Facebook: Motives for Use and Effects on Personality

Facebook: Motives for Use and Effects on Personality The current study investigated the motives for using Facebook from the uses and gratifications perspectives and personality as predictors of Facebook addiction among the Mauritian university students. It also explored the relationship of motives and personality with attitudinal/ behavioral outcomes of the participants’ Facebook use. It was found that certain prevalent motives and extraversion trait were strongly associated with the Facebook variables studied and significantly predicted addiction to the site as expected. Relationship between Facebook and motives The study found 8 motives for Mauritian youths for using Facebook, the most popular social networking site. These motives include passing time, education, political, social interaction, entertainment, network surveillance, information seeking and relationship maintenance. Preceding studies found similar motives for using the site. For instance Dhaha et al (2014) found that entertainment, social interaction, political and education motivated Somali youths to use Facebook. Hart (2011) found that four motives for using the site among undergraduates, namely information seeking, passing time, relationship maintenance and entertainment significantly predicted amount of Facebook use, frequency of Facebook use and number of Facebook friends. Zhang et al (2011) found that network surveillance significantly predicted time spent on Facebook per day and number of Facebook friends. In this study a bivariate correlation has revealed that there was a moderate and significant positive relationship o f amount of time spent per day, number of friends and login frequency with all the motives except education and political which showed no relationship with these Facebook usage variables. The study enquired the intensity of Facebook addiction among Mauritian youths. The Facebook addiction instrument was divided into 4 dimensions namely salience, loss of control, mood modification and conflict. The results confirmed addictive tendencies among 27.2% of the sample as they rated high on overall Facebook addiction scale. It was found that the site was incorporated in their daily lives (salience), many spend more than 3 hours per day on it (38.2%), they often lose sleep due to late night logins, have a constant urge to check Facebook (loss of control), neglect responsibilities such as academic performance (conflict) and often use Facebook to reduce feelings of anxiety (mood modification). These findings corroborate with previous studies. For instance Zaremohzzabieh et al (2014) and Balakrishinan Shamim (2013) found similar outcomes of addictive behaviors towards the use of Facebook, namely salience, loss of control, mood modification, withdrawal and conflict. In terms of the relationship between Facebook motives and Facebook addiction, the study shown a significant positive correlation between Facebook addiction and the 8 motives components studied. Facebook addiction was more closely related to passing time motive followed by entertainment, social interaction and relationship maintenance. These findings are consistent with previous studies of Facebook addiction from uses gratifications perspectives. For instance Dhaha et al. (2014) and Kavitha (2013) found that entertainment, communication, passing time, social interaction and companionship were correlated with Facebook addiction. The study also investigated specific motives as predictors of Facebook addiction to test the hypotheses. The analysis of the multiple regression revealed that the four motives namely passing time, entertainment, social interaction and relationship maintenance significantly predicted Facebook addiction. Passing time motive emerged as the best predictor of Facebook addiction, followed by entertainment and relationship maintenance. These findings are supported by previous studies. For instance (Kavitha, 2013) also identified passing time as the best predictor of Facebook addiction. In the same line a systematic review that examined Facebook addiction and motives has revealed that for 14 out of 16 studies, the components explaining the majority of the variance relate to either passing time or relationship maintenance (Ryan et al, 2014). With regard to the prevalent gratification of passing time, findings seem to reflect the usual use of Facebook to occupy time when bored, to procrastinat e from other activities or task avoidance (Foregger, 2008; Sheldon, 2008). The researchers also found that entertainment (e.g. playing games) was a popular motive for engaging in Facebook appearing across 15 studies (Ryan et al, 2014). It is associated with pleasure seeking. Dhaha et al (2014) and Sofiah et al (2011) also found that entertainment, social interaction (e.g. making new friends) and communication significantly predicted Facebook addiction. These findings are consistent with those of Ryan et al, (2014) which reported that motives can be related to Facebook addiction through use that is habitual, excessive or a desire for mood modification. The findings reflect both the benefits and downside of Facebook use. The uses and gratifications of Facebook use operate to satisfy the social and psychological needs of a large number of internet users but at the same contributing to addiction to the site (Ryan et al, 2014). As the findings indicate, excessive use result in negative life outcomes such as neglecting significant activities e.g. school and significant relationships. For instance this paradox can be illustrated in terms of the Stimulation Hypothesis and Displacement Hypothesis since findings of this study have revealed that social interaction is related to Facebook addiction. The former supports the positive effects of social interaction via Facebook. It argues that online interaction complements existing social interact ion and can extend new cyber relationships to offline interaction thereby improving social relationships and relieved from loneliness (Valkenburg, 2007). But paradoxically the displacement hypothesis suggests that the time and psychic energy spent on Facebook with weak ties or virtual characters replaces real world interaction and is harming significant relationships (Valkenburg, 2007). Similarly (Sheldon et al, 2011) found that spending a lot of time on Facebook correlated with both high levels of feeling connected to other people and with high levels of disconnection. Moreover Facebook addiction is found to be with associated depression, anxiety disorders, aggressive tendencies and decreased productivity (Rosen et al, 2014) Relationship between Facebook and personality This study analyzed the attitudinal and behavioral outcomes of the respondents’ Facebook use from a personality trait approach involving extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and narcissism. The study also posits that certain of these personality traits predict Facebook addiction. Results indicate that extraversion significantly and positively correlated with amount of time spent on Facebook per day, login frequency, number of friends and Facebook addiction. Regression analysis has revealed that extraversion significantly predicts Facebook addiction. These findings are in line with other studies. For instance Amichai-Hamburger et al (2010) and Kosinski et al 2013 found that Extroversion was positively related with amount of time spend on Facebook and number of friends. Wilson et al (2010) reported that extraversion was related to higher levels of Facebook use and predicts addictive tendencies to the site. The researchersâ⠂¬â„¢ findings suggest that extroverts are over reliant on SNSs as they require a higher level of stimulation and a large social network. In the same line the current study found that there was a positive significant correlation between extraversion and social interaction motive consistent with the rich-get-richer approach which claims that extraverts gain more benefits through SNSs as they can enlarge their social relationships (Kuss Griffiths, 2011). This is to contrast with Moore McElroy, (2012) who found that those who score low on extraversion i.e. introverts positively correlated with Facebook use to stay in touch with friends. With respect to narcissism this study found that narcissism significantly and positively correlated with amount of time spent on Facebook per day, login frequency, number of friends and Facebook addiction. Carpenter et al (2012) and Rosen (2014) also found that users who score high on narcissism spend a lot of time on Facebook; they depict addictive symptoms to the site and have many Facebook friends. Moreover the current study revealed there was a high and positive significant correlation of narcissism with the frequency of posting updates and changing profile pictures. Similarly Alloway et al (2014) found that frequency of posting status updates was related to narcissism. Individuals scoring high on narcissism are more active on social network sites as these sites represent an opportunity to present themselves in a self-promoting way which is in line with their ideal self by frequently posting glorifying pictures and updates about them (C. S. Andreassen, et al, 2012). On the other hand this study revealed that conscientiousness was negatively related to amount of time spent on Facebook and login frequency and low scores on conscientiousness predicted Facebook addiction. These findings are consistent with Wilson et al (2010) which showed low scores on conscientiousness was related to higher levels of SNSs use and significantly predicted addictive tendencies to SNSs. It was hypothesized that unconscientious young adults exhibit addictive tendencies towards the use of SNSs as they lack self-discipline and tend to use these sites as way of procrastinating (Wilson et al 2010). However these findings differ from that of Marcus et al (2006) who found that conscientiousness was positively related to self-monitoring and presentation, suggesting that those who rated high on conscientiousness engage on social-networking sites to gain social appreciation. Alternatively this study found there was no relationship of openness to experience with amount time spends per day, number of friends and login frequency. Openness to experience did not predict Facebook addiction. These findings are supported by Wilson et al (2010) which also revealed that openness trait has no impact on SNSs use. The researchers believe that this is due to the fact that Facebook is no longer being a new creation and thus has lost some of its appeal for those with openness characteristic who are keen to experience newer activities (Wilson et al, 2010). However this study’s finding do not link with those of Ross et al (2009) which showed that higher levels of openness to experience was associated with greater online sociability. Conversely this study found that there was no relationship between openness to experience and social interaction motive for using Facebook. This study revealed that there was no relationship of agreeableness personality trait with amount of time spends per day on Facebook, how often participants login to Facebook, number of Facebook friends and Facebook addiction. These results correspond with those of Wilson et al (2010) which showed that the agreeableness trait has no influence on SNS use. This is also in line with Duff (2012) which found that there was no significant relationship between agreeableness and frequency of Facebook use. Neuroticism was negatively related to amount of time spend on Facebook per day, login frequency and Facebook addiction. These results indicate that participants scoring low on neuroticism spend more time on Facebook and depict addictive tendencies to the site. Conversely high scores on neuroticism is associated with less time spend on Facebook. These findings are in contrast with those of Wilson et al (2010) who found that neuroticism was not associated with addictive tendencies to SNS. Likewise Duff (20..) found that neuroticism was not related to frequency of Facebook use. The current findings do not link also with other studies which reported that high scores on neuroticism was positively associated with social media use where it was assumed that neurotics use social media as a way of seeking support. Moreover another plausible reason reported for this positive relationship was that online social networks give those who are high on neuroticism more time for scrutiny before acting unlike face-to-face interactions (C. S. Andreassen, et al, 2012). However this study’s findings are indirectly supported by those of Marcus et al (2006), which indicated a significant negative correlation between neuroticism and self-monitoring (Duff..). Marcus et al (2006) argued that these results indicated that those higher in neuroticism show a lack of ability in changing their behavior to gain social approval from others. Thus this may indirectly explain why neurotics spend less time on Facebook. In the same line the current study has revealed that neuroticism is negatively related to social interaction implying that those who are high on neuroticism are less likely to engage in social interactions. Relationship between self-esteem and Facebook This study reported a significant negative correlation between self-esteem and amount of time spent on Facebook per day. This indicates that those who score low on self-esteem spend more time on Facebook. These findings are supported by previous studies. For instance Kalpidou et al 2011 found there was a negative correlation between self-esteem and time spent on Facebook. In the same line Mehdizadeh’s (2010) findings revealed that lower levels of self-esteem correlated with greater amount of time spent on Facebook. The current study also revealed that self-esteem was negatively related to number of friends suggesting that low self-esteem participants have more friends. These findings are consistent with Zywica Danowski’s (2008) findings which reported that low self-esteem users have many Facebook friends as they strived more to increase their Facebook popularity to compensate for inadequate offline popularity, consistent with the social compensation hypothesis. Moreover having many Facebook friends implies performing for a bigger audience which is associated with enhancing in self-esteem. Another plausible explanation for these results interlink with Ellison et al, 2007 study which stated that low self-esteem users reap more benefits from Facebook than their high self-esteem counterparts as Facebook affordances mitigate fear of rejection and enable them to enlarge their social capital in a way more rewarding for them than face to face interaction. Since low self-esteem involves poor self-perception, social anxiety and shyness, features such as wall posting, messaging, poking, tagging and display of users’ personal information encouraged low self-esteem users to improve social relationships. (Steinfield et al, 2008). Hence as Facebook is related to bounding and bridging of social capital it can be deduced that those with low self-esteem spend more time on Facebook to boost their self-esteem (Steinfield et al, 2008). Furthermore, viewing one’s own Facebook profile, editing Facebook profile and receiving positive feedback from others were found to enhance self-esteem (Gonzales Hancock 2011; Valkenburg et al, 2006). Gonzales Hancock 2011 stated that Facebook is related to self-presentation. Thus it can be said that those with low self-esteem spend more time on Facebook than those with high self-esteem in order to optimize their self-presentation such as posting information about themselves so as to gain more popularity and altogether boost their social self-esteem. The present findings indicate that low self-esteem users may be over reliant on Facebook to reap these benefits. Indeed this study has revealed a significant correlation between self-esteem and Facebook addiction. Correspondingly Denti et al (2012) also found that low self-esteem was associated with Facebook addiction. The researcher found that Women Facebook addicts with low self-esteem use Facebook more to report negative information about their lives (Denti et al 2012). However the results do not link with those of Wilson et al (2010) which indicated that there was no relationship between self-esteem and social networking sites. Correlation Between Crime and Poverty: Sociological Critique Correlation Between Crime and Poverty: Sociological Critique Introduction Jock Young once said: â€Å"At heart, the extent of crime is a political as well [1]as a behavioural matter †¦ The figures for crime †¦ are not hard facts in the sense that this is true of the height and weight of physical bodies. They are moral not physical statistics†. It is apparent from this statement that there are inherent flaws in all types of theories of crime causation whether these derive form the sociological, psychological or biological traditions. Nevertheless, crime causation theories form a significant part of modern criminology and have been used extensively to form policy and legislation. Bearing in mind the limitation of these theories, this essay will try to address the question why sociological theories of criminality suggest that social deprivation and poverty are two of the most significant factors that lead to criminality when two of the most poverty stricken groups, women and the elderly, have low rates of crime. Crime and poverty: A sociological approach There are many schools of thought that deal with crime causation. Sociological theories of crime focus on the social dimension of criminality, trying to analyse the sociological reasons that push individuals to commit crime e.g. poverty, shaming, social deprivation, fear etc. Sociology, in general is â€Å"the study of social organisation and institutions and of collective behaviour and interaction, including the individual’s relationship to the group†[2]. As early as 1893, criminologists such as Durkheim asserted that social deprivation and the division of labour in society puts disadvantaged groups in need, often leaving them with no other option but to resort to crime[3]. Very close to this analysis is the approach of Radical Criminology. This uses Marx’s ideas of capitalist society and social classes claiming that â€Å"much proletarian offending could be redefined as a form of redistributive class justice or as a sign of the possessive individualism which resided in the core values of capitalist society†[4]. Radical Criminology went a step further by arguing that individuals from working classes who resort to crime are in reality victims of a false consciousness that turns proletarian against proletarian. The ultimate goal is to preserve unequal class relations, masking the real nature of crime and repression in capitalist society[5]. Irrespective of whether we adopt the sociological explanation of the Traditional or Radical Criminology, there is still a paradox that both theories seem to overlook. If crime is closely related to class, social deprivation and poverty – regardless of whether this is a construct of capitalism or simply a means to survival – there is still not an adequate explanation as to why the female and older groups that form great part of poor classes render very low criminality rates. The correlation between, crime, poverty and gender/age The two most powerful demographic features that discriminate between offenders and non-offenders but at same time provide a good explanation of criminal behaviour are gender and age. At one time there was so little criminality from female and older groups that criminologists turned their attention to it. John Hagan justified the low crime levels within female groups by saying that male groups often see crime as a source of fun and excitement, which is not often the case with female groups which are more family-oriented due to the maternity role they carry[6]. Moreover, daughters are believed to be more frequently subject to intense, continual and diffuse family control in the private and domestic environments and this gradually develops among female groups a stronger feeling of emotional sanctions than physical or custodial controls. Therefore, shaming methodologies and the withdrawn of love and affection have greater impact on female groups than incapacitation. This system does not need the intervention of the criminal justice system but of close family guidance. Finally, this close family control also encourages female groups to stay away from the â€Å"purview of agents of formal social control†[7]. Carlen’s findings reinforce this theory as he collected evidence that showed â€Å"female criminals were most likely to emerge when domestic family controls were removed altogether†[8]. With minor exceptions the crimes of the elderly have not been in the focus of criminological attention[9]. Stephens argues that older people who belong to poor classes are more concerned with survival issues and do not feel empowered to resort to crime apart from occasional petty offences. They also lack the physical and psychological motivation to commit serious crimes such as murder or robbery. However, this is not the case with older people from wealthy classes as these groups are most often characterised by power, greed. They also carry the advantage of experience. However, again, they lack the physical energy to commit violent crimes and that is why they tend to focus on financial offences. Conclusion It is apparent from the above analysis that sociological theories that use poverty and social deprivation to explain crime do not clash with the low levels of criminality within female and older groups. Male groups from poor classes render higher rates because they do not experience the same control mechanisms that female and older groups receive. When these mechanisms are lifted (e.g. because there is no close family control or because the feeling of survival is not that evident), then the risk is the same. Bibliography Box S (1983) Power, Crime and Mystification, London: Tavistock. Carlen P (1988) Women, Crime and Poverty, Milton Keynes: Open University Press. Durkheim E (1953) The Division of Labour in Society, Oxford: Oxford University Press Rock P (1997) â€Å"Sociological Theories of Crime† The Oxford Handbook of Criminology, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Haggan J (1979) â€Å"The Sexual Stratification of Social Control† 30 British Journal of Sociology. Stephens J (1976) Loners, Losers and Lovers. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington. Young J (1988) â€Å"Radical Criminology in Britain: The Emergence of a Competing Paradigm† 28 British Journal of Criminology 1 Footnotes [1] Young J (1988) â€Å"Radical Criminology in Britain: The Emergence of a Competing Paradigm† 28 British Journal of Criminology, page 175. [2] The Oxford English Dictionary [3] Durkheim E (1893) The Division of Labour in Society, later reprinted as Durkheim E (1953) The Division of Labour in Society, Oxford: Oxford University Press [4] Rock P (1997) â€Å"Sociological Theories of Crime† The Oxford Handbook of Criminology, Oxford: Oxford University Press. [5] Box S (1983) Power, Crime and Mystification, London: Tavistock. [6] Haggan J (1979) â€Å"The Sexual Stratification of Social Control† 30 British Journal of Sociology. [7] Loc cit supra note 4 page 243. [8] Carlen P (1988) Women, Crime and Poverty, Milton Keynes: Open University Press. [9] One exception is Stephens J (1976) Loners, Losers and Lovers. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington.

Management :: essays research papers

Level of planning paper In 2000, the Primeco Wireless submerged, and emerged as Verizon Wireless; the need for speed was gaining momentum. Verizon Wireless Online DSL, digital subscriber’s line, is the number one telecommunication industry appearing in the FORTUNE Magazine; it has listed as the most Admired Company. Hay Group Fortune Magazine. The founder of Verizon Company is Darby Checketts; he was a man with a vision. This fast speed company under the CEO, Chairman, leadership of Ivan Seidenberg, has grown into an internet king. There are over 208,000 employees at the Verizon Online DSL Wireless Company, with an upward of $13 billion dollars a year in technology, it has 2.7 million shareowners and services billions of customers in communities all over America and the World. At least a 100 million people are connected by Verizon network everyday, whether at home, at work or on the go. Women Warriors has discovered in their research the highlights, accomplishments, and opportunities of Verizon to improve their customers lives in six areas that make up Verizon approach to corporate responsibility:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ethic and Governance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Service and Innovation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Empowering Employees   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Promoting Community’s Growth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Protecting the Environment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Partnering with Communities Strengths & Weaknesses Strengths and weaknesses are essentially internal to the organization and relate to matters concerning resources, programs, and organization in key areas. Strengths & Weaknesses are internal to the business and Opportunities & Threats are external. Verizon Communications Inc is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. With a diverse work force of more than 208,000, Verizon has four business units. Domestic Telecom serves customers based in 29 states with wireline telecommunications services, including broadband, nationwide long-distance and other services. Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 42.1 million voice and data customers across the United States. Information Services operates directory-publishing businesses and provides electronic commerce services. International includes wire line and wireless operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. Strategic Planning Process Strategy is define as the continuous, iterative planning process, which focuses on Keeping an organization competitive in its environment (Miller & Dess, 1997). Strategic planning is complex, laborious, and time consuming. Accordingly, an organization must allocate resources and time to the strategic planning process. ( Strengths Verizon strengths are its resources and capabilities that can be use as a basis for a competitive advantage. Verizon business strategy is to archive a sustainable competitive advantage such as. Cost advantage Differentiation advantage Verizon is able to deliver the same benefits as the other communication companies, but a lower cost, (cost advantage) or deliver benefits that exceed the competing products (differentiation advantage). Management :: essays research papers Level of planning paper In 2000, the Primeco Wireless submerged, and emerged as Verizon Wireless; the need for speed was gaining momentum. Verizon Wireless Online DSL, digital subscriber’s line, is the number one telecommunication industry appearing in the FORTUNE Magazine; it has listed as the most Admired Company. Hay Group Fortune Magazine. The founder of Verizon Company is Darby Checketts; he was a man with a vision. This fast speed company under the CEO, Chairman, leadership of Ivan Seidenberg, has grown into an internet king. There are over 208,000 employees at the Verizon Online DSL Wireless Company, with an upward of $13 billion dollars a year in technology, it has 2.7 million shareowners and services billions of customers in communities all over America and the World. At least a 100 million people are connected by Verizon network everyday, whether at home, at work or on the go. Women Warriors has discovered in their research the highlights, accomplishments, and opportunities of Verizon to improve their customers lives in six areas that make up Verizon approach to corporate responsibility:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ethic and Governance   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Service and Innovation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Empowering Employees   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Promoting Community’s Growth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Protecting the Environment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Partnering with Communities Strengths & Weaknesses Strengths and weaknesses are essentially internal to the organization and relate to matters concerning resources, programs, and organization in key areas. Strengths & Weaknesses are internal to the business and Opportunities & Threats are external. Verizon Communications Inc is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. With a diverse work force of more than 208,000, Verizon has four business units. Domestic Telecom serves customers based in 29 states with wireline telecommunications services, including broadband, nationwide long-distance and other services. Verizon Wireless owns and operates the nation's most reliable wireless network, serving 42.1 million voice and data customers across the United States. Information Services operates directory-publishing businesses and provides electronic commerce services. International includes wire line and wireless operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. Strategic Planning Process Strategy is define as the continuous, iterative planning process, which focuses on Keeping an organization competitive in its environment (Miller & Dess, 1997). Strategic planning is complex, laborious, and time consuming. Accordingly, an organization must allocate resources and time to the strategic planning process. ( Strengths Verizon strengths are its resources and capabilities that can be use as a basis for a competitive advantage. Verizon business strategy is to archive a sustainable competitive advantage such as. Cost advantage Differentiation advantage Verizon is able to deliver the same benefits as the other communication companies, but a lower cost, (cost advantage) or deliver benefits that exceed the competing products (differentiation advantage).

Air Industry Analysis Essay

Executive Summary Airlines companies are undergoing major changes to cope with the new challenges of the modern economy. Geopolitical factors, such as war and terrorism, the financial crisis of 2009, high entry barriers, as well as extreme weather events, are some of the factors that are driving these changes. Costs in fuel prices, wages and ticket prices are some of the demand drivers of this multi-billionaire industry. Also, there has been an industry-wide shakedown, which will have far-reaching effects on the industry’s trend towards expanding domestic and international services. The perception that air travel is an ordeal continues to grow, making it very difficult for airlines to charge the higher prices that are necessary to return to profitability. Today Airlines provide a vital service, but factors including like the continuing existence of loss-making carriers, bloated cost structure, vulnerability to exogenous events and a reputation for poor service combine to present a huge impedime nt to profitability. While a handful of low-cost airlines have successfully managed to post consistent profits, by and large, profitable airlines are few and far between. Introduction The global airline industry provides transportation to virtually every corner of the world. The airline companies employ many people, hold multi-billion dollar equipment inventory, and generate billions of dollars in yearly gross revenue. It facilitates economic growth, world trade, international investment and tourism. However, the industry can be very vulnerable to government regulations, economic influences, extreme weather events and geopolitical factors such as war and terrorism. The SIC/NAICS code for the industry is 4512 /4811. The NAICS term for the industry is â€Å"Scheduled air transportation† . The industry is further classified into 2 NAICS codes – 481111 for Scheduled passenger transportation and 48112 for Scheduled Freight Transportation. Per NCAIS, â€Å"This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing air transportation of passengers or passengers and freight over regular routes and on regular schedules. Establishments in this industry operate flights even if partially loaded. Scheduled air passenger carriers including commuter and helicopter carriers (except scenic and sightseeing) are included in this industry.† History The commercial airline industry in the US grew at a fast rate after the World War III. The commercial aviation industry in the United States has grown dramatically since the end of World War II. In 1945 the major airlines flew 3.3 billion revenue passenger miles (RPMs). By the mid 1970s, when deregulation was beginning to develop, the major carriers flew 130 billion RPMs. By 1988, after a decade of deregulation, the number of domestic RPMs had reached 330 billion (Source: Winds of Change). Up to the 1970s the industry was heavily regulated around the world. However, in 1976 under the recommendation of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), the regulatory system was dismantled by the US Congress. Most of the industrialized world soon followed suite. The Airline Deregulation Act passed in the US in 1978 eased the entry of new companies into the business and gave them freedom to set their own fares and fly whatever domestic routes they chose. This lead to a swarm of new entrants, lower fare s and the opening of new routes and services to all over the country. Organization The major Capital expenditure for the airline industry is the cost of the airplanes. Boeing and Airbus are the two major providers of aircrafts to the industry. Other than that the Airports Authorities are the other major service providers to the airline industry. Airline fuel is another major product the the industry buys from external suppliers. The industry itself provides the rest major services- Flight operations, aircraft maintenance, passenger service ( (in-flight food, flight attendants) and Aircraft traffic services (baggage and passenger handling). Governmental Factors As mentioned earlier government factors play a big role in the industry. The growth of the industry post the 1976 deregulation illustrates this point. Government policies that impact the economy also have a big impact on the industry profits as was seen during the 1990 global recession and the 2001 US economic downturn. Wars and Geopolitical tensions that impact the airline fuel supplies also pose threat to the industry. Environmental Factors Environmental factors such as bad weather conditions can force planes to be delayed, canceled or even to divert to another airport. In such cases the airlines are forced to pay for lodging and meals of the affected passengers and in some cases refund tickets. An extreme sample of this is the airline disruption caused by the ash from the volcanic eruption in Iceland in 2010. It could have cost the industry more than $1.7 bln according an estimate by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Market Structure The airlines industry has undergone major changes since 1978 due to the deregulation and the economic liberalization, where restrictions on the routes and fares charged were removed. Thus in order to obtain the cost efficient and to concentrate traffic to one airport the Hub-and-spokes was created to move passengers from smaller cities and gathered a group of passengers in a major city airport to be transported from a major hub of one city to another major hub. This new system allows the airline industry to retain the oligopolistic market due to the huge barriers that obstruct competition. From one hand the government regulations established barriers for airports such us a slot management system that demonstrate there is a failure in the investment of governments in adequate infrastructure, gate constraints due to exclusive leasing arrangements and gates usage in congested cities is limiting the entry despite the share usage between airlines. â€Å"Airlines need certainty because they have invested billions of dollars in aircraft. They must be certain they will have access to the infrastructure for the next 25-30 years and this is why historic (grandfather) rights are appropriate.† (Airlines International, 2010). On the other hand the hub and spoke system allows major airline firms to restrict the entrance of new competitor, because they have captured the market of small and big cities with a large economy of scale and a big profit margin, price flexibility, and other rights like reserved slots that was very difficult to be matched by new airlines, protecting them from new competitors developing a mature oligopoly where the prices are set by the leaders and the others airlines followed, practicing parallel pricing. All the studies reviewed suggested that despite the benefits of airline deregulation, there are many factors that continued preventing airlines to get advantage of this economic deregulation due not only to the airport restrictions but also due to computer-reservation systems, benefits of frequent-flyer programs, economies of scale of operation. This fact can be evidence after the deregulation when many new airlines attempted to get into the market but the majority failed due to the high cost associated with gates, slots and other airports facilities did not let them to compete with prices as a result this new competitors were acquired by the already established ones. (Seng, 2007) According to RITA, the U.S., Research and Innovative Technology bureau Transportation’s statistics the largest carrier for domestic market from May 2011 through April 2012 was Delta followed by Southwest and American (see table No.1.) It is important to mention that with the merger of United and Continental, they could become the largest carrier if the tendency remains. (Jenkins, 2011) As we can observe, the 55.9% of the market is hold by Delta, Southwest, American, and United,. In order to open the market for new carriers and generate airfare competition the government has to work on expanding the access to new gates, baggage claim areas and slots, otherwise the existent oligopolistic market will continue prevailing. Industry Demand The US airline industry demand is affected by the current market that has generated unstable conditions due to the high dependency and reaction to many factors like regulation, fuel price, inflation, security and competition. In addition this industry was also affected by the financial crisis during 2009 that had a great impact in market demand, thought due to the revival of the economy the travel demand has started improving since 2010. According to RITA â€Å"There were 2.1 percent fewer passengers in the April 2009 to April 2010 period compared to April 2008 to April 2009. From the year ending April 2010 to the year ending in April 2011, system wide passenger numbers on US airlines increased 2.9 percent† (Smallen,2011) As a result of the deregulation of the airline industry in 1979 the traffic of passengers increased and the ticket prices decreased. In this environment there was more competition and less demand, the operating cost and margin profit were affected and the maj or firms filed for bankruptcy falling from six major airlines (united, America, Delta, Eastern, TWA, and Pan Am) to three by 1991 (United, American and Delta). The new challenge for airlines was reconfigured routes and making improvements in capacity and utilization to reach the expected efficiency and offer better service to the general public. Indeed security had a great impact on the demand of airlines. After attack of 9/11 domestic passengers demand went down by more than 30 percent, which caused a reduction on routes and numbers of flights not to mention that planes were grounded and thousands of workers were laid off. To rebuild the public confidence in the air transportation, both airlines and government started working together. These security measures have managed to allay the public fear. According to Bisignani, â€Å" Despite severe shocks in recent years-including the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and outbreaks of avian flu-the demand for air travel is at record levels and is expected to grow an average of 6 percent each year for the foreseeable future. People need to fly. More important, people want to fly†. ( Bisignani,200 6) The peak in oil prices during 2008 and the financial crisis during 2009 affected and slowed down the numbers of passengers ,specially leisure travelers, as the prices of oil pushed up fares, and people’s disposable income decreased. The demand for business travel also shifted left. The industry responded with fiercely competing on the airfare which resulted in huge revenue losses and forced major airlines like American Airlines to be restructured. The airline industry overcame this crisis due to people’s need to fly for business and personal purposes and due to the absence of any other alternate mode of long-distance transportation. The use of substitutes such car, train diminishes with distance travelled. This demonstrates that the demand for air transportation is inelastic for longer flights and for business purposes. The lack of substitutes let the airline industry to move without a real external competitor, the passenger trains, bus and personal automobiles are not a viable option for traveling long distances and for business travel. In addition for leisure purposes the demand is more elastic because travelers are more likely to change destination or postpone trips expecting lower ticket prices. Despite the events of security breaches, wars and the economy, the demand for air flight has increased and is expected to continue increasing. The airlines continue to compete among themselves with pricing and offering complementary goods such hospitality, policies, car rental, hotels and tourist packages as the opportunities to improve their sales. Cost structure In the airlines industry, fixed costs are high, while variable costs tend to be low. Costs are fixed and variable at different points in time. That is, the timeframe in this market is important to categorize cost on their relation to output. With the commoditization of air travel, cost structure is now a key success factor in the industry. Central cost items are fuel, capital and wage costs. Costs in fuel prices, which are exogenous as is the time series for the average fuel efficiency of planes; constant dollar amount per seat mile that grows at the rate indicated by the Producer Price Index; and wages, which are based on several factors, such as inflation, industry margins, and average worker tenure. Concerning wages, they are fixed costs in short term decisions and variable in the longer term, where total wage costs change in relation to volume of activity as a result of recruitment, retirement, and dismissals. Consequently, effective management of fuel, maintenance, and labor cos ts is mandatory in the current environment in this industry (Harmsen, 2007). Fixed costs are costs that are unaffected by changes in volume. These costs are always constant even when production varies. One example of fixed cost is rent of premises. In the extremely short term, all costs are fixed, while all costs may be regarded as variable in the very long term, which will be described later, in this section. A good example to illustrate could be long-term leasing aircraft leasing contracts. In the short run the airline would be unable to avoid these payments no matter how it adjusts output. Therefore, lease payment is a fixed cost in the short run, but in the long run they are variable, because contractual obligations will expire (Vasigh, Fleming, & Tacker, 2008). Variable costs are costs that increase or decrease with fluctuations in production. In the aviation market, infrastructure, wear, and the bulk of the fuel are often placed in the variable cost bracket. These normal variable costs are then adjusted by the eï ¬â‚¬ect of congestion, since large load factors add costs from increased services, cancellations, and many other sources. As mentioned on the fore above, costs in the airlines industry are fixed and variable at different points in time. For the purpose of pricing, for instance, a cost structure is required that expresses the time horizon at which different cost categories may be considered fixed and variable. We will describe them with at least three different time spans: medium-long term, short term, and very short term, as follows. * Medium-long term: once the schedule is in place, the costs of operating air services are relatively fixed. This means that capital costs for aircraft, pilots’ wages, technical staff and other skilled labor cannot be influenced. * Short-term: once the carrier decides to embark on the flight, all costs under the medium-long term heading become fixed as do the costs for infrastructure charges (except passenger service charges), wear and the bulk of the fuel. * Very short term: the costs for ticketing, food, travel agency commissions, and extra fuel consumption due to the advent of an extra passenger become fixed once the carrier has decided to accept a ticket reservation. Moreover, wage, capital, and fuel costs are decided to a great extent in markets where it may reasonably be assumed that a single carrier has little influence over prices. Experience shows, however, that major carriers are able to influence all the above costs through negotiation. It is very difficult to observers outside the airline industry to assess the extent of these potential negotiating gains. Analysis of Competitive Forces (Porter’s five forces) The threat of entry by new competitors The threat of entry by new competitors in the Airline Industry is moderate. Being a capital intensive industry, new entrants would require large amounts of money. However, with easy access to bank loans and credit the likelihood of new airlines entering the market has risen. There are still a lot of barriers to entry in the industry. Higher Oil prices would require the airline to operate at full capacity to be profitable and smaller airports do not provide sufficient passenger traffic. New entrants would also have difficulty getting gates at the airports which major airlines use as their hubs. This acts as a barrier for them to operate on more lucrative routes. Major airlines also have stronger brand recognition and have garnered customer loyalty through their frequent flyer programs. Skybus Airlines, Independence Air, ATA Airlines and Maxjet Airways are among the most recent examples of new entrants that have failed to survive in the industry. Even Virgin America, the most successful of new carriers, has so far failed to turn a profit since entering the market 5 years ago. So while entering the new market might be easy, success stories such as that of Southwest & AirTran & JetBlue have been far and few. Pressure from substitute products The pressure from substitute products is weak for the American airline industry. Air travel being the fastest way to travel from one origin to another has no true substitute. Lack of extensive and long distance public transportation system within US reduces the likelihood of someone taking a train or bus to their destinations. Furthermore, time consumption and convenience would also discourage customers to take these options or to drive themselves.However emerging technologies could, in a long run, generate viable substitutes. For instance, more and more companies adopting video-conferencing could impact business travel for meetings and discussions. People could opt for using online chat to virtually meet with their friends and family instead of spending large amounts of money on airline travel. The intensity of rivalry among existing competitor Airline industry is highly competitive as there are several airlines operating on the same routes. These airlines compete by trying to differentiate themselves from others by providing different services – low-fares, frequent flyer membership privileges, no baggage fee, no cancellation fee etc. Competition between the majors and the low-cost carriers has resulted in a downward pressure on the fares, benefiting the travelers but at the same time lowering the revenue for the airlines (see figure). This combined with lower demand and excess capacity has lead to a consolidation trend in the industry. Recent consolidations include – United & Continental, Delta & Northwest and Southwest & Airtran. Such consolidations could lead to monopolization of a market where the majors already rule the roost. The Bargaining power of buyers The buyers are the passengers, for either business or leisure purposes. In the aviation market, the bargaining power of buyers is quite low. The power that airline customers have varies based on the options available to them and the origin-destination city pair. Even though there are high costs involved with switching airplanes, there is not much ability to compete on service. For instance, the seat in one airline is probably not more comfortable than another, unless a potential buyer is analyzing a luxury liner. Other macro environmental trends are the weather, which is variable and unpredictable, and may shut down airports and cancel flights; and airport capacities. Hence, there are pockets where some airlines have pricing power. In this case, the overall airline industry is characterized by significant buyer power stemming from the intense price competition among airlines (Sundaresa, 2009). Since the concentration and size of the buyers in the airlines industry is relatively lower than the number of suppliers it is not difficult to observe that buyers are more aware of the price, product, and services and discounts available at their disposal. The bargaining Power of Supplier The three major inputs for the airline industry are airplanes, labor and fuel. In terms of suppliers of commercial airplanes there are three major Air Bus, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, it seems like this few suppliers will have great power in the industry but instead they compete between themselves developing technology, capacity of passengers, mechanics training and giving solutions to improve cost effective exploitation of airplanes between others. The second input is labor such as pilots, mechanics, ground personnel and flight attendants , in general they are unionized playing a critical role in the industry. According to IATA â€Å"About half of all workers in the air transportation industry are unionized, 49.3% of workers being union members and 51.6% being covered by collective bargaining agreements in 2006† (http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/Documents/economics/Hirsch_Unions_Wages.pdf) The fuel is an important variable due to the price and its volatility but the market has many suppliers that compete to sell large volumes of fuel but they do not control the price because it is an external factor. (Hirsch, 2007) Conclusion The growth in the airlines industry shows no signs of slowing. The recent industry-wide shakedown will have far-reaching effects on the industry’s trend towards expanding domestic and international services. Despite the events of security breaches, wars and the economy, the demand for air flight is expected to continue increasing. The airlines continue to compete among themselves with pricing and offering complementary goods such hospitality, policies, car rental, hotels and tourist packages as the opportunity to improve their sales. The industry’s challenges for the 21st century are the rising costs of fuel, labor, maintenance and security, the impact of technology, such as telecommunication and video conferencing, as well as bankruptcies and shutdowns. However, the overall perspective of demand has been consistently increasing. Growth rates are not consistent in all regions, but countries with a deregulated airline industry have more competition and greater pricing fr eedom. This results in lower fares and sometimes dramatic spurts in traffic growth. Moreover, in the aviation market, consolidation is a trend. Airline groupings may consist of limited bilateral partnerships, long-term, multi-faceted alliances between carriers, equity arrangements, mergers, or takeovers. In summary, the perspectives for the airline industry are bright and it also holds many challenges. Macro-external environment may directly affect is profitability and operation. Low cost airlines have radically altered the nature of competition within the industry. For low cost, the airlines companies should continue maintaining the existing business model by reducing the cost to improve their product. Turning a profit in a competitive industry with high fixed costs isn’t about gouging consumers on baggage fees. Rather, it’s about paying careful attention to numerous behind-the-scenes expenses, and looking for opportunities to charge passengers for optional extras while keepi ng ticket prices low. References: Lee, Tail (2002). Competitive Airlines. Retrieved July 13, 2012 from http://www.scribd.com/doc/58820847/31/The-cost-structure-of-the-airline-industry#page=53 Pierson, Kawika (2011). Cyclical dynamics of airlines industry profits. Retrieved July 13, 2012 from http://willamette.academia.edu/KawikaPierson/Papers/461653/Cyclical_Dynamics_of_Airline_Industry_Profits Sundaresa, Sankar R. (2009). Introduction analysis of the airline industry. Retrieved July 17, 2012 from http://bcs.solano.edu/workarea/mgarnier/MGMT%2050/Southwest%20Porters%20-%20Brief%202.pdf The industry handbook: The airline industry. Retrieved July 13, 2012 from http://www.investopedia.com/features/industryhandbook/airline.asp#axzz20tWDcbCM Using macro and micro environment analytical techniques provide a comparative analysis of leadership and the external environment for the following four airlines: AirTran, Delta, West Jest, and Air Canada. (n.d.) Retrieved July 8, 2012 from http://www.businessteacher.org.uk/free-manag ement-essays/environmental-analytical-techniques/ Smallen Dave (2011) April 2011 Airline System Traffic Up 1.4 Percent from April 2010. Retrieve July 12 from http://www.rita.dot.gov/rita_archives/bts_press_releases/2011/bts036_11/html/bts036_11.html) Bisignani, Giovanni (2006) The airline industry is going to collapse. Retrieve July 13 2012, from http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2006/01/04/think_again_airlines?page=full Jenkins, Darryl Consumer Regulation and Taxation of the U.S. Airline Industry Estimating the Burden for Airlines and the Local Impact November 16, 2011. Retrieve July 7, 2012 http://www.aviationinstitute.org/AAIReportNov11.pdf Seng, Pauline.. Increasing Competition in the U.S. Domestic Airline Industry through International Competition.December 20, 2007 Snider, Connan. Barriers to Entry in the Airline Industry: A Regression Discontinuity Approach January 2011. Retrieve July 7 2012. http://www.econ.ucla.edu/people/papers/Snider/Snider507.pdf Hirsch, Barry (2007) Unions and Wages in the US Airlines Industry . Retrieved July 18, 2012 from http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/Documents/economics/Hirsch_Unions_Wages.pdf) Airlines International (2010). Retrieved july 18, 2012 http://www.iata.org/pressroom/airlines-international/august-2010/pages/06.aspx Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0112/The-Economics-Of-Discount-Airlines.aspx#ixzz21JqFZHYR http://www.firstresearch.com/industry-research/Airlines.html http://voices.yahoo.com/airline-industry-profile-1885428.html?cat=3 http://web.mit.edu/airlines/analysis/analysis_airline_industry.html

What Did the Ancient Romans Eat

In the modern U.S., the government issues dietary guidelines, with an ever-increasing number of fruits to be added to the meal plan. During the Roman Republic, the governments concern wasnt so much an ever-expanding waistline or other health issues. There were Sumtuariae Leges (sumptuary laws) designed to limit extravagance, including the amount spent on a given meal, which directly impacted how much wealthy Romans could eat at their meals. By the Imperial period, such laws were no longer in force. What Poor Romans Ate Regardless of sumptuary laws, poor Romans would eat mostly cereal grain at all meals as porridge or bread, for which the women engaged in a daily grain-to-flour grinding. They placed the hard kernels between a concave stone and a smaller one serving as a roller. This was called a thrusting mill. Later, they sometimes used a mortar and pestle. Grinding was unnecessary for quicker-cooking porridge. Here are two ancient recipes for porridge from On Agriculture, written by Cato the Elder (234-149 B.C.) from Lacus Curtius. The first porridge recipe (85) is Phoenician and involves fancier ingredients (honey, eggs, and cheese) than the simple Roman (86) recipe involving grain, water, and milk. 85 Pultem Punicam sic coquito. Libram alicae in aquam indito, facito uti bene madeat. Id infundito in alveum purum, eo casei recentis P. III, mellis P. S, ovum unum, omnia una permisceto bene. Ita insipito in aulam novam.85 Recipe for Punic porridge: Soak a pound of groats in water until it is quite soft. Pour it into a clean bowl, add 3 pounds of fresh cheese, 1/2 pound of honey, and 1 egg, and mix the whole thoroughly; turn into a new pot.86 Graneam triticeam sic facito. Selibram tritici puri in mortarium purum indat, lavet bene corticemque deterat bene eluatque bene. Postea in aulam indat et aquam puram cocatque. Ubi coctum erit, lacte addat paulatim usque adeo, donec cremor crassus erit factus.86 Recipe for wheat pap: Pour 1/2 pound of clean wheat into a clean bowl, wash well, remove the husk thoroughly, and clean well. Pour into a pot with pure water and boil. When done, add milk slowly until it makes a thick cream. By the late Republic period, it is believed that most people bought their bread from commercial bakeries. How We Know About Their Meals Food, like the weather, seems to be a universal topic of conversation, endlessly fascinating and a constant part of our lives. In addition to art and archaeology, we have information on Roman food from a variety of written sources. This incudes Latin material on agriculture, like the passages above from Cato, a Roman cookbook (Apicius), letters, and satire, such as the well-known banquet of Trimalchio. Some of this might lead one to believe the Romans lived to eat or followed the motto eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you may die. However, most couldnt eat like that, and even most rich Romans would have eaten more modestly. Breakfast and Lunch Roman Style For those who could afford it, breakfast (jentaculum), eaten very early, would consist of salted bread, milk, or wine, and perhaps dried fruit, eggs, or cheese. It was not always eaten. The Roman lunch (cibus meridianus or prandium), a quick meal eaten around noon, could include salted bread or be more elaborate with fruit, salad, eggs, meat or fish, vegetables, and cheese. The Dinner Meal The dinner (cena), the main meal of the day, would be accompanied by wine, usually well-watered. The Latin poet Horace ate a meal of onions, porridge, and pancake. An ordinary upper-class dinner would include meat, vegetables, eggs, and fruit. Comissatio was a final wine course at dinners end. Just as today, the salad course may appear in different parts of the meal, so in ancient Rome the lettuce and the egg courses could be served first as the appetizer (gustatio or promulsis or antecoena) or later. Not all eggs were hens eggs. They could be smaller or sometimes larger, but they were a standard part of the dinner. The list of possible items for the gustatio is long. It includes exotic items like sea urchins, raw oysters, and mussels. Apples, when in season, were a popular dessert (bellaria) item. Other Roman dessert items were figs, dates, nuts, pears, grapes, cakes, cheese, and honey. Latin Names of the Meals The names of meals change over time and in various locations. In the U.S., dinner, lunch, and supper have meant different meals to different groups. The supper meal in the evening was known as vesperna in early Rome. The main meal of the day was known as the cena in the country and in early times in the city. Cena was eaten around midday and was followed by the lighter supper meal. Over time in the city, the heavy meal was pushed later and later, and so the vesperna was omitted. Instead, a light lunch or prandium was introduced between jentaculum and cena. The cena was eaten around sunset. Dinners and Dining Etiquette It is believed that during the Roman Republic, most women and the poor ate sitting on chairs, while upper-class males reclined on their sides on couches along three sides of a cloth-covered table (mensa). The three-sided arrangement is called the triclinium. Banquets might last for hours, eating and watching or listening to entertainers, so being able to stretch out without shoes and relax must have enhanced the experience. Since there were no forks, diners would not have had to worry about coordinating eating utensils in each hand. Sources Adkins, Lesley. Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome. Roy A. Adkins, Reprint Edition, Oxford Univerity Press, July 16, 1998. Cato, Marcus. On Agriculture. The University of Chicago. Cowell, Frank Richard. Everyday life in ancient Rome. Hardcover, B.T. Batsford, 1962. Lowrance, Winnie D. Roman Dinners and Diners. The Classical Journal, Vol. 35, No. 2, JSTOR, November 1939. Smith, E. Marion. Some Roman Dinner Tables. The Classical Journal, Vol. 50, No. 6, JSTOR, March 1955. Smith, William 1813-1893. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. Charles 1797-1867 Anthon, Hardcover, Wentworth Press, August 25, 2016.