and humanly. He also noted that the animal shelter requires more reforms and a plan for the creation of an advisory council are being considered. The council will consist of local professionals who will make recommendations about the shelter. Mr.Luzio went on to say that the euthanasia rates are the lowest in the state of Ohio and that the adoptable dogs are kept for up to 30 days longer than required by law. He stated that Even though our shelter is transitioning to euthanasia by injection, we are still using carbon monoxide for aggressive animals (personal communication, 17 Mar 2010). Mr. Luzio also provided statistics that show the euthanasia rates are on the decline. For example, below is a chart provided and compiled by the Licking County Animal Control Shel ter that confirms the decrease in the euthanasia rates, in Licking County. As one can see, the euthanasia rate has declined, but the fact still remains that the shelter is still using the gas chamber to euthanasia animals. Although the county commissioner and the director of the Licking County Animal Control Shelter told the advocate that the gas chambers are not in use, unless an animal is aggressive, the groups through its commissioners are pushing towards the elimination of the gas chambers altogether. There is no reason to continue using the gas chamber for aggressive animals. According to an article in Animal News by Doug Fakkema, a trainer and consultant for the AHA stated, I can euthanize a dangerous dog in his or her kennel by feeding sodium pentobarbital, no handling necessary (Clifton, 2006). These animals can be sedated and then injected instead of dragging them chaotically into a gas chamber. The article goes on to explain that there are several control methods available, so the shelter workers do not have to handle the aggressive animals. Thes e restraints include restraint poles, squeeze gates, and syringe poles. Shelter workers can then sedate the animal with a dose of pre-euthanasia drugs. If for some reason shelters do not have restraints, the shelter workers can mix the powder form of sodium pentobarbital in a can of dog food; this will make the animal unconscious. Once the dog is unconscious, a lethal dose of the drug can be administered. This is the most humane method of euthanasia of animals. In addition to the pain and suffering that the animals experience in the gas chamber, carbon monoxide can also cause health risks for the shelter workers. According to an article from the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2006, Researchers discovered a link between severe carbon monoxide poisoning and death years later from heart disease (Henry, 2006). Carbon monoxide is extremely hard to detect because it is colorless, tasteless, and odorless. Carbon dioxide can cause asphyxiation, kidney damage, or induced coma and heart disease if released in confined areas. For example, in 2009, a gas build-up in a North Carolina shelter caused the door to explode, and an animal control officer was taken to the emergency room. Even, though there are no reported incidents like this in the Licking County Animal Shelter, there is still the possibility of exposure and injury based on the documented reports Furthermore, EBI also provides shelter workers the dignity they deserve when face d with the difficult job of euthanizing pets. Most shelter workers have an incredible stressful and emotional job. They have to do what they do because of societys lack of responsibility for their pets. Many workers get into the line of work because they truly care about animals and only want to provide comfort for the animals in their final moments of life. EBI offers this comfort. In contrast, the gas chamber is both cruel and upsetting to the physical and emotional well being of humans and animals. Many supporters argued that the gas chamber is more cost effective than lethal injection. However, a 2009 study by the AHA shows EBI is less costly than gas to communities. The AHA recently commissioned Doug Fakkema, to perform a study on the costs associated between EBI and gas. Fakkema stated that , he used data from an animal shelter organization in North Carolina, and it was based on the number of dogs and cats euthanized in 2007 which was 5,427. The study shows that the cost to use carbon monoxide gas is $4.98 per animal. The cost to use carbon monoxide poisoning without a tranquilizer is $4.66 per animal. The cost to use EBI, however, was only $2.29 per animal (Fakkema, 2009.). These cost figures from North Carolina are comparable to other states and show that euthanasia by EBI is more cost effective than gas. Another issue with the gas chamber is that the animals do not always die, as documented by Stray Rescue founder Randy Grim. He tells of the story about a dog, which he na med Quentin, who survived a gas chamber at the animal shelter in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. The animal control officer opened the door to the gas chamber and saw the dog standing on the other dogs, and she immediately called Randy Grim, who rescues dogs and tries to place them in new homes. She stated, I did not have the heart to gas him again (Grim, 2005). Therefore, Randy Grimâ„ ¢s lobbying efforts and his ability to raise money convinced the St. Louis Shelter to shut down the gas chamber for good. In another article, an incident happened in North Carolina at the Davies County Animal Shelter in April 2005 in which another puppy survived the gas chamber and was later found at the dump (Gunning, 2005). These incidents helped persuade many states to pass laws to prevent carbon dioxide and monoxide euthanasia of shelter animals. For example, nine states including Oregon, Wyoming, Delaware, Virginia, Tennessee, Rhode Island, New York, New Mexico and Illinois have banned the us e of the gas chamber. The use of the gas chamber needs to be abolished; this is a cruel and inhumane way to put an animal to death. A lethal injection is more humane, less expensive, and less time consuming than the use of the gas chamber. The continued use of the gas chamber has led to numerous complaints by the residents and the county political action committee. However, strict follow up of the issue needs to continue through the local government until all shelter animals are euthanized by lethal injection. We will write a custom essay sample on Elimination of the Gas Chamber in Animal Shelters specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Elimination of the Gas Chamber in Animal Shelters specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Elimination of the Gas Chamber in Animal Shelters specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer References Clifton, M. (2006, October). Could carbon monoxide gas chambers make a comeback Retrieved May 18, 2010, from Amimal People: http://www.animalpeoplenews.org./ 06/10/carbongaschamber106.html Fakkema, D (n.d.) Euthanasia by Injection (EBI) Myth vs. Fact Sheet. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://michiganpetfund.org/userfiles/file/american%20Humane%20M1%20EBI%20myth -fact%20sheet.pdf Fakkema, D. (2009, January). EBI cost analysis matrix 2009. Retrieved May 17, 2010, from from American Humane Association: http://www.americanhumane. .org/assets/docs/advocy/ADV-co-ebi-cost-analsis09.pdf. Grim, R. (2005). Miracle dog: how quentin survived the gas chamber to speak for animals on dealth row. St. Louis, Missouri, United States: Alpine. Gunning, M. (2005). Puppy survives euthansia attempt, trip to the dump. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from http://www.freewebs.com/animalshelternews/index.htm. Henry, T. D. (2006). Heart injury due to carbon monoxide poisoning increases long term risk of death. Journal of the American Medical Association , 295, 398-402. Hollon, A. (2010, April 28). Protesters step up fight against gas chamber at animal shelter. Retrieved May 18, 2010, from Newark Advocate: http://www.animalconcerns.org/ external.htmlwww=http%3A//www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20100414/updates01/1 00414026/1002NEWS01itemid=201004150650480.543111 Sudar, A. (2010, April 18). Animal shelter protest draws about 100. Retrieved May 18, 2010, from Newark Advocate: http://www.newarkadvocate.com/fdcp/1272147611100

12 Best Gift Ideas for College Students. EssaySupply.com

12 Best Gift Ideas for College Students 12 Best Gift Ideas for College Students We all want to make sure that everyone has a great Christmas. However, it's hard to choose what to get them. Some people we want to get them presents that we know that they'll use or have a practical purpose. Others, we think that they could use or want something on the fun side. Either way finding a present for everyone can be difficult, especially for a college student. They're young, so they'll want the same things they've always wanted, toys, video games, or whatever else they like. However this is their first time living on their own, so you may be tempted to buy them things such as glass and cookware sets. Well here are the 12 best gifts for college students. 1. Kindle Nothing will ever replace fresh ink on paper. However, the Kindle is great for travel. They can carry virtually every single book in the world right in the palm of their hands! After all, who has the energy to carry around every single book they have just for a week long trip? 2. Chrome cast Your child probably has a television, Netflix, and the internet. But they might not have cable or a way to really enjoy that flat screen. Well with the Chrome cast they can simply plug the device in, enter in their connection info and voila! Now they can host their next movie night. 3. Coffee maker with auto start College is hard and tiring; coffee is a must for students as it helps them get through the day. However, sometimes your students won't have time to brew a full pot in the morning. Getting them a programmable coffee maker will help them through their morning routine. 4. Breakfast Sandwich Maker Another way to make your child's mornings easier. After all the foundation of a good day starts with a healthy breakfast. 5. Soda Stream Soda can get expensive, and sometimes the syrup to carbonation can be too low or too high, depending on their taste preference. With a soda stream, they can simply make their soda however they like, and for the fraction of the cost. 6. Gift Cards About as practical as real money, you can use gift cards for virtually anything. Pay for a night out with their friends, or their next grocery tab. Whatever kind of gift cards you buy they will be appreciative. 7. Roadside emergency kit It all happens to us, don't lie. We have all gone through the horrible state of having a flat or breakdown at the edge of the road. Sometimes we have no phone, or no knowledge on what to do. Help your kids through that predicament before it happens with a roadside emergency kit 8. High Speed Blender Another great practical gifts, smoothies are a craze as they help people receive fiber and nutrient all in a glass. A high-speed blender is perfect for pureeing harder fruits such as apples and pears 9. Cards against humanity This popular party game is great for college students due to its crude humor. Your child will have lots of fun making friends through this card game. 10. Plane Tickets They will get homesick and that's just something that can't be avoided. Try buying them a trip home for a week and let them just be thankful for the opportunity to return. 11. Noise Canceling Headphones Dorm rooms are distracting, television is distracting, everything that makes noise is distracting. Keep your kid focused and on task with a pair of noise canceling headphones 12. Go Pro Camera Is the college student in your life athletic, or film savvy? Do they like the idea of filming everywhere they go? Get them a GoPro! Hopefully this helps. Or at least you will be able to get some ideas for better options.

Magna carta Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Magna carta - Essay Example The barons, unable to bear the pain of the king’s extra taxes, rebelled in June 1215 and captured London, though not entirely, forcing the king to enter into a peaceful settlement with them. This resulted into the signing of the Magna Carta which aimed at limiting the powers of the king while protecting certain rights of his subjects such as the right against unlawful imprisonment (For Know It- Alls 4).Of great concern to the king was clause 61 or the security clause which made him a ceremonial monarch as it stipulated much power for the barons over the king.( For Know It- Alls 9) The document has 63 clauses and can be divided into three sections: the first section deals with the position of the Catholic Church in England, the second are clauses that stipulates that the king will be less harsh on the barons and the third are clauses that concerns England’s legal system. (History learning site 1).Alchin 1, records that Archbishop Stephen Langton and the most powerful barons of the medieval England drafted the contents of Magna Carta, putting into rest the question of authorship. Magna Carta, a document signed by King John in1215 did lay a strong foundation for the liberties of not just England but it was to later influence the liberties of Anglophones, United States and the drafting of the United Nations Human

Term Paper (4pages) - John Paulson, Goldman Sachs and Abacus 2007 AC1

(4pages) - John Paulson, Goldman Sachs and Abacus 2007 AC1 - Term Paper Example Due to imperfect information Goldman comes in with the knowledge of a German bank which is in the position of buying the risk that Paulson is exposed to as Paulson looks for a short. This bank is only able to buy the securities if the if they can be introduced by an external party. Goldman is still having the information that not every manager would not be willing to work with Paulson; this is because of the risk exposure and public complaint directed towards Paulson. With all this information, Goldman approaches ACA management bank for insurance brokerage. Successfully the bank accepts be become the manager in the deal of which it would assist Paulson in the selection of securities (Cohan and William, 27). By February 2007 Paulson had reached an agreement after working on a portfolio, they signed the agreement the same year. Gold man being behind all these does not reveal any information to anyone about the involvement of ACA and Paulson in the deal and the deal therefore remains a secret. The information that Paulson is engaged in an insider trading hence is shorting the securities also remains a mystery. Goldman had vast information including hat Paulson is planning to hold the riskiest of all the securities of ACA is also aware of, all these are based on the complaints presented (Cohan and William, 123). Gold man swiftly puts together a deal branded as ‘Collateral Debt Obligation†, this deal is designed with a major objective of enabling Paulson to receive the exposure to the extent which they want it. In addition, the deal also coves the extent of IKB’s risk exposure extent is reached. In following of this, IKB takes a share of the deal of $150 million and this is the extent of risk to which it is exposed, another firm takes a risk up to $909 million. Both of the forms buy a protection to the extent of its

What were the idealistic qualities of communism Research Paper

What were the idealistic qualities of communism - Research Paper Example It was based on the economic principle of ability and need. The principle enunciated by Marx was followed by Russian communist leadership, "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs†. Class domination was abolished as it was not conducive to the welfare of the masses. Production was not for profit and human labor had a new social role. The State was in absolute control of all the economic activities. Worker worked with the missionary zeal and produced commodities not for the profit of his individual master, but he was part of the collective efforts for the welfare of the state. He would work hard to give maximum output. Political power was not an instrument of organized class oppression as under Capitalism and Socialism and classes stood dissolved and there was no possibility of class oppression. Every human being shared equal responsibility, but all this was mere idealism and the grassroots realities for the common man were entirely different and they went through a period of unmentionable miseries. The realities of daily life for people living under Stalin Stalin did not learn something from his own sufferings in childhood and inflicted cruelties on the people and terrorized those who opposed him. He sent his political opponents to prison and labor camps, where grueling hard work awaited them. As a youth leader he had taken part in violent attacks and strikes and he continued with the same working style on getting the supreme position of power in the communist hierarchy in Russia. He initiated the five year plans for development of Russian economy, introduced collective farming, and took away land from the rich farmers to created state-owned farms. This was his first stroke of highhandedness to destroy the farming community and their individuality. He hoped for bumper production of food grains but that did not happen and many people starved. On the political front, he usurped more power and those who opposed his reforms were eit her shot dead or sent to Siberia. He created a dreaded intelligence agency to spy over the activities of people and to collect information from all over the world. Destiny played its part and more suffering awaited the people of Russia. World War II broke out and in 1941 Hitler broke the pact and invaded Russia. The Soviet army defeated the Germans and in the process millions of military personnel and the civilians died. A section of the people benefited during the regime of Stalin. He supported women empowerment, gave them jobs and education. On the economic front, with the improvement in transportation facilities and with the construction of new railway lines, people heaved a sigh of relief. Stalin exhibited sterling qualities of a statesman, when Germans captured Yakov, son from his first wife; they desired to trade him for a German Officer. Stalin did not relent and asserted that he had millions of sons and that Germans must free all or none of them. Communist ideology did not t hrive under Stalin and people suffered much. The original revolutionaries lost much of their fire and inspiration and exploitation of the people began. Turn the pages of history, and we find that the people were always attracted by the lofty ideals of fraternity equality and liberty. When these rights were denied to majority of the citizens, societies went through great convulsions. With the onset of industrial revolution, workers migrated from rural areas to towns and lived in a new set up. Gradually, the worker became a victim of injustice, harassment and exploitation. Protest movements

Explain the Various Elements of the Marketing Process

Explain the Various Elements of the Marketing Process Introduction This paper explains the strategic marketing planning process illustrating the discussion with examples from the low cost airline, Easyjet. The paper proceeds in five parts. In the next section of the paper, the concept of market segmentation is described and discussed. Next, the concept is located in the overall positioning, segmentation, targeting (PST) organisational strategy. Porters’ Generic Strategy is then outlined, as a supplementary paradigm to market segmentation. The concept of the marketing mix is discussed and applied to the case study company. A brief conclusion closes the paper. Before examining the marketing process, however, it is necessary to provide an overview of the case study company. Easyjet is an airline company that has been operating in the United Kingdom since 1995 (Easyjet, 2014). Like many other low-cost carriers, the company initially modeled itself on the business model of a successful American carrier, Southwestern Airlines (Yip, 2004). That airline had experienced unprecedented success by cultivating and exploiting a low cost operating model – Easyjet sought to implement this model in the European context, launching a flight between London and Amsterdam that was half the cost of the fare at the time offered by national carrier British Airways (Sull, 1999). In the years that followed, Easyjet rapidly expanded its route network to include hubs in some of the major British cities: Glasgow, Manchester and Liverpool, and routes to popular European destinations including Rome, Brussels, Milan, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Oslo and Stockholm. Today, Easyjet is â€Å"Europe’s leading airline†, specialising in short haul, point-to-point flights between Great Britain and Europe (Easyjet, 2014, online). The carrier operates some 600 routes serving 30 countries, and had firm plans to expand its network further afield in the future. Marketing as a concept Marketing can be thought of as a strategic philosophy which holds that assessing and meeting the needs of customers is a complex and multifaceted activity, so that organisations are required to take a holistic, customer-focused approach to all of their business activities (Svensson, 2001). In practice, marketing involves collecting, recording and analysing data about customers, and using this data to establish a strategy for meeting their needs. The marketing process covers a myriad of business activities that enable companies to meet the needs of consumers. Three key activities form the backbone of the marketing process. In the first instance, the customer base is segmented on the basis of demographic or other characteristics. Secondly, apositioning, segmentation, targeting (PST) strategy is developed in order to target goods and services to the correct market segments. Thirdly, a marketing mix is developed. Considered together these three elements form the basis of the firm’s overall marketing strategy (Kotler and Keller, 2006). Market segmentation Populations, and hence markets are potentially large and heterogeneous (Dibb, 1998). Marketers would find it impractical to target every member of such a diverse grouping, and thus market segmentation is a key activity in the marketing process (Kotler and Keller, 2006). Market heterogeneity can be defined as â€Å"the extent to which groupings of customers based on operational descriptor variables respond differentially to the choices of both offerings and the way they are marketed† (Wensley, 1995, p. 78). So, market segmentation refers to the activity in which this large heterogeneous market is segmented or divided into smaller, more homogeneous groupings of individuals with similar demographic characteristics or similar needs (Kotler and Keller, 2006). Segmentation recognises that it is neither practical nor profitable to attempt to satisfy the needs of a large heterogeneous population; ultimately, its aim is to identify the business’ most profitable customers, to understand them, and to target them. Each portion of the market is known as a market segment. Segments can be identified on the basis of consumer characteristics (e.g. socio-economics such as wealth or social class, demographics such as gender or geographical location), psychographics (that is, interest, attitudes or opinions), product-related behavioural characteristics such as purchasing or consumption habits, or, in the case of business to business (B2B) marketing, business characteristics such as business size, location or level or turnover (Wedel and Kamakura, 2000). Easyjet uses two consumer characteristics to segment its market: level of wealth, and hence, the degree to which customers are price conscious, and purpose of travel (i.e. leisure or business) (Sull, 1999). The way in which this is evident is through the pricing strategy of the company, which is discussed in greater detail below. For now, it is important to note that Easyjet’s business model differs from conventional carriers who typically drive sales towards the more lucrative business class passengers, filling the remainder of their seats with low-paying leisure passengers. In contrast, Easyjet, â€Å"does not serve the business consumer first and use the tourists as a buffer in case it has some excess capacity, but rather restricts the demand of both segments (by raising the appropriate prices) so as to equate capacity to expected demand† (Koenigsberg, Muller, and Vilcassim, 2004, pp. 16-17). In other words, the company recognises two distinct customer segments but uses similar market capture strategies for both. Segmenting, Positioning and Targeting the market Identifying the target market does not end with segmentation: after segmentation has been undertaken, organisations must target the market, and position themselves. This is known as the segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP) process (Sausen, Tomczak, and Herrmann, 2005) Targeting refers to the way in which marketing efforts are aimed at the segment while positioning refers to the â€Å"designing of the company’s image so that the target customers understand and appreciate what the company stands for in relation to its competitors† (Hooley and Saunders, 1993, p. 8). Two broad strategies can be identified. Functional positioning refers to positioning on the basis of product characteristics (e.g. price or quality), while expressive positioning refers to positioning on the basis of consumer characteristics (Johar and Sirgy, 1989). Easyjet, established in 1995, entered the air travel industry specifically to address the needs of low income passengers, as exemplified by the emphasis placed on the prices of its fares (Sull, 1999; Dobruszkes, 2009). Accordingly, the segmentation strategy used by the company was essentially an income-based, or price-conscious strategy: it met the needs of individuals wishing to travel throughout Europe that were not willing, or able to pay the airfares charged by full service airlines. However, more recently, the carrier has begun to be used by business passengers (Lu, 2009). For instance, from March 2013 to March 2014, the airline transported 12 million business passengers (almost fifty percent of its fleet’s seat capacity was taken up by business passengers), representing a growth in this market by 8.5 per cent over the previous year (The Guardian, 2014). This development has been attributed to the introduction of allocated seating. Previously, Easyjet, like many other Low Cost Carriers (LCCs) was able to keep airfares low because passengers were not able to select their seats prior to travel. However, the company abandoned this policy in November 2012, with the firm’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Carolyn McCall, remarking that â€Å"I think allocated seating has been the single most popular thing we have ever done for our passengers’ (cited in The Telegraph, online). The introduction of allocated seating is tantamount to a market repositioning and has enabled the airline to capture a greater share of the business passenger market. Repositioning is a normal part of the marketing process, for as Baines, Fill and Page (2012, p. 131) have noted â€Å"most marketers need to be alert and be prepared to reposition their brands as the relative position occupied by brands, in the minds of customers, will be challenged and shifted around on a frequent basis†. Detractors have argued that the STP process is inadequate at fully explaining business’ repositioning activities because it does not take into account the positioning strategies of competitors. To combat this, strategist Michael Porter (cited in Kotler and Keller, 2006) developed his generic strategies framework. This concept identified three positioning strategies available to firms: cost leadership, differentiation and focus. Under acost leadership strategy, the organisation seeks to offer its product or service at the lowest costs relative to competitors. Under the differentiation strategy, the firm seeks to differentiate itself from its competitors on the basis of product features such as quality. The third approach, the focus strategy, describes a stratified approach to positioning. Organisations using the focus strategy target concentrated or niche markets by seeking to understand the unique needs of that segment and tailoring well-specified products to them. It is generally argued that organisations that do not adopt a strategy are unsuccessful (Kotler and Keller, 2006). Easyjet has been vastly successful in relation to its competitors since its inception. In 2014, it became the largest British airline, in terms of passenger volumes, outstripping those of the national carrier, British Airways (Euromonitor, 2014). In Europe, in terms of market share, the company is second only to its Irish competitor, Ryanair. The fact that the company is competing on two fronts (with similar, low cost-carriers and conventional full-service carriers) suggests that it is pursuing a differentiation strategy. Easyjet has differentiated itself from low-cost carriers by introducing aspects which are typically absent from the services provided by those airlines (allocated seating is a good example), but it is differentiated from full-service airlines through, for example, its pricing strategy. The marketing mix An essential element of any company’s marketing strategy is the marketing mix (Brassington and Pettitt, 2009). This concept was developed to explain the factors influencing the demand for a product. Typically, the marketing mix is operationalised in terms of the ‘4 Ps’ Product, Place, Price and Promotion. Product In services marketing, product refers to all aspects of the services offered by the organisation including the level of the quality of the service, any guarantees or warranties, product lines or packaging (Kotler and Keller, 2006). Easyjet aspires to offer its business and leisure passengers safe and simple flights to a myriad of European destinations (Easyjet, 2014). To meet these aspirations, the company operates a large, modern fleet comprised of 220 Airbus A320 and A319 (ADS Advance, 2014). Despite media claims, the airline is one of the safest and most punctual airlines in Europe, and has invested significant amounts of cash in boosting the quality of its product. For instance, the company is investing in drone and robots that will be used to carry out safety checks on the aircraft, and the airline is working towards the provision of ‘paperless planes’ which it says will improve efficiency (ADS Advance, 2014). Flexibility is a major feature of the airline’s product. While full service airlines adhere to a business model that discriminates between airfares with different levels of flexibility (for example, non-refundable tickets and fully refundable tickets), Easyjet does not differentiate between tickets in this way (Nair, Paulose, Palacios, and Tafur, 2013). Furthermore, it is conventional in the industry for one-way tickets to cost passengers more than round-trip tickets. Carriers prefer passengers to make return flights because selling tickets in this way builds convenience into their flight scheduling processes. Passengers who purchase one-way flights make it difficult for carriers to set schedules and make staffing decisions (Nair et al, 2013). Easyjet utilises a different business model, which makes it more straightforward for customers to understand the product offering and enables it to build flexibility into its scheduling systems. Place Place refers to the distribution strategy of a company (Brassington and Pettitt, 2010). Easyjet aims to make travel on its fleet as widely available as possible, highlighted by its presence in almost every Western European country (Easyjet, 2014). The company is particularly proud of the extensiveness of its network, with its marketing materials claiming that â€Å"over 300 million people [reside] within a one hour drive of an easyJet airport† (Easyjet, 2014, online). Not only is the airline the leading carrier in Europe, it also holds strong positions in several major markets, including Edinburgh, Venice, Nice, and Naples, where it is the largest carrier, and Lisbon, Lyon and London Stansted, where it is the second largest carrier (Easyjet, 2014). However, the companys stated efforts to capture a growing share of the business passenger market share might be hindered by its choice of airports. Despite the firm’s claims that it serves ‘convenient’ locations, in many cases, the airline serves not the primary airport in a city, but smaller, supplementary airports that are typically in out-of-the-way locations. For instance, most Easyjet flights to Paris land at the city’s Orly airport, rather than the more popular Charles de Gaulle. Serving smaller airports is a key characteristic of the LCC business model, for larger airports tend to carry greater landing fees (O’Connell and Williams, 2005). Place also refers to the outlets through which customers can purchase the product or service. When it was first established Easyjet first offered passengers the opportunity to purchase flights only through its own website, via its telephone booking system and at the airports from which it operates (Euromonitor, 2013; 2014). The purpose of this model was to build the brand, and to keep costs low. Over time, however, the company has extended its distribution model to include third party intermediaries like lastminute.com and travelsupermarket.com. This enables customers to be creative in building their journeys (for example, booking an outward flight with one carrier and a return flight with another), and has allowed the airline to boost its market share, because the growth of specialist search engines means that travellers need only visit one website when they are searching for flights (Euromonitor, 2014). Promotion The telephone booking system that the company used to drive sales at its inception is also slowly being phased out, moving the company every further towards to an Internet-only business model (Euromonitor, 2014). When the company was first established, it relied on its web facilities, fleet and personnel branding (a trademark orange) and word-of-mouth to drive sales. It took the company 17 years of trading before it invested in a directed marketing campaign (Marketing Magazine, 2012). The company even featured in a London Weekend Television documentary, or ‘docusoap’ which, contrary to the fears of some analysts, turned out to be an enormously successful promotional exercise. As noted by Kilborn (2006, p. 201) â€Å"while Easyjet knew that there were certain risks involved in opening themselves up in this way, these were seen to be more than offset by the perceived opportunities for keeping the Easyjet brand name in front of the consumer. In the estimation of the company’s PR advisors, even those incidents of delays and other problems associated with air travel, could be turned to the companys advantage. The fact that Easyjet staff would be seen to be so actively involved in smoothing out problems and assisting in making alternative travel arrangements was regarded as a useful exercise in company public relations† In addition, the company has recently adopted a more aggressive marketing and branding strategy. In October 2011, the airline invested some  £50 million into its marketing strategy, recruiting an external advertising agency to establish a strong European-wide promotional campaign (Marketing Magazine, 2012). Although the resulting campaigns ‘Europe by Easyjet’ and ‘Where Are Young Going?; were panned by critics, analysts attributed a massive boost in the firm’s revenues per seat and passenger numbers to this aggressive promotional strategy (Marketing Magazine, 2012). Price There can be no doubt that the pricing strategy of the airline is the cornerstone of its business model. Although the company has shifted some of its focus to other elements of the marketing mix in recent years, the low prices offered by the company are probably its best-known feature among consumers. As the companys Chief Executive, Carolyn McCall remarked in a 2012 interview with Marketing Magazine (2012, online). â€Å"Well never move away from price – it is the cornerstone of what we do. But now we communicate destination and service†. This focus on low price and low costs is tantamount to what strategist Michael Porter (1985) termed a cost leadership position. It is interesting that analysts have argued that such a position is untenable in the long run. For example, the CEO of US airliner Skytrax Edward Plaisted has argued that low-cost airline models rarely guarantee success – he pointed to the fact that half of new carriers go bust because they cannot maintain the low cost strategy (Kah, 2012). Porter (1985) did argue that for such as position to be sustained, services must be perceived by customers to be good value for money. The empirical evidence does seem to suggest that Easyjet’s customers do believe that the carrier offers value for money, as highlighted by its improving punctuality record and growing passenger numbers (Euromonitor, 2014). The company has even outperformed competitors following a similar business model: for instance, the British low cost airline Flybe has reported large annual losses since 2012 (Euromonitor, 2014). For this reason, the airline’s chief has argued that there is a lot of blue water between us and Ryanair, and very little between us and British Airways† (Marketing Magazine, 2012, online). The way in which the carrier has been able to consolidate its competitive advantage is by balancing its low price strategy with high peripheral prices (Euromonitor, 2014). For example, although passengers are able to find flights for as little as 9 euros, there are additional charges for printing off boarding cards, checking in at the airport, selecting a seat and taking hold luggage. Clearly, the growth in passenger numbers and the growth in the airline itself means that customers do view, even the high prices of peripherals as value for money. It must therefore be concluded that Easyjet’s cost leadership strategy is a fruitful one. Conclusion This report has outlined the marketing process, using the low cost airline Easyjet as a case study. The case study shows that the company has embraced the idea of marketing as a holistic, organisation-wide philosophy, and its recent successes can be attributed – at least partly – to well thought out segmentation and PST techniques, and an appropriate marketing mix. References ADS Advance (2014). Easyjet applies innovative tech to improve efficiency. Online at http://www.adsadvance.co.uk/easyjet-applies-innovative-tech-to-improve-efficiency.html . Date accessed: 17 October 2014 Baines, P., Fill, C. and Page, K. (2012). Essentials of Marketing. Oxford: Oxford University Press Brassington,F. and Pettitt, S. (2000) Principles of Marketing. London: Prentice Hall Dobruszkes, F. (2009). New Europe, new low-cost air services. Journal of Transport Geography, 17(6), 423-432. Dibb, S. (1998). Market segmentation strategies for success. Marketing Intelligence and Planning. 16(7), pp. 394-406. Easyjet (2014). About us. 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Robert Jervis - Perception And Level Of Analysis :: essays research papers

Robert Jervis in Perception and Level of Analysis espouses the notion that in order to fully explain crucial decisions and policies it is essential that one pays heed to the decision-maker’s beliefs about the world and his or her perceptions of others. Rather than attempting to understand foreign policies as directly resulting from the three other levels of analysis, the bureaucratic, the domestic, and the international environment, which he outlines, Jervis contends that examination of a decision-maker’s perceptions, both their causes and effects, can more readily determine and explain behavioral patterns; in such a light, the taxonomy or three other levels of analysis appear devoid of truth value when applied alone, and all related theories are shown as invalid except in extreme cases. Nonetheless, one might more accurately contest that while careful study of a decision-maker’s beliefs is a necessity for comprehension, analysis of such beliefs is in fact an ex amination of bureaucratic organizations, domestic circumstances, and the international environment; all four are interrelated in the sense that the perceptions of the decision-maker are influenced by the circumstances existent in the three other levels. Likewise the three levels are themselves affected and often altered by the politician’s choices. Therefore, in order to provide the most comprehensive explanations of foreign policy decisions one cannot completely disregard externalities, and conversely one cannot ignore individual perceptions of decision-makers. One cannot rely solely on the bureaucratic level of analysis, the domestic, the international environment, or even on a combination of the three as adequate. What one might interpret as a clash of bureaucratic interests and stands yielding incoherent and conflicting policies, could in reality be a â€Å"clash among values that are widely held in both society and the decision-makers’ own minds† (Jervis 28). Similarly, if domestic situations were the medium upon which politicians base their decisions then changes in leadership would not necessarily produce significant changes in foreign policy; however, the consistency of foreign policy is difficult to measure. For example, some might contend that the Cold War would not have occurred had President Franklin Delano Roosevelt not died; they suggest that his death altered American policy in the sense that President Truman and his anti-Soviet position came to dominate political decision-making. Others contest that FDR would ha ve acted similarly to Truman, as he too was coming to an anti-Soviet stance prior to his death. If the former is seen as accurate the domestic level of analysis is insufficient and not applicable, but in the latter instance it could be viewed as a valid basis for judging decision-making.