Ryanair low cost airline

Introduction This case study highlights some aspects of Ryanair low cost airline operation. The company was the largest airline carrier by passengers and market capitalisation in the year 2009. The company based its operational model on the low cost strategy in order to increase its market shares and reduce costs. This model proved suitable during the economic crisis of 2008. The company also has a huge potential for growth as the EU low fare airline markets expand.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Ryanair low cost airline specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ryanair has also introduced ancillary services to increase its revenues. However, some these strategies are not popular with customers. In addition, the company also suffers from negative publicity due to its treatment of customers and persons with disabilities. Still, Ryanair also has challenges related to legal issues, fierce competition, EU ban, regulator y measures and costs, and fuel costs among others. The company needs a new strategy for its future operation. This should focus on reducing its risks and improving its market share. Current mission/objectives and strategy Low fare Ryanair operates on a low cost strategy. Customers and competitors know Ryanair for low prices. The company underwent restructuring in the 1990s and changed policies that eliminated free services. Ryanair has been operating as no frills passenger airline. The company has relatively low fare in relation to its competitors. However, Ryanair also has some of the most controversial charges in the airline industry. For instance, Ryanair has additional charges for passengers using wheelchairs, infant fees, baggage charges, check-in fees, and onboard toilet fees among others. Such fees related to wheelchairs, and how the company treats persons with disabilities have attracted controversies and negative publicity among stakeholders. In all, the low price strategy has positioned the airline as the cheapest in the European markets, and it constantly changes its strategy to match the European market (H’Oggins 618). The company also has some serious challenges from both inside and outside. These include poor customer services, legal challenges, fierce competition, regulation requirements, and poor relations with unionists among others. Low maintenance cost The low cost model has also resulted into low maintenance cost strategy. For instance, the company reduced its operating costs by 4 percent. The company maintains its costs as low as possible due to its fleet and staff. This approach also covers environmental area as the company strives to invest in environmental friendly fleets. These fleets are also fuel-efficient. The company’s low maintenance cost also includes staff training. Ryanair also reduced flight frequencies in loss making routes in the UK and Ireland.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let 's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Ancillary services Ancillary services are also core parts of Ryanair strategy. This strategy aims at increasing the airline’s revenues. The company has in-flight beverages, food, online and onboard gambling, mobile phones, ‘fat tax’ for overweight customers, and sale of merchandise for extra revenues. In addition, Ryanair also has accommodation, car rental and travel insurance services. According to Ryanair financial statements of accounts, revenues from ancillary services have been growing steadily for the past three years, i.e., from  £3.6 million in 2007 to  £5.9 million in 2009. However, not all these ancillary services, such as gaming and entertainment console were successful as they met resistance from passengers. Expansion strategy Ryanair also has an aggressive expansion strategy. For instance, the company expects to operate 300 fleets by the year 2012. Meanwhile, Ryanair has invested in new and environmental friendly flights. The company reduced operation in loss making routes of the UK and Ireland, but replaced them with profitable routes in Germany, France, and Spain. The company took advantage of diminishing carriers and planned to open 146 new routes in 2010. At the same time, Ryanair also focused on increasing its market shares. This was also evident in the failed takeover attempt of Aer Lingus. Productive Employees Productive workforce strategy is also a strategy in Ryanair, and this starts from the CEO. The company nearly doubled its staff during the last three years of operation. Ryanair claimed that it paid its crew better than any other airline company. For instance, in 2009, the company Annual Report claimed that it paid an average of  £45,333 higher than other companies. In addition, pilots and other cabin crews negotiated new pay deals with the company. These negotiations aimed at maintaining a healthy workforce and complying with th e EU regulations. Web site advertisement Ryanair marketing strategy aims at positioning it as a low cost airline company. Ryanair has exploited Internet marketing opportunities and in turn eliminated travel agents. The Web site has been the primary tool that the company uses to advertise its low cost services. Consequently, Ryanair promotes its Web site on newspapers, radio, and television. This effort has ensured that 99 percent of the booking takes place via the Internet.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Ryanair low cost airline specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Ryanair is sensitive to costs. Consequently, it relies nearly on free and controversial publicity. These include topical advertising, press conference and publicity stunts. In addition, the company also relies on distributions of promotional and advertisement materials, cooperative advertisement with other travel organisations and tourist boards. In ternal and external environment Economic factors Michael O’Leary commented that â€Å"an economic recession is good for Ryanair, as it can survive it better than airlines with higher pricing models† (H’Oggins). The globe recession of 2008 was the major economic factor that Ryanair faced. Economists like McConnell, Brue, and Barbiero claim that shifts in the economic patterns influence organisations operation (McConnell, Brue and Barbiero 34). The prevailing economic conditions influenced how passengers, sellers, and other stakeholders in European markets behaved. Airline companies diminished because their business models could not withstand recession challenges. However, as we have seen above, the recession created opportunities for low cost airlines like Ryanair. Ryanair was able to exploit the vacuum that other companies created. As a result, the company did not experience thorough effects of recession due to its business strategy of low cost. Instead, the com pany increased its operation to become among the best airlines in the region. From this observation, we can conclude that Ryanair business model was recession proof. However, tough economic conditions also had its effects on Ryanair. For instance, the company share prices dropped, revenue plummeted and it cancelled expansion decisions due to costs. The UK and Ireland routes became unproductive and forced the company to cut its operation in those routes. Ryanair was also able to exploit the favourable fuel prices in order to offer low fare fleets that no other company could achieve. In 2009 to 2010, the company managed to hedge 90 percent of its fuel costs and saved  £460 million. Political factors These are mainly regulations, taxes, and other related political factors. In this case, Ryanair must abide by EU regulations on airline operation. For a long time, Ryanair CEO has engaged in high-profile wars with the EU and British Airport Authority (BAA). For instance, the CEO accused the EU commission of bias towards low fare airlines.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company noted that the EU Commission prevented its agents from booking low cost airlines. This is a case of regional regulations affecting activities of Ryanair. At the same time, the Commission’s fixed charges also discriminate low cost airlines (Ryanair 2012). According Ryanair, this is discrimination against low fare airlines. At the same time, BAA has also imposed charges that affect the company’s revenues. For instance, the UK government planned to raise passenger charges from  £10 to  £11. Social factors The CEO can control the company’s image and its relationship with customers. This is because such factors affect consumers’ emotions, attitudes, opinions and interests about Ryanair services. Some of these social factors have generated negative publicity for the company. These may include relations with disabled and overweight passengers. At the same time, passengers who prefer service-oriented flights may not find high quality services in R yanair. Brassington and Pettitt note that social factors are priority concern to marketers (Brassington and Pettitt 24; Solomon 39). Technological factors Ryanair is technologically evolving company. The company conducts its 99 percent of bookings through its Web site. Ryanair noticed convenience that online services provided to its customers and the company. Therefore, the company advertises its Web site in different media. Technological developments have transformed the way airlines conduct their management processes (Kotler, Wong, Saunders and Armstrong, 2005). Legal factors The company has some of the most expensive lawsuits in the industry. Consequently, its operation costs have increased. The company has faced charges from regulators, competitors, passengers, and it is also in poor relations with trade unionists, politicians, and people with disabilities. Environmental factors Environmental factors also influence activities of Ryanair. The company embarked on using modern airc rafts and maximised usages in order to reduce emissions. At the same time, Ryanair also claimed that its decision to eliminate free food, beverages, and newspapers had reduced waste products from the company fleets. Ryanair SWOT Analysis Strength Low fare strategy Environmental friendly fleets Ancillary revenues generation Web site booking Few flights cancellations Weaknesses Poor customer services Overreliance on CEO Negligence on security issues Opportunities Growing EU markets Provisions of ancillary services Expansion of marketing strategies Investing in environmental friendly flights Using hedge to save on fuel costs Threats Expensive lawsuits Competition from other low fare flights and large flight companies, alternative modes like train EU ban on low fare flights Different states regulations and charges Unproductive routes like Ireland Customer resistance to some revenue generation strategies Negative publicities Map and determine the organizational stakeh olders’ expectations power and influence Shareholders High Power hareholders of Ryanair have significant power and control over the future of the company strategies (Roloff 233). Shareholders expect returns from their investments. However, since the year 1996, the company had never declared or paid dividends on shares. The company believes in retaining earnings for future expansions, acquisition of new fleets, and expansion of current services (Svendsen 85). However, shareholders of the company expect their dividends after 2012. We can also see how shareholders influenced Ryanair’s strategic decision to takeover Aer Lingus. Employees The company’s management team and employees have been responsible for its current position. Ryanair believes that it pays its employees relatively well above the average of other airline companies. For instance, the company report of 2009 claimed that the staff cost was  £45,333 above other European airlines. Employees can also n egotiate for favourable pay with the company, but their power is low. However, Ryanair also expects its employees to deliver positive results. Lenders Lenders have high interest in the company because of business advantages. However, their power to control the company’s decisions is low. Government /Regulators These groups influence all the company’s policy, charges, and decisions among others through their regulatory and tax measures. The company cannot consider decisions that go against governments’ wishes. Thus, their interest and power in the company remain high. Customers In a world of fierce competition, Walker and Marr believe that customers are key stakeholders for success (Walker and Marr 13). The company is favourable among low fare airlines in European markets. Customers expect fair treat and quality services for charges they pay. Though Ryanair is a low fare airline, the company has formulated some of the most controversial methods of charging custom ers extra fees. Some of these methods are not popular among its passengers. Ryanair charges persons with disabilities who use wheelchairs onboard. This move has generated debate on how the company handles its disabled customers. At the same time, the company also targets overweight passengers with its ‘fat tax’ charges. However, the ‘fat tax’ led to wastage of time and the management eliminated it. Some of these ancillary services for extra revenues have generated negative publicity for the company. In fact, critics of the airline believe that passengers use it because it is a low fare airline available in most routes. Competitors and Suppliers Competitors and suppliers are also important elements of Ryanair. We can look at fierce competitions among airline companies of Europe. These companies have based their battles on prices. Ryanair uses different media to compare its prices with its competitors. In turn, competitors have accused it of misleading passen gers. Competition among these organisations is responsible for the growth of the airline industry in Europe particularly the growth of Ryanair. The relationship between Aer Lingus is also crucial as it affected profits of Ryanair. Aer Lingus is a fierce competitor of Ryanair. However, Ryanair has 25.2 percent stake in the company. The deteriorating fortunes of Aer Lingus meant losses to Ryanair shareholders in the year 2009. As a result, Ryanair CEO admitted investment in the company was a mistake. In this case, the company could have sold its shares before accruing further losses (Lock 67). Another relationship of significance is the interaction between Ryanair and its suppliers. Ryanair attempted to expand its fleets in 2009, and the company invited Boeing and Airbus. The invitation of Airbus was a strategy that the company wanted to apply in order to get a massive discount from Boeing. Airbus declined because the process would be expensive and time-consuming. On the other hand, t alks with Boeing collapsed. These cases show how Ryanair management use different strategies in order to keep costs as low as possible. Formulation of new strategic direction for the organization This was the largest airline carrier by passengers and market capitalisation in the year 2009. In fact, the airline and its management have won several awards. In addition, its low cost strategy proved recession proof in 2008. However, the company must address some concerns for future growth by balancing its strategic direction with revenue generation, legal issues, market dynamics, and industry relations among others (Kaplan and Norton 56). Home Business Ryanair should emphasise weekend travel and last-minute travel and provide the best packages for such travellers. The company can rely on such strategies for improving its customer base. However, home business strategy for Ryanair can lead to poor services as customers may increase beyond the company’s capacity. This strategy may al so affect perceptions of customers about the quality of services Ryanair offers. As a result, some customers may use alternative means like rail transport. Holiday packages Ryanair should introduce free seat campaigns for a given period of time, especially during winter seasons. The company should use this approach as sales strategy particularly in unpopular routes so as to increase the number of customers. The company should offer few seats in popular routes. The company should also inform its customers about tax charges with free seat campaigns. Such holiday packages should save customers on costs and improve experiences of their holiday. This shall enable Ryanair popularise itself among travellers and attract many travellers. Promotional strategies can only improve the number of customers who need free seats or discounted services. Thus, Ryanair must restrict such offers to a specific number of customers for its fleets. Frequent traveller loyalty programme Ryanair should introduc e loyalty programmes for its frequent travellers. The company can reward its frequent customers through free flights or reduced charges. Every travel should earn redeemable credits. The best method to capture such data is through the use of smart card. The company must also give specific periods for expiry of such credits. Loyalty schemes should not target blackout dates. Thus, customers can redeem their free flights at any time. However, loyalty programmes can severely affect the profit of the company (Pocket Mentor 12). Referral discounts The industry is still competitive (Bache and Freeman 3). Thus, Ryanair should work with local travel and accommodation companies so as to promote its flight. In turn, customers who also book through the Internet can also get discounted rates in hotels rooms and car hire among others. However, the company must apply policies such as nonrefundable and advance payment in order to discourage cancellations after booking (Madison 233). Referral discoun ts also shall affect the company’s profit margins. Baggage and Saving Ryanair should encourage its customers who have baggage to check while booking in order to avoid extra charges while boarding. Customers can check the option and determine the number of baggage they can carry in different flights. This means that customers can purchase the baggage depending on their travel requirements. This option should also give customers opportunities to save flight costs instead of incurring extra charges when boarding. Web Booking and Check-in Ryanair should continue exploiting Web booking, and it should also introduce Web check-in before with or without luggage before a given deadline for check-in expires. This should also allow customers to choose their ideal seats depending on availability. This is a method of improving customer service for Ryanair that has poor customer service. Conclusion Ryanair has used low cost strategy to increase its market share and reduce costs of operatio n. This model protected the company from recession of 2008 and increased its competitive advantages. As a result, its customers have cost advantages. However, Ryanair also has some charges that customers oppose. Ryanair has huge potential for growth as EU market is growing, and it has not fully utilised the low cost model. The company must also address challenges that threat its operation, increase costs, and reduce profit margins. Works Cited Bache, Alan and Mike Freeman. â€Å"Is Our Vision Any Good?† Journal of Business Strategy, March-April (1999): 1-3. Print. Brassington, Frances and Stephen Pettitt. Essentials of Marketing. Essex: Pearson Education Limited, 2005. Print. H’Oggins, Eleanor. Ryanair: the low fares airline – future destination? Dublin: University College Dublin, 2010. Print. Kaplan, Robert and David Norton. The Strategy-Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard Companies Thrive in the New Business Environment. Boston: Harvard Business Revie w Press, 2000. Print. Kotler, Philip, Veronica Wong, Saunders John and Armstrong Gary. Principles of Marketing. 4th ed. Essex: Pearson Education Limited, 2005. Print. Lock, Dennis. Project Management. Hampshire: Gower Publishing Limited, 2007. Print. Madison, Dan. Process Mapping, Process Improvement, and Process Management. Chico, CA: Paton Professional , 2011. Print. McConnell, Campbell, Brue Stanley and Barbiero Thomas. Microeconomics: Canadian Edition. 9th ed. Toronto: McGraw-Hill/Ryerson, 2002. Print. Pocket Mentor. Improving Business Processes. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 2010. Print. Roloff, Julia. â€Å"Learning from Multi-Stakeholder Networks: Issue-Focussed Stakeholder Management.† Journal of Business Ethics 82.1 (2008): 233-250. Print. Ryanair. Ryanair condemns EU Commission bias against low fare airlines. 2012. Web. Solomon, Michael. Consumer Behavior. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Europe, 2006. Print. Svendsen, Ann. The Stakeholder Strategy: Profiting from Collaborative Business Relationships. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 1998. Print. Walker, Steven and Jeffrey Marr. Stakeholder Power: A Winning Plan For Building Stakeholder Commitment And Driving Corporate Growth. New York: Basic Books, 2001. Print. This case study on Ryanair low cost airline was written and submitted by user Julissa C. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Avoid the Resume Black Hole With These Tips

Avoid the Resume Black Hole With These Tips Tired of applying and never hearing back? Use these resume tips to ensure your application makes it past the electronic gatekeepers. If you’ve ever looked for a job, you’re probably familiar with the notorious resume black hole. It goes something like this: You find the perfect job online, submit your resume, and then wait, hoping against hopes that you’ll receive a call back. More often than not, no one ever contacts you about your application and you’re left wondering what you could have done differently to change the outcome.Sound familiar? You’re not alone.As a career coach I often hear from job seekers who are frustrated by the lack of response from employers. What many of them don’t realize, however, is that often times, the hiring manager never received their job application.Let me explain. Before your job application is passed along to the hiring manager, it first has to be reviewed by one, if not two, initial gatekeepers: an electron ic screen known as an applicant tracking system (ATS), and a junior-level HR coordinator.In both of these cases, the gatekeeper has been instructed to scan the document for important pieces of information and terms related to the role at hand. If the resume meets this criteria, it will pass through the screen and make its way to the next reviewer, either an experienced recruiter or hiring manager who will have a better understanding of your work and capabilities. If your resume doesn’t make it past these initial gatekeepers, the hiring manager is never made aware of your application.Below are some resume tips to help your application avoid the resume black hole and make it through these initial reviews and to the top of the hiring manager’s pile.Avoid the Headers and FootersDon’t insert your contact information into the actual â€Å"header† portion of the Word document. This can get scrambled by the applicant tracking system and cause confusion for the re cruiter. Instead, decrease your top margin on the document to 0.5 inches and place your name, contact information, and hyperlinks at the top of the page.The same goes for using the â€Å"footer† section of the document.Stick to SimplicityWhile you may want to demonstrate your creativity to the hiring manager, the resume is not the place to do so. In fact, most ATS systems get easily confused by a resume’s extra bells and whistles, such as logos, pictures, embedded charts, symbols, and shading, and could easily reject your application out of confusion.Stick to standard fonts that are ATS-friendly. This includes Calibri, Arial, Tahoma, and Cambria. Click on the following link to view a full list of the best fonts for your resume.Use standard headers for the different sections of your resume, such as Professional Experience or Work History, Education and Professional Development, Technical Skills, and so forth.Lastly, upload your resume as a Word document instead of a PDF to the employer’s career site. ATS systems still have trouble processing PDFs and may miss important information in your resume. Save the PDF version for when you’re emailing your resume to a networking contact and want to ensure the formatting remains intact.Proofread Your Resume CarefullyWhile you may get dinged by a recruiter for misspelling â€Å"definately† when you meant to say â€Å"definitely,† at least they’ll be able to figure out what you’re trying to say. A software system will not. Don’t let your application get tossed into the resume black hole because of a simple typo.Proofread your resume. Then proofread it again. Then hand it over to your friend who majored in English and have them review it. Silly mistakes can be easily avoided if you take the proper precautions with these resume tips.Incorporate Relevant KeywordsEvery profession has its own set of jargon, acronyms, certifications, and skill sets that describe their work and industry. ATS systems are programmed to look for these resume keywords to rank your application and determine if you’re a good fit for the role.In order to make it past these initial reviews, it’s incredibly important to optimize your resume with relevant keywords. Start by reviewing the job descriptions you’re applying to and take note of the terms that routinely pop up on these job listings. If you possess these skills, incorporate these terms throughout your resume in the Core Competencies and Work Experience sections. Be sure to include a Technical Skills section towards the bottom of your resume that lists the systems with which you are proficient. You can also copy and paste a number of job descriptions into JobScan.co to identify the most frequently used resume keywords and see how your application measures up.Before you sit down to write out your role and responsibilities from your previous positions, take a look at the sample job descriptions you’ve gathered that represent your job target. How do they define the position and its responsibilities? What specific language do they use to state the core requirements for the role? If you’ve done that work before or possess those qualifications, describe it on your resume using the exact same wording.In addition, be sure to include the acronym as well as the full name of every job title, certification, degree, or organization that’s associated with your professional experience and qualifications. For instance, you may put â€Å"SSGB† after your name at the top of your resume, but be sure to also spell out â€Å"Six Sigma Green Belt† under your list of certifications. The same applies for common industry terms; while your job title may be â€Å"Director of MARCOM,† it’s important to also include the term â€Å"marketing communications† when describing your role.Don’t fall into the resume black hole. You may not be ab le to control the recruiter’s actions, but these resume tips will ensure your job application makes it past the ATS screen and onto a human being for review.This article was originally published on TopResume.TopResume is a Talent Inc. company, the personal branding destination for all career-driven professionals. Through our extensive network of professional writers, we offer career advice and analyze and write more resumes and LinkedIn profiles than any other service in the world. Ready to get started? Request a free resume critique today.

Humorous Quotes on Love and Marriage

Humorous Quotes on Love and Marriage Poking fun at love or marriage can be a dangerous proposition when youre making a joke in the presence of your loved one. Humor is like spice: the right amount can make a delicacy out of a bland meal. The key is the right amount. Use a humorous quote to season your words with the right amount of humor. Even then, be prepared to duck, apologize, and eat your words. At least, youll be able to attribute them to someone else. Thyra Smater Winsolow Platonic love is love from the neck up. Lily Tomlin If love is the answer, could you please rephrase the question? Woody Allen Love is the answer, but while youre waiting, sex raises some pretty good questions. Unknown Love is telling someone to go to hell and worrying about them getting there safely. Rogers Willson It doesnt much signify whom one marries, for one is sure to find out next morning it was someone else. Edgar Watson Howe A woman might as well propose: her husband will claim she did. John Updike Every marriage tends to consist of an aristocrat and a peasant. Frank Zappa I detest love lyrics. I think one of the causes of bad mental health in the United States is that people have been raised on love lyrics. Bill Cosby For two people in a marriage to live together day after day is unquestionably the one miracle the Vatican has overlooked. Honorà © de Balzac Great love affairs start with Champagne and end with tisane. Ray Bandy Honeymoon: A short period of doting between dating and debating. Johnny Carson I know youve been married to the same woman for 69 years. That is marvelous. It must be very inexpensive. H. L. Mencken To be in love is merely to be in a state of perceptual anesthesia - to mistake an ordinary young man for a Greek god or an ordinary young woman for a goddess. David Bissonette I recently read that love is entirely a matter of chemistry. That must be why my wife treats me like toxic waste. Beverly Nichols Marriage: a book of which the first chapter is written in poetry and the remaining chapters written in prose. Henry Louis Mencken Bachelors know more about women than married men; if they didnt, theyd be married too. Helen Rowland When you see what some girls marry, you realize how they must hate to work for a living. Anonymous Theyre almost inseparable. Sometimes it takes ten people to separate them. Anonymous If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular? Lord Dewar Love is an ocean of emotions entirely surrounded by expenses. Helen Rowland A man snatches the first kiss, pleads for the second, demands the third, takes the fourth, accepts the fifth†¦ and endures all the rest. Helen Rowland In olden times, sacrifices were made at the altar, a practice which is still very much practiced. Anonymous Love is one long, sweet dream and marriage is the alarm clock.

The European Court of Justice has distorted the purpose of the Essay

The European Court of Justice has distorted the purpose of the preliminary ruling procedure, as set out in Article 234 EC. The relationship between the nationa - Essay Example ompliance with EC law by the member states have compelled the European Court of Justice or ECJ, to formulate a general principle of state responsibility. This state liability is the result of the fact that EU Member States have to perforce, implement and enforce the EC law. Further, it is the duty of the national courts to decide on cases entailing violation of EC law granted rights of individuals. The doctrine of supremacy of Community law, which is well entrenched, states that the national law of the member states is subservient to the Community law. This doctrine applies not only to primary but also to secondary Community law and in case of a dispute between Community law and national law; the Community law has to be accorded predominance over the national law. Article 10 of the EC describes the various obligations that Member States have to fulfil in order to comply with the EC law. The preliminary reference procedure set out in Article 234 of the EC defines a formal relationship between the European Court of Justice and the national courts. The importance of this procedure lies in the fact that it is used to establish consistent rules, which the national courts have to follow in order to enforce EC law. The result was that the national courts became part of a â€Å"supra-national judicial hierarchy, with the European Court at its apex1.† Under the aegis of Article 234 EC, the ECJ developed the judicial system of the EU. As per the provisions of Article 234, if any clarification are required on questions of EC law, then any ‘court or tribunal may if it considers that a decision on the question is necessary to enable it to give judgement, require the Court of Justice to give a ruling thereon’. Due to such intervention, all national courts are empowered to make direct references to the ECJ. The ECJ was allotted a paramount position in the national judicial systems by Article 234 EC, which states that â€Å"Where any such question is raised in a case pending

Cisco Australia Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Cisco Australia - Case Study Example The company could well be on its way to wearing Australia's best employer crown. So what is Cisco all about Cisco, which was founded in 1984 by two computer scientists from Stanford University, began life as a manufacturer of routing systems. Since it sold its first router in 1986, the company has more than lived up to its vision of 'Changing the Way We Live, Work, Play and Learn'. Apart from its core development areas of routing and switching, Cisco has now branched into various technology-related fields like IP communications, wireless LAN, home networking, application networking services, network security, storage area networking and video systems. The company, which has its corporate headquarters in San Jose, California, soon became one of the leaders in the global networking industry with a presence in over 115 countries. Today, it has a 47,000-strong employee base. Using the acquisition-partnership route, Cisco managed to make inroads into multiple fields. Today, Cisco's products provide solutions to a wide range of customers from business enterprises like corporations and government agencies to educational and research institutions. In 1994 Cisco set up base in Sydney, Australia, which was one of the company's first operations outside the United States. Today, Cisco Australia operates from around six cities and has over 600 employees on its payrolls. Australia is home to the company's Asia Pacific Technical Assistance Centre and Customer Assurance Group. Here's a list of the awards that the decade-old Cisco Australia won: Prime Minister's Award for Community Business Partnerships in August 2001. No 1 in the Hewitt Associates survey "Best Employers to Work for in Australia" in the under 1,000 employees category in 2002 and 2003 MAS National Award for Corporate Citizenship at the 2005 Australian HR Awards. [B(1.1)] Does Cisco Fit The New Workplace One of the main reasons for Cisco's almost meteorical rise to success was its ability to adapt to the new work order. Around 15 years ago, the same time that Cisco began operations; the new workplace became an important word in management parlance. Computers and the Internet were changing the way the world worked. Managers realized they needed to implement solid workplace strategies, to provide the infrastructure for enabling global, 24x7 work processes and remote collaboration "anytime, anyplace." (Aperture Technologies 2006, online ) This 'anytime, anyplace' strategy proved extremely beneficial for both organizations and their employees. It gave them considerable freedom, as they could now be mobile and work from just about anywhere. Freed from geographical and time constraints, an organization's managers could employ qualified people from just about anywhere in the world. A look at Cisco's growth graph during the past 20 years shows that in just over a decade, the company had spread its wings across continents. It managed to get the best in terms of qualified employees and a bigger customer base. A downside of this new workplace was that it put a strain on the companies' infrastructure and also affected workplace dynamics. This meant that enabling and empowering employees with a superior workplace was of paramount importance to the

OSI reference model

OSI reference model HISTORY: OSI reference model is advanced teaching of network. As there was a need of common model of protocol layers, this concept promoted the idea and defined about interoperability between network devices and software. Networking with protocol standards such as SNA and Decnet are completely vendor-developed and proprietary which are prior to OSI concept. Industries worked out to sort out such complications, and have introduced a new concept named OSI which is attempting to get everyone to agree to common network standards to provide multi-vendor interoperability. Many devices were unable to communicate with other protocols directly because of lack of common protocols. It was common for large networks to support multiple network suites. Database design and distributed database design were the interest of canepas group in the early and middle 70s. It was clear in the mid 70s that standard distributed communications architecture would be required to support database machines, distributed acce ss, and the like. For development of such standardized database systems some of the groups have studied the existing solutions, including IBMs system network architecture (SNA), so the work on protocols is done for ARPANET, and some concepts of presentation services. In spite of these defaults which lead to the development of a seven layer architecture known internally as the distributed systems architecture (DSA) in 1977. Meanwhile, in 1977 International Organization for Standardization has got a proposal that a standard architecture was needed to define the communications infrastructure for distributed processing by British Standards Institute. Thus, subcommittee on Open System Interconnection was formed by ISO [Technical Committee 97, Subcommittee 16]. The American National Standard Institute (ANSI) was charged to develop proposals in advance of the first meeting of the subcommittee. INTRODUCTION:- Although the topic of OSI can seem boring and academic, actually it is a very useful way to learn more about networking. OSI offers a good starting point for understanding the differences between repeaters, switches, and routers, for example. The model also can help one better understand network protocols. The main idea in OSI is the process of communication between the end points of a two telecommunication network, this can be divided into layers, which can be added within its layers of its own set of special, related functions. The OSI model (and networking models developed by other organizations) attempts to define rules that cover both the generalities and specifics of networks. OSI model was not a network standard, but it was used as guidelines for development of network standards. It was become so important that almost all major networks standards in use today conform entirely to its seven layers. The relationship between OSI model and internet protocol stack, as it is known that the new technologies and developments are emerged based on networks. These networks comprise of protocols and the entire protocol stack. Internet protocol stack is based on OSI model. [1] OSI MODEL:- The modern day networking process is understood by layering. OSI model consists of seven layers. They are 1. Application Layer (7th Layer) 2. Presentation Layer (6th Layer) 3. Session Layer (5th Layer) 4. Transport Layer (4th Layer) 5. Network Layer (3rd Layer) 6. Data-link Layer (2nd Layer) 7. Physical Layer (1st Layer) [2] The OSI model defines internetworking in terms of a vertical stack of seven layers. Among, these layer, there are two parts division one is upper layer and the other is lower layer. Upper layer consist of layer 7, 6 and 5 and the lower layer consist of 4, 3, 2 and 1. Among these two layer upper layer deals with the application issues which are generally are implemented only in software. The software that implements network services like encryption and connection management. When we consider deals with the data transport issues and the implement more primitive, hardware functions like routing, addressing and flow control. [3] Upper layer: (Application layer, Presentation layer, Session layer) OSI designates the application, presentation, and session stages of the stack as the upper layers. Software in these layers performs application-specific functions like data formatting, encryption, and connection management. For example: -HTTP, SSL and NFS Lower layer: (Transport layer, Network layer, Physical layer.) Lower layers of the OSI model provide more primitive network-specific functions like routing, addressing, and flow control. For example:- TCP, IP, and Ethernet Application Layer: Describes how real work actually gets done. Ex: this layer would implement file system operations. And also it defines interface to user processes for communication and data transfer in network. It provides standardized services such as virtual terminal, file and job transfer and operations. â€Å" provides service directly to the user application. Because of the potentially wide variety of application, this layer provide a wealth of services. Among these services are establishing privacy mechanism, authenticating the intended communication partners, and determining if adequate resources are present.† [3] Presentation layer : Describes the syntax of data being transferred. Ex: this layer describes how floating point numbers can be exchanged between hosts with different math formats. Mask the difference of data formats between dissimilar systems. Specifies architecture independent data transfer format. It encodes data; like encrypts and decrypts data, compresses and decompresses data. â€Å" performs data transformation to provide a common interface for user application, including services such as reformatting data compression, and encryption.†[3] Session layer : In general, describes the organization of data sequences larger than the packets handled by lower layers. Ex: this layer describes how request and reply packets are paired in a remote procedure call. It mange user session and dialogues. And also controls establishment and termination of logic between users. Reports upper layer errors. â€Å" establishes, manages and end user connection and manages the interaction between end systems. Services includes such thing as establishing communication as full or half duplex and grouping data†[3] Transport Layer:- In general, describes the quality and nature of the data delivery. Ex: this layer defines if and how retransmissions will be used to ensure data delivery. Manage end-to-end message delivery in network. Provides reliable and sequential packet delivery through error recovery and flow control mechanisms. Provides connectionless oriented packet delivery â€Å" insulates the three upper layer, 5 through 7, from having deal with the complexities of layer 1 through 3by providing the function necessary to guarantee a reliable network link. Among other function, this layer provides error recovery and flow control between the two end points of the network connections.†[3] Network layer :- In general, describes how a series of exchanges over various data links can deliver data between any two nodes in a network. Ex: this layer defines the addressing and routing structure of the Internet. Network layer function determines how data are transferred between network devices. Routes packets according to unique network device addresses. It provides flow and congestion control to prevent network resource depletion. â€Å" Establishes, maintains and terminates network connection . Among other functions, standard define how data routing and relaying are handled†[3] Data link layer: In general, describes the logical organization of data bits transmitted on a particular medium. Ex: this layer defines the framing, addressing and check summing of Ethernet packets. Defines procedures for operating the communication links and frames packets. And also detects and corrects packets transmit errors. â€Å" ensures the reliability of the physical link established at layer 1 . standard defines how data frames are recognized and provide necessary flow control and error handling at the frame level.†[3] Physical layer : In general, describes the physical properties of the various communications media, as well as the electrical properties and interpretation of the exchanged signals. Ex: this layer defines the size of Ethernet coaxial cable, the type of BNC connector used, and the termination method. Physical later defines physical means of sending data network devices and defines optical, electrical and mechanical characteristics and interfaces between network medium and devices. â€Å" controls transmission of the raw bit stream over transmission medium. Standard for this layer define such parameter as the amount of signal voltage swings, the duration of voltage and so on.†[3] INFLUENCE: The protocol stack or Internet protocol stack also show influence of the OSI model most of the terminology is same, and most of the books present an Internet protocol stack that uses OSI terminology and that includes physical and data link layer. But in 1981 article by john postal, Carl Sunshine and Danny Cohen there is a diagram showing the Internet protocol functioning on top of one of the several Network protocol and it describe such network protocol as being the packet transmission protocol in each individual network. In a article 1983 by Vinton Cerf- often referred to as â€Å" one of the founding father of the internet† and Edward Cain that the layer that IP function is called â€Å"Internetwork layer† and the layer under that is â€Å"Network layer†. We can universally that the layer at which IP function is called the Network Layer and the important layer was called â€Å"Network layer is usually omitted.† [4] TCP/IP: TCP/IP was originally developed as a research experiment. It has become the backbone of thr information superhighway. It provides users with the back bone services used to carry popular services such as the World Wide Wed (www), E-Mail and other. In late 70s as a US Government Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA) research development project, the â€Å"ARPANET†. This has grown to provide connection to system world wide, helping bring the information age into reality. TCP/IP is not really a protocol, but a set of protocols a protocol stack, as it is most commonly called. Its name, for example, already refers to two different protocols, TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and IP (Internet Protocol). There are several other protocols related to TCP/IP like FTP, HTTP, SMTP and UDP just to name a few. The TCP/IP suite can be understood as a set of discrete component with a layered architecture. The transport layer and below of the TCP/IP suite can be viewed in the figure. The link covers the internetwork and transport protocols. The delivery of packets between the adjacent nodes in an internetwork id provided bye the link protocols. This link delivery only implies that delivered information is intact. Internetwork layer is responsible for addressing and routing of packets between source and destination nodes within the network. At the final the transport layer provides full service to transfer information between them.[5] Application layer: Application layer is the communication between programs and transport protocol. Several different protocols works on the Application layer. The familiar protocols HTTP, SMTP, FTP, SNMP, DNS and Telnet. Application layer commucate through Transport layer that to through a port. Ports are numbered and standard applications always use the same port. For example , SMTP protocol always use port 25, and HTTP protocol always use port 89 and FTP protocol always use ports 20 for data transmission and 21 for control.[6] Transport layer:- The layers gets data from the Application layer and divide into several data packets. It is the most uses TCP. After receiving data TCP protocol gets the packets which sent by the Internet layer and make the in an order, because arrives at the destiny in out of order. Transport layer also check if the content of the received packet are intact and reply by giving acknowledge signal to the transmitter , allowing it to know that the packet arrived in an order at the destiny. If there are no acknowledge signal is received it re send the lost packet.[6] Internet layer: IP address is the unique virtual identity on TCP/IP network of each computer. It as charge of adding a header to the data packets received from the Transport layer. Where other control data will, it will add source IP address and target IP address. the physical address assigned to the network card of each computer. This address is written on the network card RO and is call MAC address. Let us suppose A computer want send a data to B computer so the A want to know the B MAC address but in small local area network computer can easily discover each other MAC address, this is an easy task. If there is no any virtual addressing were used we must to know the MAC address of the destination computer, which is not only a hard task but also does not help out packet routing, because it does not use a tree like structure.[6] Network Interface Layer:- The next is the network interface layer, the datagram generated on the upper layer will be sent to the network interface layer if we are sending data, or the Network Interface layer will get data from the network and send it to the Internet layer, if we are receiving data. The Network Interface Layer breaks down the packets from the Internet Layer into frames and then eventually into bits for transmission across the physical network medium. Signalling and network medium standards such as Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, X .25, Frame Relay, RS-232, and v.35 are defined in this layer. Network Interface Controller (NIC) Cards, network hubs, repeaters, bridges, and switches operate at this level.[6] TCP/IP and OSI MODEL:- TCP/IP is defined in term of the protocols that constitute it. Most of the critical protocols functions are their lower layer of the OSI Reference MODEL that are layer 2, 3 and 4 which correspond to the network interface that is internet and transport layer in the TCP/IP model. Which includes all important IP at layer 3 and TCP at layer 4 which combine to give TCP/IP the name to it. TCP contains four subsections. The first description are the two TCP/IP protocols that reside at the network layer, layer 2 of the OSI model PPP and SLIP. And the second details a couple of special protocol that reside between layer 2 and 3 ARP and RARP. The third covers the TCP/IP internet layer (i.e) OSI network layer and layer 3 including IP and several other related and support protocol. At the final the fourth describes the TCP/IP transports layer protocols TCP and UDP.[7] The lower layer of the OSI model is the physical layer which responsible for the transmitting information from one place to another on a network. The layer just above the physical layer is the data link layer and in TCP/IP its call has Network interface layer. Its main job is to implement network at local level and interface between the hardware oriented physical layer, and the ore abstract, software oriented function of the network layer and the above it.[8] Effects of Internet:- As a consequence of the development of internet, the internet protocol best effort delivery. But it is considered to be unreliable when it is talked about its service. In other network architectural language it is called as connection-less protocol. Thus it has its contrast implications to so called connecting modes of transmission. This lack of reliability causes many effects. The major problems raised are: Data corruption Lost data packets Duplicate arrival Out-of-order packet delivery Coming to the effects based on IPv4 and IPv6, they are as follows. IETF declared that IPv4 will not be able to accommodate the need for ever increasing amount of IP addresses in the next few years. The increase and expansion of IP addresses are needed to accommodate following. They are used for proliferation of internet devices such as personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless devices, and new Internet appliances; the expansion of internet through the world; the increasing applications of internet access; requirements of emerging internet applications. Thus decrease in usage of IPv4 effects all the above mentioned utilizes. The solution for this problem is found from development of IPv6 which enables a mass market and the increased adoption of the internet. IPv4 was in existence and effectively working from almost 20 years. But now all of its approximately four billion of address seems to be getting finished. Because with the tremendous growth of the internet devices and blocks of the ip addresses assigned to various organizations and countries. This fast growth in the number of devices e.g. Mobiles, computers, music players, etc. it looked as if IPv4 addresses would be exhausted in near future. In order to overcome this problem and increasing life for IPv4 certain measures have been taken e.g. network address translation (NAT), classless inter-domain routing (CIDR) and PPP/DHCP. But all of these solutions are temporary and they made networks more complex and difficult for one to understand and implement. Internet Stack Model The Internet Stack Model employs a Internet Protocol Stack or Suite both these words are used interchangeably. This can be defined as the set of communications protocols used for the Internet and other similar networks. As discussed earlier Protocol is a set of rules in a network. The names of the two protocols which employed the Internet Stack Model are Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP), which were also the first two networking protocols defined in this standard. A protocol stack (sometimes communications stack) is a particular software implementation of a computer networking protocol suit. In practical implementation, protocol stacks are often divided into three major sections: media, transport, and applications. A particular operating system or platform will often have two well-defined software interfaces: one between the media and transport layers, and one between the transport layers and applications. Upper layers are logically closer to the user and deal with more abstract data, relying on lower layer protocols to translate data into forms that can eventually be physically transmitted.[1] Difference between OSI and TCP/IP:- OSI model is the standard reference model that describes how the protocols should interact with one another. This was invented by the Department of Defense.TCP/IP does map clearly into OSI model, but is so convenient to think in terms of the OSI model when explaining protocols. The major differences are:- The application layer in TCP/IP handles the responsibilities of layers 5, 6 and 7 in the OSI model. The transport layer in TCP/IP does not always guarantee reliable delivery of packets at the transport layer, while the OSI model does. TCP/IP also offers an option called UDP that does not guarantee reliable packet delivery. [9] TCP/IP appears to be a more simpler model and this is mainly due to the fact that it has fewer layers TCP/IP is considered to be a more credible model- This is mainly due to the fact because TCP/IP protocols are the standards around which the internet was developed therefore it mainly gains creditability due to this reason. Where as in contrast networks are not usually built around the OSI model as it is merely used as a guidance tool The OSI model consists of 7 architectural layers whereas the TCP/IP only has 4 layers. Disadvantages of OSI model: Major disadvantages of OSI model are Bad timing Bad technology Bad implementations Bad Timing: Presently it appears that standard OSI protocols got crushed. It was completed too late, TCP/IP had already taken hold and become the familiar standard for research universities by the time the OSI Model was ready Bad Technology:- Both the models and protocols are flawed. As mentioned about the layers, cause major disadvantage of this model. Working on OSI model which is associated with several definitions and protocols is extraordinarily complex. The reappearance of functions in each layer also cause problem. Some of those functions are addressing, flow control, and error control. Certain important features are placed in every layer. Some times the decisions taken for placing these features are not obvious. In the past the presentation layer had virtual terminal handling which is presently used in application layer. Data security, encryption and network management were also omitted. The criticism given by world is that communication mentality is increasing rapidly. Bad Implementations: Initial implementations made by people were huge ,unwieldy and slow Because of the complexity of the model, the initial implementations were huge, unwieldy, and slow. As time is passing the product got betterments, but bad image stuck. [10] everyone who tried to implement it got burned, giving OSI a reputation for poor quality Disadvantages of TCP/IP model: When TCP/IP is compared with IPX there are few drawbacks. IPX is faster compared to TCP/IP. TCP/IP is intricate to set up and manage. The overhead of TCP/IP is higher than that of IPX. The process involved in TCP/IP is long. The entire process is, port numbers are assigned by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), and they identify the process to which a particular packet is connected to. Port numbers are found in the packet header. [11]. Few more disadvantages of this model are: software used for strict layering is very inefficient. When buffers are provided they leave space for headers which are added by lower layer protocols. [12] Security:- Internet has become a phenomenon. Sharing Files, transferring Files all across the network has caused the users to think about some serious problems that are being raised due to the phenomenon of Internet. Security is another issue that sits at the top of the level as designers and developers both struggle to give out the correct form of measures to be taken to deal with the issue of Network Security. Since the Protocol Stack has got just one layer to really check the authenticity of the packets that pass through the layers and the network. It has allowed the network to become more susceptible to foreign threats. Since, Computers that are connected to each other create a network. These networks are often configured with public Internet Protocol (IP) addresses that is, the devices on the network are visible to devices outside the network. Networks can also be configured as private meaning that devices outside the network cannot see or communicate directly to them. Computers on a public network have the advantage (and disadvantage) that they are completely visible to the Internet. As such, they have no boundaries between themselves and the rest of the Internet community. This advantage oftentimes becomes a distinct disadvantage since this visibility can lead to a computer vulnerability exploit -e.g.: Hacking if the devices on the public network are not properly secured.To plainly counter this strategy the, we employ a private LAN and make the network a private network then the disadvantage of a private network would be that it entails more configuration and administration to maintain usability. At times, not being fully visible on the Internet can cause some difficulty in connecting to certain services, such as streaming audio/video, chat/instant messaging programs, or some secure Web sites. Maintaining most computers on a private network, with only an IDP/IDS and/or Firewall visible to the public Internet helps maintain a highly secure environment for the computers on the private network, while at the same time keeping them connected to the public Internet.[13] Benefits of OSI model:- The OSI Model is a standard and a very useful tool to deal with the problems of networking. The OSI model is also a standard model for networking protocols and distributed application. In the OSI model there are a total of 7 network layers. The layers of OSI provide the levels of abstraction. Each layer performs a different set of functions and the intent was to make each layer as independent as possible from all the others. This guarantees the security to each packet that passes through these layers also, it reduces the complexity of packet routing through each layer thus reducing the threat of congestion in the network. Each layer uses the information from the below layer and provides a service to the layer above in the OSI Model. [14] Conclusion: Even though OSI model has a few limitations it cannot be said that the model is not suitable anymore because talking about the time and the influence of the OSI model on the networking as whole has had a lot of positive causes. Even if we have many new models coming up with different improvements the base model is always the OSI model. What we can take out of the OSI model are mainly the benefits of the OSI model and which even are the major characteristics needed for creating a good model. The OSI Model is perhaps the most imp lest and widely used through the world. Owing to the advantages of this network we are able to reduce the complexity and save time when passing data on a network. Reference:- 1) John Larmouth (1996): Understanding OSI: International Thomson Computer Press, Michigan. USA} 2) Computer networks 3rd edition by ANDREW S. TANENBAUM 3) Standard network layer architecture, By Bradley Mitchell http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/designosimodel/a/osimodel.htm 4)http://www2.rad.com/networks/introductory/layers/main.htm 5) By Douglas Comers http://www.cellsoft.de/telecom/tcpip.htm 6) Author: Gabriel Torres http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/433/1,2,3,4,5,6 7) Charles M. Kozierok .http://www.tcpipguide.com/free/t_TCPIPLowerLayerInterfaceInternetandTransportProtoc.htm 8) Charles M. Kozierok http://www.tcpipguide.com/free/t_DataLinkLayerTechnologiesandProtocols.htm http://itprofesionals.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-is-difference-between-osi-model.html 10) Computer Networks Fourth Edition by Andrew S. Tanenbaum 11)www.tech-faq.com/understanding-the-osi-model.shtml www.bookrags.com/wiki/OSI_model 13) Behrouz A. Forouzan, Sophia Chung Fegan (2004). Data Communications and Networking, McGraw-Hill Professional, USA. 14) http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/designosimodel/a/osimodel.htm

Long Term Academic Goals

My long term academic goal is obtain a bachelor's degree. That goal is first broken down into semesters in which I take two courses at a time. I am currently taking two courses, and this is my first semester. I break down the semester into weeks, doing work on a weekly basis. At the beginning of the week, which for me is Monday, I estimate how long it will take me to complete that weeks reading assignment. I divide that time by five days, as I prefer not to read on the weekend, and I read that many hours each day.So, for example, if I estimate that I have five hours' worth of reading or the week, I would read for an hour each day. In regard to priorities, I establish them by due date of assignments, and amount of work due each class. I try to do the heaviest work load first. My support group consists of my family and friends. I usually talk to them on a daily basis on my commute to work, and I tell them about the work I am doing for each class each week. They listen attentively, and offer advice on how to complete the work in a timely fashion, such as setting aside time each day for school work.My brother is particularly supportive, as both he and I started college when we were both young, and he is Curious as to the changes that have happened over the years. My backup plan in case my computer goes down is twofold. First, I have my laptop on which I can access the internet. On the laptop, I have MS Word, so I can do my assignments. If both my main computer and my laptop go down, I have access to my brother's laptop, which has MS Word on It as well. I also have access to the internet via my local public library.Finally, I keep track of my assignments and due dates via a paper desktop calendar and my Blackberry. The desktop calendar Is on my work desk. I write every assignment on the date that It Is due on the calendar. When I complete an assignment, I check It off with a purple highlighter. I also put the assignment Into my Blackberry calendar, and set an alarm to go off at 10:00 AM of the date the assignment Is due. Since assignments are not due until midnight of the day they are due, If the assignment Is still outstanding, I have fourteen hours to complete It. This gives me adequate time to still complete the assignment.