AC2ID test and REDS2 test of British Airways free essay sample

British Airways has received a lot of media attention as it has undergone several changes in its identity over the years. These changes in its identity have been crucial components to its strategically changes that keeps changing frequently. While some of this changes have received appreciations, some have been censured. This paper will make an attempt to conduct AC2ID test and REDS2 test in order to find out whether there is any identity misalignment, and if any such misalignment is found, then how to correct this. Since early 1980 prior to which BA went through a very appalling phase, the organization has gone through a very dramatic phase. The last three decades have seen various changes which have sometimes been turbulent. Most of the time the changes helped the organization. During this period, BA metamorphosed itself from a loss making government owned organization to a very focused and highly profitable company, then to a less British, more business-focused and relatively lower profit making organization. We will write a custom essay sample on AC2ID test and REDS2 test of British Airways or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Very recently, however, the company has once again reaffirmed its British identity. (Williamson, 1997) By employing AC2ID and REDS2 tests, the paper has identified five crucial phases that the organization has gone through over the last three decades. These periods have been identified as Adjusting, from 1881 to 1983; Appealing, from 1984 to 1987; Adoring, from 1988 to 1996; Astonishing, from 1997 to 2000; and Affirming, from 2001 to the present. These five eras will be analyzed here using the AC2ID test and REDS2 test. AC2ID test and REDS2 test process: AC2ID test reconciles five identity types of corporate brand management of a company. These five identities are actual identity, communicated identity, conceived identity, ideal identity and desired identity. Actual identity refers to the current features of an organization which are shaped by the ownership, leader style, structure of the organization, markets covered by the company’s product/service, the quantity as well as the quality of the product/service, business activities, and overall performance of the company. The key concepts associated with this identity are corporate identity and organizational identity. Communicated identity, on the other hand, is generally revealed through the controllable ways of corporate communication. These channels include company’s relation with public, sponsorship and advertising. The key concepts envisaged in this identity include the identities of corporate communications and the company’s relation with public. Another key identity, known to be as conceived identity simply refers to the perceptions that internal as well as external stockholders hold regarding the company. This conceived identity is related to the concepts of reputation and image of the company. Ideal identity, on the other hand, is typically expressed in terms strategic plans of the company. This identity actually refers to the optimum positioning of the brand in the market within a particular time frame. This identity is usually expressed after completing a careful analysis of the competencies, assets etc. of the company along with predictions regarding the changing industrial, social, ethical, political, economical and technological scenario. The key concepts associated with this identity are company strategy and an analysis of the environment. And finally, desired identity is the vision of the corporate leaders regarding the performance of the organization within a specific time frame. The key concepts associated with this identity are strategy and leadership. (Balmer and Greyser, 2002, pp.72-75; Balmer and Wilson, 1998, pp. 12-31) The corporate management is responsible for managing all these five identities in such a way that they can be widely standardized. If the management fails to do so, there will occur misalignments. (Balmer and Greyser, 2002, pp.72-75; Balmer and Wilson, 1998, pp. 12-31)

Gregory Jarvis, Challenger Astronaut

Gregory Jarvis, Challenger Astronaut Gregory Bruce Jarvis was an American astronaut who brought an extensive background as an engineer to his work with NASA. He died in the Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986, on his first and only trip to space. Fast Facts: Gregory Jarvis Born: August 24, 1944 in Detroit, MichiganDied: January 28, 1986  in Cape Canaveral, FloridaParents: A. Bruce Jarvis and Lucille Ladd (divorced)Spouse: Marcia Jarboe Jarvis, married June 1968Education: B.S. degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and M.S. degree from Northeastern University, both in electrical engineeringMilitary Career: United States Air Force 1969-73Work: Hughes Aircraft from 1973 to 1986, selected as an astronaut candidate in 1984 Early Life Gregory Bruce Jarvis was born in Detroit, Michigan, on August 24, 1944. Growing up, he was heavily involved with a variety of sports and was also a classical guitarist. His father, Greg Jarvis, and mother, Lucille Ladd, divorced when he was in college at the State University of New York. He studied electrical engineering and received his bachelors degree in 1967. He then pursued a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering at Northeastern. After graduation, he served in the Air Force for four years, attaining the rank of captain.   Work at Hughes Aircraft In 1973, Jarvis joined Hughes Aircraft Company, where he worked as an engineer on various satellite programs. Over the next few years, he served as an engineer for the MARISAT Program, which consisted of a set of maritime communications satellites. He then went on to work on communications systems for military use before joining the Advanced Program Laboratory to work on the LEASAT systems. The technology provided synchronous communications for a variety of applications. In 1984, Jarvis, along with 600 other Hughes engineers, applied to become payload specialists for NASA flights. Work With NASA Gregory Jarvis was accepted for training by NASA in 1984. He was listed as a payload specialist, a category including people trained by commercial or research institutions to do specific space shuttle flights. His main interest was the effect of weightlessness on fluids. Jarvis was put on flight status and slated to go into space in 1985. However, his place was taken by Jake Garn, a U.S. senator who wanted to fly into space. Another senator, Bill Nelson, stepped in and also wanted to fly, so Jarvis flight was postponed until 1986.   Jarvis was assigned as a payload specialist on STS-51L aboard the Challenger shuttle. It would be the 25th shuttle mission carried out by NASA and included the first teacher in space, Christa McAuliffe. Jarvis was tasked to study fluids in space, in particular, the effects on liquid-fueled rockets, as part of a fluid dynamics experiment. His specific duties were to test the reaction of satellite propellants to shuttle maneuvers. Gregory B. Jarvis during training for his shuttle mission. NASA   For 51L, Challenger carried a tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS), as well as the Spartan Halley shuttle-pointed tool for astronomy. Jarvis and the others would be responsible for their deployment, while colleague Christa McAuliffe would teach lessons from space and attend to a set of student experiments carried into space aboard the shuttle. Although not specifically in the mission plan, astronaut Ronald McNair had brought along his saxophone and had planned to play a short concert from space. The Challenger Disaster The space shuttle Challenger was destroyed in an explosion 73 seconds after launch on January 28, 1986. In addition to Gregory Jarvis, crew members Christa McAuliffe, Ron McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Judith A. Resnik, Dick Scobee, and Michael J. Smith were killed in the disaster. After Jarvis remains were recovered, he was cremated and scattered at sea by his widow, Marcia Jarboe Jarvis.  Ã‚   Personal Life Gregory Jarvis married Marcia Jarboe in 1968 after they had met in college. They were active in sports, particularly long-distance cycling. They had no children. Marcia worked as a dental assistant.   Honors and Awards Gregory Jarvis was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor posthumously. There is an engineering building at the State University of New York, Buffalo, named for him, as well as a dam in New York state.   Jarvis, along with other crew members, was the subject of a film called Beyond the Stars and a documentary called For All  Mankind, dedicated to the sacrifice made by the Challenger crew. Sources â€Å"Gregory B. Jarvis.† The Astronauts Memorial Foundation, www.amfcse.org/gregory-b-jarvis.Jarvis, www.astronautix.com/j/jarvis.html.Knight, J.D. â€Å"Gregory Jarvis - Challenger Memorial on Sea and Sky.† Sea and Sky - Explore the Oceans Below and the Universe Above, www.seasky.org/space-exploration/challenger-gregory-jarvis.html.Nordheimer, Jon. â€Å"GREGORY JARVIS.† The New York Times, The New York Times, 10 Feb. 1986, www.nytimes.com/1986/02/10/us/2-space-novices-with-a-love-of-knowledge-gregory-jarvis.html.