The Strategic Management Of Ryan Air

The Strategic Management Of Ryan Air A Jenoir management consultant is providing consultant service for strategic management of the companies. Senior management team of Ryan air details on the contracts signed with Jenoir management consulting company for get the consulting service in strategic management of the Ryan airs future. As a result of this we carried out a strategic analysis in terms of the environment, industry and also regarding the internal performance of Ryan air. The aim of this report is to provide consulting services to Ryan air for its strategic management in the future. This report will focus on: The strategic analysis of the Macro Environment taking into account the PESTEL factors which will draw out the opportunities and threats, Industry analysis using the Porters Five Forces Model and a Strategic Group Model and Internal analysis drawing out the resources and capabilities and the VRIO using the Value-Chain Model for Ryan air. Thereafter, recommendations will be given as to how Ryan air can improve which will be continued in the second part of this report. Hence, this report will show how Ryan air can perform better in the long run by identifying the key strategic issues. Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 Table of Contents 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION 3 2.0 CRITICAL ISSUES 4 2.1 Company Background 4 2.2 Core Problem 5 3.0 ANALYSIS (MODELS / THEORY USED) 5 3.1 EXTERNAL ANALYSIS 5 3.1.1 PESTEL ANALSIS 5 3.1.2 Porters Diamond Model of Ryan air 6 3.2 INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 6 3.2.1PORTERS FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS OF RYAN AIR 6 3.2.2 Strategic Groups 7 3.3 INTERNAL ANALYSIS 8 3.3.1 VRIO/ VRINE of Ryan air 8 Barneys Model for Ryan Air 9 3.3.3 Ryan air Value Chain Analysis 9 4.0 EXTERNAL ENVIROMENTAL ANALYSIS 10 5.0 INTERNAL ENVIORNMENTAL ANALYSIS 11 5.1 Resources and capabilities 11 7.0 CONCLUSION 13 8.0 RECOMMEDATION 14 9.0 REFERENCES 15 10.0 APPENDIX 16 10.1 Appendix 1 16 10.2 Appendix 2 17 10.3 Appendix 3 18 10.4 Appendix 4 19 10.5 Appendix 5 20 10.6 Appendix 6 21 10.7 Appendix 7 22 10.8 Appendix 8 22 1.0 INTRODUCTION The present business world is highly complex, competitive and fast changing. Ryan air started in year 1985 with only 57 staff members and with one 15 seated turboprop plane from the south of east of Ireland to London Gatwick which carried 5000 passengers on one route. Ryan air was the first budget airline in Europe and also more successful low cost airline in Europe. Ryan airs competitive advantage is its ability to grow and outperform others as it is Europes first low-fares, no-frills carrier and in spite of economic instability there has been a growth in profits. (Ryan air 2006) According to Viljoen and Dann (2003)strategic management is defined as the process of identifying, choosing and implementing activities that will improve the long run performance of an organisation by setting directions and by creating on going compatibility. Currently in 2006 European air line industry facing a backdrop and the burgeoning budget sector. In order to analyse Ryan airs strategic will be focus on External, Internal environment and Industry. External environment will be analysing the factors in the macro environment which influence future industry growth and development, factors affecting current and future profitability, position of competitors and strategic groups within the industry, to gain the driving forces of the industry, dynamics and finally to understand international competitiveness. Further more this analysis focus on how Ryan air wants to create value for customers, its customer value and competitive advantage, its activity value chain, customer value the value proposition and determining the business model to deliver the value position, short term and long term focus and sustainability and methodology of analysing business strategy. In final this analysis will focuses on Ryan airs current strategic management views and how it can benefit by using strategic management theories and the means by which the organisational efficiencies of Ryan air would be improved and recommend to management team of Ryan air for improving strategy implementation. 2.0 CRITICAL ISSUES 2.1 Company Background Ryan air started in year 1985 with only 57 staff members and with one 15 seated turboprop plane from the south of east of Ireland to London Gatwick which carried 5000 passengers on one route. Ryan air was the first budget airline in Europe and also more successful low cost airline in Europe. Ryan airs competitive advantage is its ability to grow and outperform others as it is Europes first low-fares, no-frills carrier and in spite of economic instability there has been a growth in profits. In identifying the current business strategy we would be analysing the vision, mission and objectives of Ryan air. The mission of the Ryan air is to become Europe largely gainful low fare by rolling out proven low cost no frills in all markets in which we operate to the benefits of passengers, people and share holders. (Ryan air Report, 2007) Ryan airs social responsibility is providing good service to the passengers. The vision is to firmly establish itself as Europes lading low fares scheduled passenger airline through continued improvement and expanded offerings of its low fare service (Ryan air Report 2007). Ryan airs objectives are 40 percentage increase the market share within the low fare airline sector, in 2012 double the annual passenger transportation to eighty million and to quadruple Ryan airs annual profit up to 1,230 billion. 2.2 Core Problem Ryan air being one of the leading budget air lines in Europe, which is currently facing crisis. Though they were performing well during the last few years, currently European air line industry facing a backdrop and the burgeoning budget sector. Therefore it is necessary for Ryan air to consider the causes of the crisis and necessary action well on time. Due to this reason Jenoir management consultants will be analysing the external, internal and industry, whether Ryan air could over come this barrier. 3.0 ANALYSIS (MODELS / THEORY USED) 3.1 EXTERNAL ANALYSIS 3.1.1 PESTEL ANALSIS Pestle analysis is important for identify Ryan airs strategies through macro external factors. These factors are in the airline industry to understand Ryan airs future external threats and opportunities. (Refer Appendix 1) Political and Legal Security solution is the current move of government about airline industry, which will increase the cost of service. Governments can take an action if there will be any dispute in business deals from Ryan air with Airport. The Ryan air must also adapt its strategies to suit the government legislations and policies and must give more attention to the political of the country where they operate. Ryanair have been involved in various legal disputes with governments both in Ireland and the EU regarding their business deals with airports and airline regulating bodies. Economic Factors Global Economic recession in 2001-2003 had adversely affected many countries and in had collapse the financial strategies of the company. Due to the recession the income level of the people has come down due to that most people are postponing or cancelling their air travel. Socio cultural Factors After the September 11th incident in USA air travel as become a high risk in business in air line industry. More security measures are taken and the passengers are facing difficulties. This has become a huge threat to air line industry. Technological- Ryan airs website is the largest travel website in Europe and this could help them to increase e-commerce and advertising revenue. Their in flight internet gambling, satellite television and web-based check-in is an added advantage for Ryan air. Environmental Factor: The notion that the world is becoming smaller and a move towards eco friendly environment by controlling noise levels and green-house carbon emissions. 3.1.2 Porters Diamond Model of Ryan air Porters diamond model for Ryan air is stated in appendix 2 respectively. 3.2 INDUSTRY ANALYSIS 3.2.1PORTERS FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS OF RYAN AIR Bargaining Power of Supplier Ryan airs main aircraft supplier is Boeing and other one is Airbus. Switching cost will be high when change the aircraft. Fuel prices will affect Ryan airs cost directly, so they are highly dependent the fuel prices and also it is very big threat of their strongest side. Generally regional airports have little bargaining power if they are heavily dependant on one airline but day by day their bargaining power increasing because of the competition between low cost airlines. Besides of those regional airports, bigger airports have very huge bargaining power. (Refer Appendix 3) Bargaining Power of Customers Ryan air is the low cost airline for all Europe destinations and customers are especially in recession times highly price sensitive. It is very easy to change their airline and it is In this customers knowledge about the cost of service is high and there is no customer loyalty for Ryan air. Even though there is no customer loyalty, bargaining power of customers is low. Ryan air is the cheapest airline for all Europe destinations and customers are especially in recession times highly price sensitive. Threat of New Entrants There are lots of barriers to entry and it is very risk to be new in airline industry. The capital that will invest in this sector is very high. It is also hard to take a place current competition and also hard to find suitable airports for the flights. Threat of Substitutes There is not any brand loyalty of customers and Ryan air preferred customer relationship is not close relationship. If their customers find better way to travel they will not feel any hesitation to chose it. So the threat of direct and indirect substitutes is very high and the most important point is there are no switching costs for the customers. Competitive Rivalry The market is highly competitive. Most of Ryan airs cost advantages can be imitative immediately. In Europe it seems like there is an agreement between Ryan air and Easy jet about not to compete head to head. However if any company does decide to compete on the same basis as Ryan air it will be highly critical for Ryan air. 3.2.2 Strategic Groups Strategic Groups have been defined by Finlay (2000) as groups of business that are likely to respond similarly to environment changes and be similarly advantaged or disadvantaged by such changes. Porter (cited in John et al, 1997), suggests that an industry can have only one strategic group if all firms followed essentially the same strategy. At the other extreme each firm could be a different strategic group. Strategic Group Map analysis below of the European Airline industry will indicate that Ryan air has to compete with Aer Lingus and EasyJet very closely while British Airways and other national carriers are in the region. Other smaller budget airlines based across Europe such as FlyBE, German Wings and Hapag Lloyd Express also pose competition in routes which they commonly compete (Little Masters, n.d.). This diagram also shows how the Mega carriers compete within their strategic groups as opposed to the Mid-Sized carriers. Private Mega Carriers: American Airlines British Airways Mid-Sized Carriers: FlyBE German Wings Aer Lingus EasyJet Government-Owned Carriers: British Airways Bulgaria Air Government No: of Destinations High Low Ownership 3.3 INTERNAL ANALYSIS 3.3.1 VRIO/ VRINE of Ryan air VRINE MODEL The top management should be able to identify the resources available in the organisation presently in order to assess whether the resources available are sufficient enough to implement the strategies. So the outcome of the reconstruction depends on the resources available at that time. VRIO of Ryan air Value, Rarity, Imitability, Organization Ryan air values its high service performance. The airline is known for its strict observance on punctuality, high rate of flight completion, and low baggage loss. It purchased modernized fleet which leads to less expensive maintenance with uniform brands used while high aircraft utilization strengthens its business and financial sheet. The rarity of Ryan air is based primarily on its strategic positioning and management operations. Its implementation on low fares service and high level of customer service delivery made Ryan air strong and competitive compared to other firms in the same field. Other firms in the same industry hardly find their ways in imitating the same operations and strategic planning. Ryan air produced effective planning and management operations in which it leads others to imitate. Not all of the tangible and intangible resources like software, fleet designs, infrastructure, organizational culture, and knowledge management can be imitated. Causal ambiguity, time c ompression diseconomies and path dependencies are factors which affect the difficulty of other firms to imitate effective plans of successful firms like Ryan air. Barneys Model for Ryan Air The top management should be able to identify the resources available in the organisation presently in order to assess whether the resources available are sufficient enough to implement the strategies. So the outcome of the reconstruction depends on the resources available at that time. According to the Barneys model can analysis Easy Jet as Ryan airs competitor. Easy jet has enough recourse. For an example they have large number of air craft and their skytrax star rate level is high, so easy jet is valuable. Easy jet is not rare because same strategy what easy jet currently using is other competitors also using. Easy jet can easy to imitate to another company because low fare and also they have enough substitutes (for an example Train, ship). Easy jet is competitive parity. (Refer Appendix 4) 3.3.3 Ryan air Value Chain Analysis Ryan air strongly manages and forms relationships with different suppliers for an example. Boeing and food, beverages etc, to make sure goods are received of requirement standards and on time in order to add value through out its value chain. In order to add substantial value for its service by providing low cost and directly monitors relationships with airports around Europe, so they provide subsidies to the airliner in order for them to provide low cost and seen as adding grater value for customers. In order to reduce the cost and provide low cost to customers Ryan air contracts staff for aircraft handling, ticketing and baggage handling to third parties at competitive rates as well as engine repairs and heavy maintenances of its aircrafts. Therefore reduces direct exposure to employee relationships and disputes reducing costs all through value chain. In order to add greater value for customer, the aircraft staff e.g. pilot, cabin crew, they holds close relationships, giving the right training making them to feel confident to answer on flight questions. The airliner has a commission placed for its aircraft crew linked with the sales of duty paid goods. Therefore close management with aircraft crew ensures good labors turnover reducing the threat of staff being absent for flights, thus seen as adding value for customers. (Refer Appendix 5) 4.0 EXTERNAL ENVIROMENTAL ANALYSIS The external organizational environment includes all elements existing outside the boundary of the organization that have the potential to affect the organization (Daft, 1995). The environment includes competitors, resources, technology and economic conditions that influence the organization. The external environment can be further conceptualized as having two layers generally and task environments. The general environment is the outer layer that is widely dispersed and affects organization indirectly. It includes social, demographic and economic factors that influence Ryan air. The most important part concerning in the task environment which is closer to the organizations; its includes the sectors that conduct day to day transaction with the organization and directly influence their basic operations and performance: suppliers, competition, customers and the labour market. (Refer Appendix 3, 6) 5.0 INTERNAL ENVIORNMENTAL ANALYSIS All organizations have strength and weakness in its areas of business. No organization is equally strong or weak in all areas (David, 2005). The process of internal environment parallels that of the external analysis. Resources come in many forms form common factor inputs to highly differentiated resources that are developed over a man years and are very difficult to replicate (Collins and Montgomery 1998). Internal environment analysis involves a study of culture, structure and resources including technology adapted by the origination. 5.1 Resources and capabilities Ryan airs main tangible resource is air craft. Their intangible resource includes things such as companys reputation (first budget airline and low fare airline), brand name (Ryan air), technical knowledge (100 percentage online ticket booking), patent and trademark. A competitive advantage is the set of factors and capabilities that allow firms to consistently outperform their rivals. (Refer Appendix 7) Tangible Resources Air craft Technical Advancement Equipements Competencies Price, Quality service, Reliability Competitive advantage of Ryan air Capabilities Low cost, High profit Intangible Resources Ryan airs Reputation Brand name Low fare Technical knowledge Figure 1: Resources based view if competitive advantage of Ryan air 6.0 SWOT ANALYSIS This analysis is an effective way of identifying internal strengths and weaknesses of Ryan air and of investigative opportunities and threats of the external environment. (Refer Appendix 8) Strengths Ryan air is the largest and most successful of Europes low cost airline. This fact is strongest selling point for Ryan air. Result of this low cost strategy, which increases customers and airline, is expanding rapidly. Ryan airs website was the largest travel website in Europe. And the fifth most recognized brand on Google. According to the Ryan air annual report 2006, Ryan airs ancillary revenues (include non flight schedule services) had climbed by 36 percentage. Weaknesses Ryan air is the least favorite airline in the world. Passengers who travel in Ryan air lose their luggages very often. Ryan air staffs are considered to be very unfriendly and there is common issue that the process always delays. Ryan air was only mid range or below average in its P/E multiple relative to peers like easy jet, whose shares had risen by 46% during the year. Ryan air has been criticized for many aspects of its customer service. Opportunities They have potential market share. Because low cost airline market share not reached the peak level. Ryan air has better opportunities to dominate and catch up with the competition in the European airline industry in terms of providing more quality service. The continuous initiatives of the company in diversification of its revenue resources also open new opportunities to make the business become stronger to outgrow all its competitor companies. Threats Ryan air faced various challenges as it entered the second half of fiscal 2007. The airline itself predicted that its extra capacity building would create uncertainty about the success of new routes, locations and other difficulties. These were extra marketing and discounted fare costs incurred in launching new routes, as well as overcapacity leading to price cutting by rivals. 7.0 CONCLUSION By taking into consideration the above analysis, Jenoir management consultant believe Ryan air has gained competitive advantage since there is a greater opportunity and strengths regarding to the air line industry. Based on the External, Internal and Industry analysis, there are some major issues which were identified by Jenoir management Consultant analysis team in relation to Ryan air have weaknesses and threats. There are many areas which Ryan air should workout. Systematic, healthy and an organic organization contribute much to the success of Ryan air. An organization with clear objectives and capable to draw everyone to work with these objectives will lead to its success. For airlines, the future will hold many challenges. Successful airlines will be those that continue to tackle their costs and improve their products, thereby securing a strong presence in the key world aviation market. Therefore taking into consideration these detrimental impacts to the entity Jenoir management Consultant analysis team formulated certain recommendations for Ryan air to perform the task of a guideline in overcoming these weaknesses and threats, by systematically utilizing these recommendations. Ryan air will be able to convert its current weaknesses into opportunities and strengths in the future. However risk management in the strategic management must be given an important consideration in strategic management plan implementation process. 8.0 RECOMMEDATION Based on External, Internal and Industry analysis, Jenoir management consultants is recommended that Ryan air consider the move their business with low cost strategy in to international market, so Ryan air should has a detailed plan for this and be able to provide good customer service to the customers like by having discounted flights, promotion to keep the competitive advantage at a stable mode within its competitors and also will need to focus more on the core competition that will help Ryan air to practically designs suitable airline operation within their market. There are some other recommendations for Ryan air, Ryan air, being the market leader in the budget airline industry is performing very well as of now. But it does need to take into account all the factors discussed above. Ryan air also has to make sure that even though Michael OLearys tactics work today, they may backfire tomorrow. Ryan air should slow down on the aggressiveness of its strategic planning and implementation so that it can avoid getting into trouble with the governments and end up paying millions. In order to retain its employees, motivate them and also another means of cutting costs, Ryan air can adopt a similar strategy that of Jet Stars JEN (Jet star Employee Network). This intranet software is both the sophistication and the functionality necessary to gather, share and communicate key corporate, HR and time critical staffing information. Head of Corporate Relations, Simon West away says JEN delivers ongoing savings of about $130,000 annually (Story, 2009, p.18). 9.0 REFERENCES Collins, D.J., Montgomery, C.A. (1998), Competing on resources: strategy in the 1990s(Volume 73), Harvard Business Review Daft, Richard L. (1995). Organizational Theory: Cases Applications. (4th edition.) : West Publishing Company David, R.D.(2005). Strategic management: concepts and cases. (10th edition): Prentice Hall of India Find Article (2005). EasyJet to enter Irish Market for first time. Retrieved April 21, 2010, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CWU/is_2004_Nov_23/ai_n7074328/?tag=content;col 1 Find Article (2009). Company Watch Ryanair. Retrieved April 22, 2010, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_6781/is_2009_August_24/ai_n42028112/?tag=rel.res1 Hodgson, N. (2009, November 20). Ryanair set to overtake EasyJet in JLA ranks. Daily Post Liverpool. RetrievedApril 19, 2010, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_8008/is_20091120/ai_n42256727/ Hubbard, G. Rice, J. Beamish,P. (2005). Strategic management thinking analysis action. (3rd edition). Pearson education Australia Lagadec, K. (2008). Airbus and Boeing face a dark and painful future. Post Carbon Institute. Retrieved April 20, 2010, fromhttp://www.postcarbon.org/article/40546-airbus-and-boeing-face-a-dark/13913-energy The Airline Industry. (n.d.). retrieved April 21, 2010, from http://adg.stanford.edu/aa241/intro/airlineindustry.html Viljoen, J., Dann, S. (3rd Ed.). (2003). Strategic Management: Planning and implementing successful corporate strategies. NSW, Australia: Pearson Education Australia. 10.0 APPENDIX 10.1 Appendix 1 PESTLE ANALYSIS OF RYANAIR Political Environment National airlines supported by certain countries Europe union expansion with new routes and new competitors. New European Union rules and regulations. Due to the government stability tourism will be increase, which is good for Ryan air. New different tax policy for different countries. Economic Environment Threat of Ryan air is increasing fuel price. Taxes and Interest rates Decrease of US dollars Increasing business class travelling The threat of the substitutes Rise of airport handling charges SOCIAL FACTORS Increasing grey market, which is the trade of a commodity through distribution channels, which while legal, are unofficial, unauthorized, or unintended by the original manufacturer. Populations growth does an ageing population affect them i.e. baby boomers, lots of people in that life stage have more disposable income to spend Safety solutions Trend TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS Internet sales and Increased internet competitions High speed trains Online check in Low fuel use LEGAL FACTORS Privatizing of airline industry Illegal subsidies from airports Competition laws in aviation industry Allegations of false advertisement Rules and regulations about Carbon emission level ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS Noise level controls , Global warming ,2.6% of Carbon emission in the EU, so this gas will effect Green house 10.2 Appendix 2 Porters Diamond Model of Ryan air Factor Condition Demand Condition Firmly strategy structure and Rivalry Related supporting Industries Change Government Firm Strategy, Structure and Rivalry Environmentally concerned. Entrants of other Low Cost Carriers Factor conditions Technological advancement. Demand conditions Demand is increasing for Low fares air travel. Related and supporting industries Car hire, Hotels, Travel insurance, Baggage tracing, Free city guides, Ticketing, Aircraft handling ,Airport coach and other services 10.3 Appendix 3 Porters Five Forces model Bargaining power of Supplier Bargaining power of Buyers Threat of New Entrants Threat of Substitutes Competitive Rivalry 10.4 Appendix 4 (Source: VRIO model / Barneys model http://www.web-books.com/eLibrary/ON/B0/B58/033MB58.html) Competitive Implications from Recourses ( Easy jet as Ryan airs competitor) Valuable Rare Difficult to Imitate Without substitutes Competitive Implication Yes No No No Competitive parity 10.5 Appendix 5 Value Chain Analysis of Ryan Air Firm Infrastructure (Head Quarters) Technology Development (Internet, Integrate system, Low tech marketing , Internet sales) Human Resource Management ( In house, Low cost training, Management control, Limited crew, performance contracts) Procurement (Boeing discount, Alliances, Low cost, out sources private) Inbound Logistic (Quality training, Low cost supplier, Airport agreement) Operation (No frill, low cost ) Outbound Logistic (Reliable service, quick turn around) Marketing and Sales (Free publicity, Low cost, promotions, Internet sales) Services (High productivity, Limited resourses) 10.6 Appendix 6 Location of the organization general task and internal environments Technological CUSTOMERRS Task Env Internal Environment Socio cultural LABOUR MARKET Employees Culture International COMPETITORS Management SUPPLIERS Legal/ Political Economic It can be noted that SUPPLIERS forms an integral part of task environment and the role of importance of suppliers of components. 10.7 Appendix 7 Resources There are two kinds of resources, tangible and intangible which can further be categorized into financial, human, physical and intellectual capital. Physical Resources which Ryan air possesses is 196 Boeing aircrafts. Huge amount of money was being spent for the aircraft maintenance and they need to keep the resources proper and running to make sure that these will not harm their low cost structure. They also have the youngest fleet in the whole of Europe with a highly fuel efficient capacity. Financial Resources Ryan air is the highest profit making low cost structured airline. According to OHiggins (2007), Ryan airs profits have been increasing 8.5% on average per year. It also goes onto say that in its Annual General Meeting in 2006; the airline had delivered 12% increase in net profits despite a 74% increase in fuel cost. Human Resources Initially Ryan air started with only 25 employees and had 3500 people by the year 2006 and all of them are entrenched with a cost cutting approach. Ryan air employees a very much dedicated as Ryan air pays its employees well. In its 2006 annual report it claimed to have the highest pay figures than any other major European airline. Also by tailoring rosters, the carrier maximized productivity and time off for crew members. The biggest HR advantage Ryanair has is Michael OLeary. Intellectual Capital The high

Figures in literature Essay

â€Å"As figures in literature, the women portrayed in these stories are either worshipped of they are victims; they are rarely just allowed to be themselves†. Women of the nineteenth century were generally regarded as being inferior to men and were treated with little respect. At the beginning of the century, women enjoyed few of the legal, social or political rights that are now taken for granted in western countries. This meant that they could not vote, could not sue or be sued, could not testify in court, were rarely granted legal custody of their children in cases of divorce, were barred from institutions of higher education and had extremely limited control over personal property after marriage. Women were expected to remain subservient to their fathers and husbands. Their occupational choices were also extremely limited. Middle and upper class women generally remained at home, caring for their children and running the household while lower-class women often were domestic servants or labourers. Many women had to fight the battle of conforming to society’s views against their own freedom and independence, an idea which â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, â€Å"The Woman’s Rose† and â€Å"26 Men and a Girl† discuss and explore. Therefore women often could not be themselves. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† shows the narrator’s struggle to deal with both mental and physical confinement. The narrator is mentally trapped by the views of society and her husband, John. She is not allowed to be herself so she confides in â€Å"dead paper†. This allows the reader to see who she is – a strong-minded and independent woman, shown by the repetition of â€Å"personally†. Physically the narrator is trapped by the room which she is staying in, â€Å"for the windows are barred†. These barred windows can symbolise entrapment or a prison cell. From the beginning of the text the story is very personal as it is written in the first person. The narrator is very interesting as she writes using many one sentence paragraphs, making the story seem very realistic, â€Å"Still I proudly declare that there is something queer about it. † The realism comes from the narrator’s style of writing – continuous streams of thought which could also suggest her state of mind. In the story the narrator shows us that she does not get anything she wants, â€Å"John has complete control†. John controls every aspect of the narrator’s life, even her thoughts. This becomes clear when she is writing, but then stops and contradicts herself. The narrator finds herself stopping her line of thought for fear of what John would say, â€Å"I know John would think it absurd. † Everything in and around the house is separated and divided, boxed in, and locked like a prison, much as she is held captive in her own room, â€Å"there are hedges and walls and gates that lock, and lots of separate little houses for the gardeners and people†¦ I never saw such a garden – large and shady, full of box-bordered paths,† In fact, the house itself seems designed for men. Larger-than-life mansions were typically symbols of masculine aggression and competitiveness, while it’s being a â€Å"hereditary estate† reminds us it was probably passed down to men in the family. It is immediately apparent in the story that the narrator is treated as being inferior to many men, particularly her husband John. Being a physician, he has made a ‘schedule’ for her. She is told to stay in bed, suppress her imagination, and most importantly to discontinue her writing, even though it makes her feels better, but she does not say a word. Her schedule also makes her unable to show her true personality. The readers are the only ones who really know what the narrator is like, â€Å"Personally I disagree with their ideas,† she writes, â€Å"Personally, I believe that congenial work, with excitement and change, would do me good. † From this repetition of â€Å"personally† we can assume that the narrator is very independent. This statement, â€Å"What is one to do? † implies a lack of self-confidence and a feeling of inferiority. She speaks as though her opinions do not count in any way. However, she is very accepting of this, which was often the general feeling of women at the time. The narrator belittles herself several more times throughout the story â€Å"I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort, and here I am a comparative burden already†. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† is driven by the narrator’s enthusiasm to interpret the wallpaper and realise that it symbolizes something that affects her directly. The wallpaper develops its symbolism throughout the story. At first it seems merely unpleasant; it is ripped and an â€Å"unclean yellow. † The worst part of it is the formless pattern, which fascinates the narrator as she attempts to figure out how it is organized. After staring at the paper for hours, she sees a ghostly sub-pattern behind the main pattern visible only in a certain light. She then sees a woman, which could be a sign that her mental state is deteriorating, or it could be a projection of the narrator onto the wallpaper. This woman puts an element of mystery and excitement in the narrator’s life and it gives her something to think about other than her own health. The desperate woman is constantly crawling and stooping, looking for an escape from behind the main pattern, which has come to resemble bars of a cage. The bars of the cage can symbolise the barred windows in the narrator’s room which in turn symbolise jail. The wallpaper can also represent society’s view in which the narrator finds herself to be trapped by. When the narrator finally identifies herself with the woman trapped in the wallpaper, she is able to see that other women are forced to creep and hide behind the domestic patterns of their lives, and that she herself is the one in need of rescue. The horror of this story is that the narrator must lose herself to understand herself. She has untangled the pattern of her life, but she has torn herself apart by getting free of it. An odd detail at the end of the story reveals how much the narrator has sacrificed. Now she is horribly â€Å"free† of the constraints of her marriage, her society, and her own efforts to repress her mind. The narrator has no name which could show the lack of identity and recognition women were used to in the nineteenth century. However, the fact that the narrator has no name could mean that Charlotte Perkins Gilman wanted the narrator to symbolise all women at that time. The narrator seems to have a lack of self esteem and is unsure about her thoughts and what she wants to say. This can be seen when she breaks up her sentences using hyphens, â€Å"I wonder – I begin to think – oh I wish John would take me away from here! † The narrator is free of her constraints of her marriage as she has detached herself from her husband, John. While she would usually call him â€Å"John† or â€Å"my husband† she now refers to him as â€Å"that man†, which can underline the fact that her strength as a woman and also her strength as a character has increased. The end of the story shows a switch in power between the narrator and John. At the beginning John had all the power, however at the end the narrator has power over him. We can see this when John comes into the locked room and faints in her path, â€Å"now why should that man have fainted? â€Å", [†¦ ] â€Å"I had to creep over him every time† which can also suggest the fact that women can gain temporary control over men, but they will never seem to be free of them. At the end of the story the narrator believes she has won, â€Å"I’ve got out at last† by setting the woman free from behind the main pattern of the wallpaper. By setting the woman free from behind the wallpaper it can also suggest to the narrator is being set free as well. The narrator made a huge sacrifice in escaping and as a result, at the end of the story, we see that she has lost her narrative; her writing has become less fluent and fragmented, with no structured pattern. This can be seen on the last two pages with the extensive use of exclamation marks. There would be many social consequences of the narrator’s actions. By setting free the woman, it implies that the narrator and the woman are very much the same, as they are both trapped; the yellow wallpaper is trapping the woman, but the barred windows and society are trapping the narrator.

Persuasive Essay On Drink And Drive - 870 Words

Drink and Drive Have you ever watch people on the road, driving side to side that you can assume that the driver is drunk? Alcohol is a substance that reduces the function of the brain, impairing thinking, reasoning and muscle coordination. All these abilities are essential to operating a vehicle safely (reference 3). Millions of people in worldwide, do drink after drive. Most of them say or might say â€Å"Nothing happened, I got home safely, and nobody got hurt?† Just because you made it home safely does not mean that it is a right decision. Every day, almost 29 people in the United States die in alcohol-impaired vehicle crashes-that’s one person every 50 minutes in 2016(Reference1). When a drunk individual makes a decision to get on the†¦show more content†¦These people truly need to recognize that driving after drinking is deadly. All these problems, nevertheless people still do not represent enough consciousness. There are several things that we can discuss about this pro blem; Drink and drive. First of all, we need to educate more constantly and effectively. To prevent drink and drive as much as possible, government should change the requirement of driver license that they require to take the courses. These courses should educate people about law such as OWVI (Operating While Visibly Impaired), OWI (Operating While Intoxicated) and the penalties. In addition, it should include the effects of blood alcohol concentration with typical effects and predictable effects on driving. For an example at BAC of .02, the typical effect is some loss of judgement; relaxation, slight body warmth, altered mood. Also predictable effect on driving that decline in visual functions which rapid tracking of a moving target and in ability to perform two tasks at the same time that divides attention. At BAC of .08 which contagiously dangerous, the typical effects are muscle coordination becomes poor (e.g., balance, speech, vision, reaction time and hearing), harder to detect danger; judgement, sel f-control, reasoning and memory are impaired. Furthermore, the predictable effects on driving are even worse that concentration, short-term memory loss, speed control,Show MoreRelatedThe Effectiveness of Dr Pepper Advertisements Essay1201 Words   |  5 PagesAdvertisements Advertising appears in every part of our lives. What ever we see or do in a day involves advertisement. For example, buying a drink, waiting at the bus stop, or walking past a shop window. All have some sort of advertisements displayed. Advertising is a very productive and successful business. Advertising drives the majority of products we buy, and no matter what we do, we cannot escape it. We see advertising all over the place, for example: in magazinesRead MoreDrinking and Driving Essay865 Words   |  4 Pagesshould be the question Persuasive Essay ENG4U Due: March 9th 2010 For: Ms. Leroux-Simurda From Michelle Skippen One glass, two glasses, three glasses, before you know it you are drunk and you need to get home. You figure everything will be fine, considering you are a great driver, right? Wrong, drinking and driving is a deadly combination. One drink and you can reduce you ability to concentrateRead MoreArgumentative Essays About Obesity1560 Words   |  7 Pagesmay Is this Essay helpful? Join OPPapers to read more and access more than 350,000 just like it! get better grades be due to the convenience of foods high in fat. Teens and adolescents rely on things they can afford. Fast-food restaurants and low-cost candy is affordable and convenient; therefore, children turn to these. Adolescents are also under an extreme amount of stress, often juggling school and work. To balance their lives, some consider caffeinated beverages and energy drinks to help. ButRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Plastic Bottles1113 Words   |  5 Pagesjust drink water out of plastic bottles and buy the container on the regular, making the smaller brand waters go up and up in the marketing almost catching up with those well known brands like Aquafina and Nestle. The purpose of this article was to bring to attention that more and more people are buying and only drinking bottled water, but is basically tap so they are buying bottled water for almost no reason. The author tries to get this message to people that buy water bottles to drink only soRead MoreGeorge Orwe ll s Animal Farm1299 Words   |  6 PagesEssay 2: Politics and the English Language George Orwell’s Animal Farm is an allegoric, political satire rich in manipulation of language. In fact, some believe it was written for the purpose of portraying the Russian Revolution of 1917 and many years following which concluded in a â€Å"more oppressive, totalitarian, and far more deadly† government than its predecessors. Each of Orwell’s characters is also believed to represent principal figures of that time. The story opens on Manor Farm, an EnglishRead MoreEssay about Animal Farm: The World and the Words 1041 Words   |  5 Pages Animal Farm is a masterfully written cynical exploration into the abuse of power through language.c George Orwells book provides a theory of power structures, equality and the very nature of human character. As a short, ten-chaptered essay, this book has made its mark on the communist and authoritarian societies with the cutting morals and the phrase â€Å"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than othe rs† In the beginning, Mr. Jones is an antagonistic study into Czar Nicholas IIRead MoreTexting and Driving Essay1063 Words   |  5 PagesChantay Lowe English 1301 Persuasive Essay People should be cited for texting while driving because not only are drivers putting themselves in danger but also everyone else around them. Statistics have indicated that over 6,000 deaths and well over half a million injuries have occurred due to drivers using cell phones in 2011 alone. Drivers sending or receiving test messages take their eyes off of the road for at least five seconds which is enough time to cover an entire football fieldRead MoreDrinking and Driving Persuasive Essay858 Words   |  4 PagesDrinking and Driving Persuasive Essay Comm215 July 12, 2010 Drinking and Driving Each year numerous lives are lost due to careless and irrational driving. The disregard for safe driving has been a predicament to the United States of America for years. Many years Police have relied heavily on speed cameras, breathalyzer tests and heavy fines as a deterrent against unlawful drivers. Over the years fatality rates have increased, so the Department of Transportation and Highway Safety hasRead More Behavior Theories Essay1406 Words   |  6 Pageswas all about. Well, then the theory was broken down in class and it all became clear to me, I was able to relate well with it. I connected strong with the whole intra and inter-personal part of the theory, mainly because that was what my first two essays for Prof. Paulman were on. So I had part knowledge of this theory already without even knowing it, and I basically put the pieces together. When I think of the attribution theory I think of the popular saying, â€Å"don’t judge a book by its cover.† IRead More Controversial Television Advertising Essay1498 Words   |  6 PagesControversial Television Advertising We all know from our personal experience that one person’s idea of something offensive often differs from another’s. This essay is to determine the consequences towards negative advertising towards certain controversial products/services and why they are so offensive. All major media organizations need advertising to exist, thats how they pay their bills. At the same time, though, each organization sets its own advertising standards. Some ads a media company

Essay on Fight Club and Our Consumer Identity - 1405 Words

Fight Club and Our Consumer Identity The narrator in the film Fight Club is questioned about his devastated condo and declares, That condo was my life, okay? I loved every stick of furniture in that place. That was not just a bunch of stuff that got destroyed, that was me! This attitude of defining self-identity through a consumer culture has become institutionalized in the American society. The film Fight Club addresses the excessive consumerism as a sign of emotional emptiness and as a form of self-distinction. While the title suggests that it is just another clichà © action movie, it is not so shallow or narrowly focused. It instead provides the viewer with a provocative view on American society and it raises valid questions about†¦show more content†¦Together, they end up creating the underground fight club that becomes wildly popular with blue-collar workers. Shirt-less men beat each other into bloody messes every Saturday night in the basement of a bar. As the movie progresses, this underground club beco mes more of a renegade resistance group that causes mayhem to corporate America. While Tyler is leading his cult to more mischief and mayhem, Jack thinks it has gotten out of hand. Fight club has spread across the country and Tyler’s next mission is to blow up all the major credit companies to erase everyone’s credit thus leveling the economic playing field. Jack, in an attempt to stop him, chases Tyler around the country but it always appears that he has just missed Tyler. Jack slowly comes to the conclusion that he himself and Tyler are the same person. While Jack thought he was sleeping, in reality his schizophrenic other half was working Tyler’s jobs, making soap and trying to blow Americas materialistic views to pieces. Jack is able to destroy his alter ego by over coming Tyler’s influence and shooting himself through the cheek; however, he is not able to stop Tyler’s explosions. The last scene shows the buildings collapsing while Jack and Mar la are kissing. Fight Club challenges the typical American consumer identity by creating two contradicting characters. Jack starts out as a consumer defining his life by possessions, while Tyler lives his life on his own terms. One of the betterShow MoreRelatedBelonging1049 Words   |  5 PagesBelonging can be a possible path to an individual’s self-actualisation. A sense of identity can be identified by belonging or not belonging to a particular group or place. A person can portray different values of belonging through different situations and settings, like in Shakespeare’s period and the period in ‘Fight Club’. Maslow’s Hierarchy of belonging suggests that belonging is one of the basic needs of human existence. All humans aspire to belong but only a few are able to transcend this basicRead MoreEssay on Criticisms of Consumerism and Materialism in Fight Club1134 Words   |  5 Pagesessential to our survival? No. Were consumers. Were by-products of a lifestyle obsession. Murder, crime, poverty...these things dont concern me. What concerns me is celebrity magazines, television with five hundred channels, some guys name on my underwear†(29 min.) We are a generation comprised of invidious and conspicuous consumers, desperately trying to meet society’s consumerist criteria; seeking the false promise of the American dream. This is the reality presented in Fincher’s Fight Club (1999)Read MoreFight Club By Chuck Palahniuk1138 Words   |  5 Pagesbehaviors, feelings, and lives. The psychological novel, Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk, uses a man’s need for a male role of identity to fit in into society as a way of showing how consumerism can be threatening a man’s identity and masculinity. Palahniuk explores the life of a man who in an attempt to break free of a capitalist society forms a clandestine â€Å"fight club† as a form of rebellion towards society. Palahniuk illustrates in, Fight Cl ub, a character that, challenged by today’s consumerism cultureRead MoreThe Movie : A Man With A Gun1723 Words   |  7 PagesThe film opens to a man with a gun in his mouth. We learn that he is the narrator, who remains nameless throughout the film but is referred to as Jack. Jack is the co-creator of Fight Club. He works in the automobile industry, which he greatly dislikes. As a way to deal with the pain and insomnia, he is suffering from he joins a group meeting for those with terminal illness even though he was not ill. Jack goes to these meetings to see those less fortunate than him because it makes him feel as thoughRead MoreFight Club Movie Analysis Essay1501 Words   |  7 PagesKory Weener Film Review 2 Fight Club is a psychoanalytical film that addresses the themes of identification, freedom and violence. It acknowledges Freud’s principle which stresses that human behavior is the result of psychological conflicting forces and in order to analyze these forces, there needs to be a way of tapping into peoples minds. The narrator tells his personal journey of self-discovery through his alter ego and his schizophrenic experiences. The movie isRead More Analysis of â€Å"Fight Club† Essay1239 Words   |  5 PagesAnalysis of â€Å"Fight Club† For years David Fincher has directed some of the most stylish and creative thrillers in American movies. His works include: Aliens 3, Seven, The Game and Fight Club. Each of these films has been not only pleasing and fun to watch but each has commented on society, making the viewers think outside the normal and analyze their world. Fight Club is no exception, it is a multi-layered film with many subplots and themes, but primarily it is a surrealistic description of theRead More Movie Review: Fight Club Essay766 Words   |  4 PagesI Am Jack’s Paper The movie Fight Club shakes the foundations of our democratic nation, spits on our capitalist society, and makes all who watch it look at the American way of life differently. In a country driven by consumption, one can imagine the movie Fight Club rubs certain people the wrong way. When Edward Norton was asked why he decided to take the role as the main character in Fight Club, he replied, â€Å"to piss off America.† Each American since childhood has been told repeatedly that democracyRead MoreFight Cclub Themes1338 Words   |  6 PagesFight Club Themes The main themes of the story are loneliness, materialism, and freedom from society. Tyler was created because of the lack of connection the narrator had with the people around him. The narrator was lonely and attended so many support groups because of it. He was not rejected at the support groups because the members thought he was sick just like they were. Materialism is a reoccurring theme as the narrator mentions how he has worked his entire life for the Ikea items in his apartmentRead MoreFight Club By Chuck Palahniuk1037 Words   |  5 Pagescome to light the moment I watched Fight Club. Chuck Palahniuk s nihilistic novel, Fight Club, which was later adapted into a movie, unfortunately taught me life’s hard lessons that my mother didn’t want me to learn as a child. Surprisingly, this movie/book isn’t just about fighting; it’s about identity, questioning society, understanding reality and getting rid of environmental, consumer and cultural influences t hat unknowingly tend to control our lives. Fight club is about a man fighting battlesRead MoreTextual Analysis Essay on Fight Club1250 Words   |  5 PagesAnalysis Essay The classic 1996 film Fight Club is a social commentary about our generation, which is in many ways devoid of spirit and marked by consumerism. It is the story of a mans spiritual journey towards enlightenment in modern society and his attempt to find his place in the world. It stresses a post-modern consumer society, reveals the loss of masculine identity amongst gray-collar workers, and examines the social stratification marked by our developing society. It follows the life of