Analyse How Businesses Are Organised Essay Example for Free

Analyse How Businesses Are Organised Essay Definition: The way a business is organized internally to enable employees to carry out their job roles and communicate with each other. There are many Organisational structures these organizational structures allow you to know what everyone’s role is in a business and also who they have power over. The business is able to work more sufficiently if they have an organizational chart. Span of control A span of control is the number of people who report to one manager in a hierarchy. The more people under the control of one manager, the wider the span of control. Less means a narrower span of control. Chain of command Chain of command is the order in which orders and decisions are passed down from top to bottom of the hierarchy. Line Manager – A Manager who is responsible for achieving an organisations main objective by executing functions such as policy making, target setting and decision making. Purpose of organisational chart: The purpose of an organizational chart is that it depicts the staffing order of a company. It is commonly shown in a hierarchical format; it also helps identify who does what in an organization, how many staff work in the company and what the chain of command is. This information is important to internal staff, HR departments, stakeholders and board members. Why is there a need for an organizational STRUCTURE? It is essential for a business to have an organizational structure because if they didn’t have one the business would be a disorganised mess. Here are the advantages of having an organisational structure. Firstly it would be favorable towards the employees. There would be less inconvenience as the employees who- know who to go to and report to if they have any problems and need a person higher up in the hierarchal structure of the business to sort it out for them. Therefore the workers would know what responsibilities they have and what job they would need to do. Without the structure a business has the employees wouldn’t be able to carry out their jobs and the departments of the business would have too many employees or too little. Moreover both business London Heathrow Marriott and McDonald are allocated nationwide which shows that they need to be able to carry out orders quick and adequately which it also shows they are well organized. London Heathrow Marriotts organ isational structure: Here is London Heathrow Marriott’s organizational chart. London Heathrow Marriott’s hierarchical structure is a Flat centralized hierarchy structure this allows the business to make faster decisions and it allows more responsibilities for the managers and others increasing motivation but this disallow to fewer opportunities for promotion leading to lower self-confidence. the advantages of a flat hierarchical structure for lhm: A wide span of control is an example of an organizational structure and where additional employees are at an equal level instead of being superior to one another. This is an advantage to the London Heathrow Marriott as it tells us that there are fewer hierarchies consequential in an easier and faster communication. Also there would be fewer employees working at the top of the hierarchical structure which means it would cost the hotel less money. This shows that employees lower in position are not constantly maintaining authority and being managed which will make the workers more persistent and give incentive to achieve their responsibilities to the best of their abilities. This will give confidence to the employees to work to the best of their abilities and show that they are committed to their job which could lead to receiving a promotion which shows that London Heathrow Marriott don’t have to spend more money in order to train new employees. This also shows that London Heathrow Marriott are not losing any sufficient amount of money which they can spend on something else and it also shows that they are achieving their aim of making ‘ £20million per annum’ of profit. In addition to being able to communicate without any trouble there is also â€Å"excellent team spirit†. Disadvantages of a hierarchical structure for lhm: Even though there are lots of advantages to having a flat hierarchical structure it has its disadvantages. When some employees have other boss’s it shows that it is a flat hierarch in a business. This is sometimes not meant or adapted for a particular purpose and can cause lot of Trouble or difficulty caused to ones personal requirements or comfort, they may find it distressing being controlled from more than one boss’s. Also there is less control within the business as there is only one manager per department and it would be harder for the manager to keep track of each inferior to who they are in charge over. This shows that there is a large area of responsibility this might direct to some tasks that a business wants to achieve to be completely inefficiently meaning that they want to do things without any trouble which can effect the business as a loss for the business as there might be a problem but if it hasn’t been fixed or repaired after a period of time and if the person in charge of the people lower in the chain e.g. trainees, employees might be dealing with a lot of staff but some jobs and prospects of a business might be at risk of no longer existing. Therefore there will a less chance of getting promotions as a flat hierarchical structure as described in the hierarchical chart, there are more people lower in the chain than there is of superiors leading to lower morale. how flat hierarchical structure helps LHm achieve its aims and objectives: One of the objectives London Heathrow Marriott wish to achieve is; â€Å"75% of guest’s to be satisfied†. The hierarchical organizational structures lead staff a clear principle to what their job is and the aims and objectives they should meet. With a flat hierarchical structure there is less confusion for employees and also many customers are satisfied, especially when the employees in the business know what they are doing. London Heathrow Marriott also want to achieve;â€Å"Labour turnover less than or equal to 25%†.By having a flat hierarchical structure in the business shows that rules within the business are made faster, furthermore managers are able to take actions quicker to any worries which a employee has. Hence employees will feel as if their need and concerns are heard out and met so they wouldn’t have any reason to leave the business. McDonalds organisational structure: Here is McDonald’s organizational chart. McDonalds hierarchical structure is a flat plan. Where there is one manager who is in control of the other assistants and employees. He takes all the decisions and he is in charge of the main functions. This makes it very simple for the staff because all they have to do is selling. This way they can pay more attention to the customers, so I think this is indeed the best structure for a McDonalds restaurant. But the McDonalds corporation has a hierarchical structure. This is a huge company with lots of different departments which has to be organized very well, because if the employees arent directed in the right way they wont do their jobs right. So this way it is all ordered and the people can work undisturbed, this saves time and money for the business. the advantages of a flat hierarchical structure for McDonald’s: The advantages of a flat hierarchical structure for McDonald are that faster decision can be made so that they wouldn’t have to waste time on making decision and make quick profit. Also there is a shorter channel of communication so that employees can find out any necessary information which they need to know. It is also more cost effective as Flat Organisation is less costly because it has only few managers. It also creates fewer levels of management. It is more suitable for routine and standardized activities. Disadvantages of a hierarchical structure for McDonald’s: There are chances of losing control because there are many subordinates under one manager this will result in bad discipline in the organisation as they have lost control. [ 1 ]. Business text book [ 2 ]. Business Dictionary [ 3 ]. Business Dictionary [ 4 ]. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/line-manager.html [ 5 ]. Interview with HR Manager Anna Foley [ 6 ]. Interview with HR Manager Anna Foley [ 7 ]. Interview with HR Manager Anna Foley

Online Learning vs Face-to-Face Learning

Online Learning vs Face-to-Face Learning Have you ever seen an advertisement on television that promotes acquiring a degree online? The advertisements make it sound easy and convenient to get a two-year, or even a four-year degree, for little of nothing, in a short amount of time, and big-time businesses will be begging you to work for them. However, is acquiring a degree online better than sitting in a classroom with a real-life professor? Do you receive more of a quality education in a classroom, face-to-face, or behind a computer screen? Face-to-Face learning is better than online learning because of the interactions and examples of face to face learning will benefit the learner the most. One of the most beneficial means of physically being in a classroom is the response time that a person receives from an actual person, such as a professor, versus an online class instructor. During face to face learning, a persons questions will get an immediate answer whereas online learning means waiting for a response. Studies show that immediate and efficient feedback response time is crucial to effective learning. In a classroom environment, you may also have the advantage of working in small groups where you can collaborate on difficult topics and receive immediate feedback from you peer groups as well. Sometimes, discussing issues or problems with your instructor in person is a lot easier than typing it out or trying to explain it in face-time online. Efficient and effective constructive feedback is imperative to proper learning environments, such as what a person would receive in an actual classroom. Attending classes in person also creates a disciplined, structured student. In todays society, it is crucial that students become more structured by attending scheduled classes. By abiding by a class schedule, this trains the student for real world situations, such as being on-time for a job interview or important business meetings. The online environment is usually more flexible as far as time constraints. A person does not have attend class at a specific time and can do household chores, take care of a baby, etc. Many people may see this as an advantage. (Lim, Doo Hun, Michael L. Morris). However, this is actually a disadvantage because it creates a carefree, lazy, and distractive environment. This type of climate cannot possibly properly prepare a person for a job, profession, or career. The online classroom is at an extreme disadvantage when trying to properly prepare a student for a structured, business-type atmosphere. One of the best ways to make new friends and meet new people by socially interacting with them is in the classroom. Meeting new people is a great way to sharpen your social skills and where else better can a person do that but in the classroom. Socializing with others is a perfect way to make future job connections, acquire new friends, maybe meet your soulmate. Online learning depletes a person of these socializing opportunities. It even impairs them further. Socializing face-to-face is becoming a trait that is harder to find in employers today. With increased amounts of text messages, social media sites, and other less invasive ways of interacting with other people, employers are struggling to find employees that know how to interact face-to-face effectively. They are a dying breed as we speak. Collaborating with others offers several more benefits for a student to be successful in the real world instead of spending time behind a monitor at home. A great way to learn how to interact with a superior is by being a student in an actual classroom environment. By interacting with your professor, this prepares a student how to effectively talk, respond, and work for a superior. Personalities sometimes do not mesh, they may even clash, but by learning how to deal with other personalities, this develops a more well-rounded individual socially speaking. Trial and error in how you respond and/or get responses gets students ready for real world problems, such as how to properly talk to your boss, how to handle difficult situations with co-workers, maybe even how to settle differences with your spouse. (Smith, Nigel V). By learning how to answer to a superior, even though it may be a professor or professors assistant, interacting with different types of people as your superior trains a student to become a more successful individual later in life. The classroom also offers several opportunities for a student to learn kinesthetically, whereas the online classroom fails the student in this area. Online learning obviously offers opportunities for visual learning, but it does not offer much else. The classroom offers so much more, such as hands-on trainings, visual and hearing enhanced learning, and other kinesthetic, or physical means, of acquiring information. By incorporating different learning styles, the success rate of learning highly increases. This creates a more successful learning environment for everyone. The online learning experience is very limited in capturing different learning styles and ultimately fails the student. The online classroom actually offers more opportunities to become distracted and stray away from better learning versus the physical classroom. Since the traditional way of learning has always been in a classroom, many people think that students become more distracted in this type of environment. (Bowen, William G., et al). However, the opposite is true. By doing online learning from home, office, or in a public venue, students are increasingly more distracted by other people, family members, and cell phones. Many classrooms limit students to being on their phones or laptops, therefore, decreasing the amount of distractions. Online learning actually increases the amount of distractions because most people access their online classrooms from home, their office or place of work, or in a public place such as a coffee shop. People with conditions such as ADHD or other learning disabilities are at even more of a disadvantage for a successful online learning experience. Finally, not everyone is equipped with fast-connecting internet, wifi, or has data plans that support the online learning environment. Many people live in rural areas where high-speed internet service or wifi is not available. Data plans and internet plans can be expensive, so people that are on a strict budget tend to stray away from costly internet and phone data plans. Sometimes internet connections can be interrupted by bad weather and can cause problems with your online learning experience. You may even lose your work if there is a power outage or your internet connection is interrupted. If you have a deadline, this could be a very bad situation. Face-to-face learning in an actual classroom is proven to be the better alternative when it comes to being a student. Despite our ever increasing use of technology, online learning fails to prepare a well-rounded student that is prepared for the real world. By increasing social interactions, becoming more structured in your schedule, and learning how to interact with authority figures, students are far more successful in their careers by accessing the traditional classroom option. However, as more and more online learning opportunities increase, face-to-face learning may fade away forever. Work Cited Bowen, William G., et al. Online learning in higher education: randomized trial compares hybrid learning to traditional course. Education Next, vol. 13, no. 2, 2013, p. 58+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A323351286/OVIC?u=j020902xid=b03e0583. Accessed 7 Feb. 2017. Lim, Doo Hun, Michael L. Morris, and Virginia W. Kupritz. Online Vs. Blended Learning: Differences In Instructional Outcomes And Learner Satisfaction. Journal Of Asynchronous Learning Networks 11.2 (2007): 27-42. ERIC. Web. 6 Feb. 2017. Smith, Nigel V. Face-To-Face Vs. Blended Learning: Effects On Secondary Students Perceptions And Performance. Procedia Social And Behavioral Sciences 89.2nd Cyprus International Conference on Educational Research (CY-ICER 2013) (2013): 79-83. ScienceDirect. Web. 6 Feb. 2017. Yang, Yan, et al. College Student Effort Expenditure In Online Versus Face-To-Face Courses: The Role Of Gender, Team Learning Orientation, And Sense Of Classroom Community. Journal Of Advanced Academics 22.4 (2011): 619-638. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Feb. 2017.

Free College Essays - Change of Characters in Shakespeares Othello :: GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Othello

Change of Characters in Othello Othello's character during the play is first shown as a hero of war and a man of great pride and courage. The other main characters in the play all form their own opinions of him and as the play continues, his character begins to deteriorate and become less noble. Chronologically through the play Othello's character changes from a flawless military leader, to become a murderer. Also as the play progresses, the other characters in the play change their opinions of Othello which causes the plot to happen the way it did. Throughout the first act of the play, Othello was shown as many different characters depending on who was speaking. Iago complains of Othello's pride and "bombast circumstance" and is angered by the appointment of Cassio, and educated military theoretician of Florence to lieutenant, instead of himself. Although he knows Othello is a proud man, his open and trusting nature in the beginning of the play will be eroded by the conclusion of the plot. As Iago is spe aking to Brabantio about Othello, he uses the term "white ewe" to represent Desdemona, and "black ram" when referring to Othello. By using these terms, it shows that he is trying to give a bad impression of Othello when he is speaking to the royal family in Venice, because Othello is a Moor or a Negro. Iago shows his black hatred for the Moor, and his jealousy of Cassio in his first soliloquy and also reveals his evil intentions. As the act continues and Othello is being searched for by a group of people, Iago attempts to incite Othello into anger against Brabantio, but Othello does not take the bait. He feels that he (Brabantio) may do his worst because Othello is assured that his military services to the government will outweigh Brabantio's complaints of him marrying Desdemona. These answers to Iago's persistence show that he is still a character of calmness and dignity, and he still has the self-assurance suitable to command armies of men. When Othello is foun d by Cassio, he seems to be relieved because he does not like personal conflict, which would have occurred if Brabantio had found him instead. After he is found, Othello is taken to Brabantio where he is interrogated on how he possessed Desdemona enough in order to make her run off with him.

Leonardos Laptop :: essays research papers

Ben Shneiderman, in Leonardo’s Laptop, introduces the idea of new education, which uses technology for active learning and collaborative teaching methods. In this new education, a part of the new computing, Shneiderman envisions an educational online web tool, which he calls LEON. This method of e-learning would provide a student oriented view of what is on the web. Students could gather information and acquire resources. It would allow students to recognize truth and useful information. LEON would allow for students to work in collaborative teams. Students and teachers will be able to work together and post the outcomes of the collaborations. It would allow for student participation, whether one on one or groups. E-learning would produce results that are meaningful to someone outside the classroom. An archive would be provided for students and teachers everywhere. These explain the idea’s for Shneiderman’s LEON in the new education, a part of the new computing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I agree with all parts of LEON. It would be an interest catching educational tool; Shneiderman proposes graphics and sound to captivate the student. As a creative outlet it would be ideal for students to explore everything technology has to offer while learning. A tool to gather information and acquire resources, I believe I agree that it would be useful for students to learn how to use the web to gather useful information. At the same time they would learn to avoid dangers and false information. I think that it would be great as a tool to work in collaborative groups. Here students would be able to share ideas and allow large amounts of people to work together. I agree that LEON would help to develop ambitious projects by students. By using LEON students know that others will be seeing their work, and this makes them polish them to perfection. Other students would be able to put their input in as well.

Teaching in America Essay -- Education Educating Essays

Teaching in America ABSTRACT: The term "teaching" is usually used in the Academy without a clear sense of what is meant, resulting in imprecise and ineffective teaching. The standard lines-that teaching is a matter of applying approved methods, that teaching is mostly a matter of teaching skills-as-means to some career or whatever-are reflective of failure in the Academy, measured in its "defect rate" of around 30 percent. The definition of teaching I sketch-skills adopted from a theoretical foundation, in turn based on a critique-is well founded in the scholarly tradition. Such a definition is, however, challenging to an Academy at the end of an ancien rà ©gime. It has been apparent for a couple decades that something is wrong with the way we teach in this country. Most of the attention is focused on "the grades", but higher education is no longer exempt from criticism. The most alarming reports are quite consistent: Between 27 percent and 35 percent of students entering the college and university system do not complete the program they enter. (1) That so many students should be admitted, then lost along the way, is an unacceptable "defect rate". General Interest There is a vast literary corpus on the subject of what is wrong with the teaching system. It ranges from alarming reports in the popular press to practical and anecdotal accounts, to what passes for scholarly reportage of research backed by significant public and private grants. The popular press is, per def., popular; it favors the tangible ("readin', writin' 'n' 'rithmetic"). Scholarly reportage is contradictory, e. g.: One report, in a teachers'-union publication, tells us that two-year-college students entering upper-division study are more likel... ...er published a very insightful essay on the irrelevance of current economic theory and the economists who produce it. The picture is complex, but the gist of it is, modern school-economics is so caught up in fanciful application of ever-more-recondite skills, that all sense of the larger world supposedly being modeled is lost. It turns out that Keynes and his successors were the last of that ilk to have their feet firmly planted in reality - as well as being generally better applied-mathematicians. As I read this essay, it seemed to me much the same could be said for the exponents of quantitative political science, quantitative sociology and so on: These folks owned their fields in the 1970s and 1980s; today they are little heard from, and what they present as "science" - as, e. g., in The Bell Curve of a couple years back - is rightly laughed at as sheer silliness.

Cruise Shipping

This industry can be traced back to around the 1400s when the first transatlantic voyage took place (Destination Yacht Charters). The speed of these cruise ships was very low during these years, but this was changed when the steam engine was invented in 1712 by a scientist named Thomas Newcomen (Briggs, 2009). The evolution of the steam engine led to the formation of the first shipping firm, the Black Ball Line, in 1818, which offered scheduled services to its passengers (Lytyson, 2009).With the steam engine, the cruise shipping continued to flourish in the 1800s and the early 1900s as the number of passengers traveling for business or leisure grew. However, with the arrival of passenger airplane from the Boeing Company in 1960s, the industry started to decline and this was attributed to the speed of these airplanes (Cruise lines, 2009). With the airplanes people could travel to more destinations within a short time in comparison to the cruise ships. This made the shipping companies to change their goals and to focus on tourism instead of passenger services.Furthermore, with the stiff competition from the airplanes, the industry still managed to flourish since they concentrated on improving the voyage itself. These companies concentrated on making their ships more comfortable and even provided extensive entertainment inside the cruise ships for the passengers. In addition, with †The Love Boat† television show in 1977 to 1986, the image of cruise shipping was improved and made better (Boyd, 2008 ). Recently, with the luxurious and superior entertainment provided on-board, the voyage has become the center of attraction and not the geographic destinations (Cruise working, 2009).This has made the cruise shipping industry to become one of the fastest growing industries in the transportation sector. Factors contributing to Cruise industry growth The economy in many countries is stable and growing and this has led to increased wealth amongst the people in those countries. With increased wealth many people can afford to travel for leisure. To a large extent, this is contributing to the continued growth in number of passengers experienced by the industry. For instance, between 1980 and 2003, the North American market grew at a rate of about 8. 4% per annum (Dowling, 2006).Globalisation is stimulating the market of container transport. The increase in the market of container transport is contributing to cruise shipping growth. In the Trans Pacific the number of containers transported in 2004, increased by about 15. 3% to more than 622,000 standard containers (Hapag-Lioyd, 2005). With the increase in the market, more ships are being built with even large capacity in order to tap the profits incurred in this transport industry. The peaceful environment experienced in most parts of the world is contributing to cruise shipping industry growth.For instance, in Iraq when peace was restored, tonnage at Aqaba port increased by about 28% to abou t 6. 5 million tons, in the first four months of 2003 (Stensgaard, 2007). The war in Iraq led to many ports being closed and people could not visit the country. However, when the war ended, materials for reconstructing the country entered the country through port Aqaba and this has led to its growth. With peace in many nations cruise ships can move freely in the waters as the number of safe ports increase leading to more destinations where people can visit.The tourism sector is growing at a fast pace and this can be attributed to many countries especially African countries investing more money in marketing their country's heritage. In many African countries the tourism industry is one of the major sources of income. In a country like Kenya, in 2006, revenue from tourism reached $800 million, thereby making it the largest foreign currency earner followed by horticulture and tea (Wallis, 2007). The fast growth in the tourism industry is facilitating the growth in the cruise industry a s both industries depend on each other mutually.The advancement in technology has enabled cruise ships to communicate with the loading and the off-loading ports and even with other ships. With modern communication, the ships can easily request for assistance when facing problems in the waters such as engine failure, explosions, among others, from other ships or nearby harbours. Furthermore, with the technological advancements, faster ships are being built thereby reducing the time spent in waters. The passengers can therefore reach their destinations in shorter time periods.In 2007, the world fuel price was more than $100 per barrel (Mati, 2008) but in 2009, prices have reduced to about $59 per barrel (Associated Press, 2009). The reduction in the fuel prices is a boost to the cruise shipping industry as it helps in reducing the package prices thereby enticing more passengers to cruising. Some people might find cruising expensive but with the reduction in package prices cruising wil l be made more affordable to them. To some extent, this is contributing to the increase in the number of cruise passengers. Strengths Cruise itinerariesThey provide the cruise passengers with a wide variety of services to choose from. There is a wide variety of cruise ships which offer different services. For instance, there is the Disney Cruise which offers exquisite activities for children and adult flair, the Royal Caribbean which offers magnificent sporting activities, the Costa cruises, which has put more emphasis in providing dining and entertainment in accordance with the Italian heritage, and many others (Lovetoknowcruises, 2007) Capacity The magnitude in size allows the cruise ships to carry a very large number of passengers at a go.The largest cruise ship can carry more than 6000 passengers (Wise, 2007 ), while the largest plane can carry more than 850 passengers at a go (Lewin, 2009). In terms of space, the cruise ships are more comfortable than the airplane and vehicles. Because of the large space in cruise ships, movement is not restricted and people can move around freely while in airplanes, vehicles and trains there is limited space and movement is restricted. Privacy and value In cruise ships privacy is ensured and respected. Because of its large capacity, it is designed like a hotel with rooms for the passengers.In cruise ships, the voyage is package priced and this usually includes food, room, and entertainment, among others. In most cases the passengers would spend more money on a vacation of same quality on land than on voyage (Hillman, 2009). This therefore shows that cruising is cost efficient than land vacation. More relaxation Land tourism is tiring than cruise shipping. In land tourism, the vehicle may encounter problems like engine problems, tire puncture, and many more, but in cruise shipping the problems are almost negligible.Furthermore, the hotel personnel pamper their visitors at a lower level in comparison with the cruise shippi ng personnel (Hillman, 2009). In cruise ships the passengers are treated with much respect and their requests are usually met in time. In addition, food is provided and the passengers do not have to carry their own food, while in land vacation you either carry your own food or look for restaurants that provide quality food and these restaurants are usually hard to come by.The problem of packing and unpacking your belongings is not experienced in cruise shipping (Hillman, 2009). The passengers will only unpack once throughout their cruising as they move from one place to another and will only pack once when they are back to their homes. Weaknesses Diseases infections The passengers in cruise ship are exposed to a high risk of disease infections such norovirus, maladies, among others. In 2004, about 300 passengers of the Carnival cruise line ship were infected with stomach malady while they were on-board (Water quality and health council, 2009).Consequently, in 2007, about 7 crew memb ers of the Majestic America Line cruise ship and 26 passengers were infected with norovirus while on-board (Baldwin, 2007). The norovirus has no cure but is controlled by antibiotics. The closed environment in the cruise ship provides suitable conditions for disease infections to spread swiftly since there is much human contact and food contact. Some of the reasons leading to disease infections include neglecting to disinfect restrooms and kitchens, washing hands among others (Paddock, 2009).The rate of disease infections in the cruise ships is reported to be on the rise and this could affect this industry adversely. Maintaining sanitation in cruise ships is becoming a problem for many shipping companies since it requires more funds and some companies are reluctant. Environmental pollution The cruise ships produce significant amounts of wastes which are mainly disposed with minimum regulation since they are not subjected to the same environmental policies as the industries on land ( Commoy et al, 2005).Researches done have shown that cruise ships produce carbon dioxide three times more than airplanes (Environmental Leader, 2008 ). Furthermore, in cases of accidents as was observed at the coastline of the Antarctic island, the Norwegian ship spilled fuel as it ran aground (Reuters, 2007). Spilling fuel in the waters is harmful to aquatic life as it deprives them oxygen (Smith, 2009). In addition, in many cruise ships there is no energy conservation mechanism, a lot of energy is used in moving, in the restaurants, for laundry and in the movie theaters.There is significant wastage of energy in the cruise ships. Terrorism Historically, terrorist mainly target the transport industry since the security in the maritime borders is lower in comparison to land borders (Loy, 2001) . For instance, in 1985, Palestinian terrorists attacked the Italian cruise ship killing at least one American (Ensor, 2003). The perception by people of a terrorist threat can restrict the crui se industry growth. Some people may not prefer cruise shipping because of increased terrorist activities thereby reducing its market as people fear for their lives.Terrorist activities may instill fear in some people thereby restricting them from traveling as they prefer staying in one place or going for land vacation which is much safer. Speed and price When compared to airplanes the cruise ship are expensive and consume a lot of fuel. In terms of fuel efficiency, studies carried out have shown that cruise ships are the worst in fuel efficiency when compared to airplane (Davison, 2009). Furthermore, in terms of speed cruise ships are very slow.For instance, the world’s fastest ship, Olympic voyager took seven days to visit three continents while an airplane can take only several hours at most (Hammond, 2000). The aviation sector is providing stiff competition as they try to improve the speed, the comfort and even the services provided to its customers. In addition, the aviat ion sector building big planes with larger capacity to cater for the increasing number of passengers. Limited port facilities The modern technology is enabling ports to become more efficient and effective in the services they provide to the shipping industry.However, the rate at which new technology is being adopted by ports is very slow and this can be attributed to high cost as upgrading requires much capital. Majority of the ports have not upgraded into using the modern technology and this has become a hindrance since few cruise ships can dock at that port in a day. It takes a lot of time to clear a cruise ship to dock. In addition, there are ports which have upgraded their facilities into using modern technology, but have limited loading capacity and therefore cannot accommodate large ships.This is negatively affecting the cruise shipping industry as it continues to build larger ships. Availability of the cruise itineraries Cruise itineraries are not available throughout the yea r they are restricted by seasons, some itineraries are available during the summer while others during the winter. This therefore restricts passengers from traveling to some destinations during a particular season. For instance, the Alaska cruise operates during summer only while during winter it is off-season, this restricts people who want to travel amongst the Alaskan glaciers (lovetoknowcruises, 2007).Furthermore, there are some itineraries which are not available in many ports such as the Caribbean and Mediterranean voyages which are usually available throughout the year but are limited by the number of cruise ships that provide them (MacCalla, 1994). Limited exploration time and destinations In cruise shipping there is limited time spent on land, a lot of time is spent on-board. This gives the cruise passengers little time to absorb the cultures of local communities when visiting a place. In addition, the voyage is restricted to the coastal areas, only the airplanes, trains am ong others can go inland.This therefore makes people who want to visit inland places to prefer using airplanes over cruise ships. Future of cruise shipping industry The number of passengers has been increasing annually and this is a big boost to this shipping industry. However, with economic downturn in the world, the cruise shipping industry will be affected adversely. In 2009, the number of passengers in cruise ships is expected to grow by about 3% which is a significant reduction from the growth observed from 2006 to 2007 of about 11% (Berman, 2008).With this significant reduction in passenger growth, the cruise shipping industry is still better placed than most sectors. The passenger number especially that of British cruise passengers is anticipated to grow by 2010 as new cruise ships providing better services will be in the market. From the trend observed in1995 to 2005, whereby the number of European passengers tripled from about 1 million to about 3. 3 million, this growth ra te is anticipated to reach 4 million annually by 2010 and to about 5 million by 2015 ( Seatrade Cruise connection, 2007).The new ships are expected to provide better itineraries thereby attracting more passengers to cruising. Even though, the cruise shipping industry is facing some serious challenges, the future looks bright. Furthermore, with the advancement in technology, the efficiency and effectiveness in ship building will be greatly improved and ships will be build much faster thereby meeting the increasing passenger demands. From the current trends observed, in 10 to 15 years the cruise shipping industry will expand greatly and become one of the largest industries contributing to the world economy. Word Count: 2347.Reference List Associated Press, (2009). Prices at the pump also rise — national average is $2. 311 for a gallon of gas Retrieved May 19 from http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/12400801/ Baldwin M. (2007). Is â€Å"New† Norovirus to Blame for Cruise Ship Outbreaks? Retrieved May 19 from http://www. cruisecritic. com/news/news. cfm? ID=2028 Berman C. (2008). Cruise growth will slow in 2009, says Passenger shipping association. Retrieved May 19 from http://www. travelweekly. co. uk/Articles/2008/10/07/29073/cruise-growth-will-slow-in-2009-says-passenger-shipping. html Boyd L. (2008). Brief History of the Passenger Ship Industry.Retrieved May 19 from http://library. duke. edu/digitalcollections/adaccess/ship-history. html Briggs J. (2009). How Cruise Ships Work. Retrieved May 19 from http://adventure. howstuffworks. com/cruise-ship1. htm Commoy J. , C. Polytika, R. Nadel and J. Bulkley 2005. The environmental impact of cruise ships. Retrieved May 18 from Cruise lines, (2009). A brief history of the cruise line industry. 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Broadening Your Perspective Essay

The idea for this example is to further explain Activity Based Costing and how it can help the Ideal Manufacturing Company keep its costs at the correct level. Activity based costing is defined as â€Å"An activity based costing (ABC) system recognizes the relationship between costs, activities and products, and through this relationship assigns indirect costs to products less arbitrarily than traditional methods..† (Investopedia, 2014) A.) 17-2 broadening your perspective asks that we compute the activity-based overhead rate for each activity cost. To calculate the activity-based overhead rate for each activity cost we use the formula: The following chart are the results of that formula for each activity cost related to is driver. For market analysis we take the market analysis amount/hours of analysis. This is 1,050,000/15,000=$70.00. For the Product design we take the product design of 2,350,000 divided by the number of designs 2,500. This is calculation is 2,350,000/2,500=940. For the Product Development we calculate the Product Development/Number of Products. 3,600,000/90=40. Lastly the Prototype testing/Number of Tests or 1,400,000/500= 2,800. B) The next section that we are looking at is â€Å"How much cost would be charged to an in-house manufacturing department that consumed 1,800 hours of market analysis time, was provided 280 designs relating to 10 products, and request 92 engineering tests. The following chart is based on these calculations. The market analysis is calculated by taking the calculated rate of 70*1,800  hours. This calculation comes to a $126,000 cost. The product design is calculated by multiplying the previous calculations of 940*280. This calculation comes to $263,200 in costs. The Product Development is calculated by 10 products* recalculated 40,000. This calculation is equal to $400,000in costs. We then take the Prototype testing pre-calculated 2800*92 engineering tests. This calculation is equal to $257,600 in costs. The total costs after the sum is $1,046,800. C.) These calculations are taken based on the question asked of â€Å"How much cost would serve as the basis for pricing an R&D bid with an outside company on a contract that would consume 800 hours of analysis time, require 178 designs relating to 3 products, and result in 70 engineering tests?† The following chart is the above calculations: For this set of calculations we take the 800 hours of analysis time and multiply it by 70 which calculates to the $56,000 in costs. Product design is calculated by taking 178 designs multiplied by 940= $167,320 in costs. Product development is calculated by 3*40,000= 120,000 on costs and prototype testing is equal to 70*2800=196,000 in costs for a total of $539,320. D.) The benefit to Ideal Manufacturing of applying activity for both in house and outside charging purposes is that the use of activity based costing will show a more accurate selling proce of the product and the loss that is taken. Without activity based costing being used Ideal Manufacturing could be charged a higher selling price. This would not be ideal for Ideal Manufacturing as their competitors could get smaller selling prices. In all activity based costing helps the company to make sure that they are using the correct cost for each of their products and provides the company with a more accurate selling price. Reference Investopedia. (2014). Activity Based Costing. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/abc.asp