Business Environment Assignment

Introduction:

In this assignment on Business Environment I have selected a company of UK, “Virgin Atlantic Airlines”
to discuss on the following aspects.
To give a brief description on the company, can be said that one of the premier British multinational
airlines organization having operations worldwide, headquarter is in Crawley, UK. It was established in
the year 1984, in the name of “British Atlantic Airways”, founded by Randolph Fields and Alan Hellary.
( Virgin Atlantic, 2016) Though previously it started operation to fly between London and Falkland
Islands, now it is operating in almost all the countries like North America, Africa, Asian countries and
Middle East. They use Airbus and Boeing wide body aircraft to carry passengers to their destinations. It is
a high quality and value for money options to the travelers, won “World Travel Awards as Europe’s
leading airlines in North America” in the year 2015.

Mission: Their mission statement is “...to embrace the human spirit and let it fly” ( Virgin Atlantic,
2016)

1. Explain the purposes of your selected organization and why you think its purpose (reason of
existence) is different from either the fire service or the Red Cross in UK.

The purpose of the organization lies in the facts of its existence in society.

Virgin Atlantic Airline:

 Type of Company: “Virgin Atlantic Airline”, operates as a   joint venture private organization,
in UK and in almost every countries of the world. ( Virgin Atlantic, 2016)
 Purpose: Their purpose is to provide their customers with a seamless travel experience in every
aspects of their service, from the time of booking to reach them at their point. This means the main
purpose is to serve as per the customer’s expectations with high standard innovative services at cost
efficient manner that they can feel the value for money to all the air travelers.

Red Cross in UK:

 Type of Company: British Red Cross is a nonprofit making organization operates in UK.
 Purpose : The main purposes of the company is to help the common inhabitants of the country in
their suffering and helps in emergencies  by providing first aid, emergency services, prepare them to deal
with disaster, helps in finding the missing people, provides refugee support and health and social support .
The main objective of this organization is to encourage voluntary services in the UK to accumulate
donations and help to provide safe, cost efficient and emergency services to the people in their distress.
(Red Cross, 2016)

NHS: 

 Type of Company: NHS is a public funded health care system that operates in UK
 Purpose: They deliver health and care services of higher standards and ensure that valuable
public resources are used effectively to get the best outcomes for individuals, communities, and societies
for now and for future generations. It core purpose is to make healthcare services accessible for all
irrespective of wealth, so most of the care services ranging from routine checkups, treatments, specialty
care to emergency treatments are done free of cost with exception to few services for all residents of
United Kingdom.

The purpose of Virgin Atlantic Airlines is different from Red Cross in UK due to the following
reason:

 The nature of organization is the main difference as well as its underlying purposes that VAA is a
profit making organization, so the main focus is to generate a good earning in the long term. Whereas Red
Cross UK, do their activities not for earning profit but for helping others. And NHS objective is to deliver
accessible and quality healthcare services irrespective of wealth to all residents of UK.
 In VAA’s , people, are associated with the organization get significant return on their
contribution, but in Red Cross, People do it for voluntary purposes. Whereas, staff or bodies associated
with NHS get payments from public funding or governments, but the objective is not profit earning but to
make healthcare accessible for everyone. So, most of its services are free of cost.
 VAA’s, services are focused to their customers who want to travel from one destination to
another but Red Cross UK focuses on the entire mass of the country for giving social services.

2. State the interest/ objectives of your selected organization’s stakeholders and describe the strategies
it is using to meet them. State the types of stakeholders, e.g. employees, their objectives and follow that
with the strategies used to achieve this.
 The stake holders are the people who are associated with the company, directly or indirectly and get
affected by the performance of the organization in a positive or negative way.
Stakeholder’s mapping can help to determine the level of influence and power posses by the stakeholder’s
of the organisation. The following features can be assessed from the stakeholder’s analysis:

a. The key players of the business can be addressed

b. The strategies to meet the requirements of the stakeholders can be undertaken
c. Barriers can also be identified.

The stakeholders of VAA are its Employees, Shareholders, customers, country of operation or
government and many others.
Objectives of the stakeholders are described below:

Stakeholders    Objectives of the Stakeholders Strategies used to achieve this

To fulfill their objectives it has set the
 The objectives of the employees standards of performance of the
are to grow and develop in the employees, based on that they are
organization as well as their assessed and rewarded, not only on the
potential should be utilized commercial ground but also the value
Employees effectively. Job satisfaction, they follow. Company does this by
security, healthy environment good balance score card method. It also
payment and increment etc are maintains a good relationship with their
other objectives they want to people and explores their potential that
fulfill. they can achieve their goal in the right
way.
Customers The objective of a customer is to Customers are at the centre of their
get comfort, safety and security. activities. They have wide options of
Customers want to fulfill their services to choose from, designed as per
demand, seek options, and get trust the requirement of the passengers. Their
and mutual understanding in Brand image in the marketing
relationship while accessing the planning helps to gain trust of them.
services. They have all the solutions for their
customers to balance between the long
term objectives of the company and
short term expectations of the
 customers.
Their main objectives is to get
It takes pride for its effective
regular contract from the company,
relationship with their suppliers. Their
Value chain long term and trust worthy
strategy is to tie up with a small
members relationship , security in payments
numbers of suppliers, reviewing their
and contract , business growth.
  performance and selecting the best in
  class and encourage innovation and
diversity among the suppliers.
 
They support the economy by creating
Development of the country, more
jobs and sustain the progress by
Government job opportunities, economic growth
delivering right products and services. It
  and get fund for the government
pays tax and adhere all the laws and
projects.
legislations imposed by government.

Responsibilities towards society in It has  started using bio fuel to impact

Community or maintaining health and safety of less on the environment and also
society the community, helping in growth associated with recycling projects and
and development of the people. facilitates starved children in Africa.

The continuous growth of the

Main objectives to earn a
organization always attracts
Shareholders significant return on their
shareholders to invest on this. The
investment.
goodwill in the market also helps in this.

3. Explain the responsibilities of your selected organization (health and safety, equal opportunities,
environment and taxation) to its key stakeholders and describe how they meet these responsibilities.
Give instances where these responsibilities and obligation have been met by your selected organization.

The key stakeholders of VAA are the employees, customers, government, to whom they perform
responsibilities such as health and safety, equal opportunities, environment and taxation etc.

Responsibility towards Strategies used by your selected

Why it is a responsibility
stakeholders company to achieve this
Equal opportunities Maintaining the health and In VAA, employees get all the
safety, equal opportunities opportunities to grow and develop
and good environment is a through the standards of work, they
 responsibility, because
VAA put emphasis on the
fact that employees are the
main factor of their
success. The more they are
healthy and safe; the better specialized. They provide all the
will be their performance. freedom to express their decisions in
As per the equality Act , company’s betterment. Various benefits
they implement equal are also provided along with a good pay
opportunity that no one can package. They implement equal
be deprived there. Creating opportunities in workplace and to
a good environment always achieve that they maintain workforce
is the responsibility that diversity while employing candidates.
employees can be satisfied Moreover, their health and safety
and work peacefully. guidelines, medical policies help them
Discrimination as per the to be responsible to the employees. The
Equality Act 2010 is company maintains the standards and
restricted on the grounds ensures the values that are followed by
like recruitment, training. everyone in the workplace. VAA
Selection, promotion etc. If arranges training to support its
any employee feels that employees in taking value based
they are been discriminated decisions.
then they can appeal to the  
trade unions for solving the
matter with the
management or they can
appeal to the Employment
tribunal for the remedy. 
Externality Pollution As per the requirement of Fleet renewable programme has been
the council, the undertaken by the VAA to reduce the
organisation needs to air pollution. The new models are
control the air pollution. ordered which are sustainable for the
The business needs to future like 15 Boeing 787-9
fulfill the Air Quality Dreamliners. These flights used to save
 27% of the fuel. The management aims
Management Area
to reduce the consumption by 20% by
otherwise there is a
the period 2020. Reduction in the water
provision for the penalty
usage by 10% within the year 2016 is
around 1,000 pound for
also being planned by the management
single offence.
of VAA.
The continuous growth of the company
has contributed significantly in the
growth of the economy also. They have
created job opportunities which lead to
better standards of living of the
common people, the more income of
Providing accurate and
the family, the more they pay tax. The
timely tax always is a
company also follows timely and
Taxation responsibility towards the
accurate tax payment system, which is
country and society that
another revenue earning source of the
VAA maintains.
government. It has international
business that earns foreign capital and
also funding many businesses in UK,
improves the growth of the country.
They also follow many social
responsibilities towards the community.
Health and safety Customers are the main To VAA, customers are the main
reason of doing business, priority of their business. To enhance
thus their safety is always the customers experience in their bank,
the important things to be they provide all the facilities and make
considered. Health and creative solution to every problem they
Safety Act gives emphasis have. They always try to meet their
on the risk assessment expectations, maximum time more than
which the organisation that they need. They provide many
needs to conduct and also carrier options to the domestic and
they have to report the foreign customers. They follow ethics
accidents. to their customers and provide value via
superior services. They never misguide
 them through exaggerated
advertisement and promotion;
implement best service in low cost and
follow transparent communication in
dealing with them.