Love: How Is It?

Amrita Sarkar English 1B 19th September 2012 Love: How Is It? Life has lots of emotions: happiness, sorrow, guilt, frustration, love, and so on. Love is the one emotion which brings in huge changes in our lives and a different kind of emotion begins with it. How can we describe it? Describing love is very hard because in every phase of life, characterization of love can be varied. In childhood, through romantic films and stories, we started to get feeling that love is passionate and when people will be going through it, life would be full of happiness.In adulthood, people’s perception about love might change. Those who are fantasizing about love realized that it is not only about physical attraction but also about relationship, responsibilities and companionship. When ages grow, some people become optimistic about love, some become pessimistic and some of them are on a way to rediscover love. Definition of love can be changed not only with one’s maturity level but also with his/her cultural values.In Raymond Carver story – ‘What We Talk About When We Talk About Love’ – the main protagonists Mel and Terri, and Jhumpa Lahiri’s creation – ‘Going Ashore’ – soon to be married couple, Hema and Navin, had enough knowledge about love but they could not still fully realize it. So, they are on their ways to discover the essence of love. Mel-Terrie and Hema-Navin, all four are mature persons. Individually they all previously experienced love. In ‘What We Talk About When We Talk About Love’, Carver described that Mel and Terri had unsuccessful marriages in the past. Terri’s marriage with Ed was abusive.But Terri claimed that Ed was possessive but loving husband. As a proof, she said about Ed, â€Å"He beat me up one night. He dragged me around the living room by my ankle†. Even with this aggressive behavior toward her, Ed â€Å"†¦ kept saying ‘I love you, I lov e you, you bitch’† (Carver 722). On the other hand, Mel and Marjorie also had a bad marriage. After they ended their relationship, there was no feeling left other than hatred toward each other. Mel expressed his feeling by saying, â€Å"There was a time when I thought I loved my first wife more than life itself. But now I hate her guts†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Carver 725).In ‘Going Ashore’, Navin also went through short-term relationship in the past. But his fiance, Hema, was in a strong, long-lasting relationship with Jullian. Hema was dedicated to the relationship for a decade, but Jullian failed to give her a secure life. Hema’s insecurity about her position in Jullian’s life and her urge for stability were the reasons to end their relationship. She declared to Jullian, â€Å"I’m engaged to be married† (Lahiri 626). After rocky relationship in the past, now everybody is in a new phase of life, but it seems two couples could not connect with each other.Hema and Navin, like many other Indian couples, were going to get married on their parents’ will. Hema was brought-up in western culture. She could not make her mind to marry Navin by such an old approach. She was self-conflicted and her conflict was evident in this quotation, â€Å"she refused to think of it as an arranged marriage, but knew in her heart that that was what it was† (Lahiri 625). She did not bother to wear engagement ring. When people asked her about it she promptly answered, â€Å"I don’t have one. † (Lahiri 634).Hema and Navin’s marriage looked as if they were with each other just for search of stability and companionship in life. Heme was unsure about their marriage even when Navin was planning for their honeymoon and future. Taking decisions about future are required involvement of both partners. They two were so unknown to each other that they could not read each other’s mind. Carver, on the other hand, described Mel as a cardiologist by occupation but he was clueless and emotionless about love. Mel and Terri were married for five years, but they had not been discovered essence of love and companionship.Mel thought that â€Å"real love was nothing less than spiritual love† (Carver 722). He also considered that if â€Å"something happened† to his partner, then â€Å"the other person, would grieve for a while, you know, but then the surviving party would go out and love again,  have someone else soon enough† (Carver 725). In contrast, Terri was fantasizing about her past and wanted to convince other that her ex-marriage was also blissful and passionate. She portrayed Ed’s aggression as love and said to others that, â€Å"†¦ he loved me† but â€Å"In his own way maybe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Carver 722).It seems very strange when two people were in bonding like marriage but they talked about their ex, how much they loved them, scope of future new rela tionship, and their failure to understand one another. These incidents indicated that how much they were detached to each other. Bonding between them was very fragile. In most relationships across the globe, one element is very common – male dominance. The stories about these two couples were also not different. Both characters, Mel and Navin, were highly educated. They were financially stronger than their spouses and were controlling their relationships.In a party at their place with friends, when Mel said to Terri to â€Å"Just shut up for once in your life†, it expressed his supremacy in their marriage. Mel verbally abused Terri in front of guests, but she did not protest. In the ‘Going Ashore’, Navin was also controlling in taking mutual decisions. He was contemplating for a baby all by himself and cancelled their honeymoon plan at Goa. During those plans, he did not care to know about Hema’s wishes. From portrayal of characters and incidents, w e got an idea that in Mel-Terri’s relationship, Terri was more dependent on her spouse.She was still abused verbally by Mel. But Hema, a PhD scholar and a lecturer at Wellesley College, was more independent. She had total control over her life. Her decade-long relationship with Jullian makes her stronger. At the age thirty seven, when biological clock was ticking away, her parents wanted to see her get settled and she also wished for it. Hema belonged to Indian society where arrange marriage is very common. So, she agreed to go for her marriage by her parents’ choice. From Carver’s description, we did not get any indication about Terri’s education background and job status.Mel’s attitude toward her showed that her character was weaker than Hema. Jhumpa Lahiri’s â€Å"Going Ashore† portrayed its characters whose origin was in India but they were immigrants to America and adopted western culture. In India, people have different values t han we find in America. Indian culture believes that person should sacrifice for relation. People in India are motivated to reform themselves to strengthen relationship and to respect it lifelong. Hema and Navin were getting married by knowing each other only for few months. In between her wedding with Navin, Hema was attracted to Kausik at Rome.Their bonding was great but they did not commit to each other because of family values. Family was very important to Hema – that was why she asked her parents to find a suitable groom for her. Thus, Hema’s parents found Navin for her and she also believed that Navin was probably a suitable guy for her too. In Indian culture, marriage is an institute which also creates bonding between two families. Hema and Navin were taking risk to know each other and to spend their lives together by getting married for the sake of their families.In contrast, Mel-Terri was started dating when Terri’s was still married to Ed. And Mel ende d his marriage with Marjorie, despite the fact that they had two children. Their family bonding was very feeble. Mel had not even understood value of selfless love and stable relationship. When two people were deeply in love with each other, he thought this emotion was hilarious and phony. Through the representation of ‘What We Talk About When We Talk About Love’, we feel pessimistic about love but ‘Going Ashore’ is hopeful about new beginning.Jhumpa Lahiri and Raymond Carver also give us different views of love that changes with cultural background. In American culture, people give emphasis to their sentiments rather than family values. Lahiri shows us different angle of relationship. But both stories show us that dominance toward women is present in every part of globe and in every form of relationship. After reading these stories, we get different views of love, from which I realized that we should respect our partner and care for their thoughts.We, also , should give them equal space for healthy and better future relationship. Both the stories, ‘What We Talk About When We Talk About Love’ and ‘Going Ashore’, show us new direction and help us to review our bonding with near and dear ones. Works Cited Carver, Raymond. â€Å"What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. † Making Literature Matter. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 721-30. Print. Lahiri, Jumpa. â€Å"Going Ashore. † Making Literature Matter. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 622-46. Print.

Source of Congressional Power

In the United States’ system of government, there is a checks and balances system where power is shared by the executive branch, the judicial branch and the legislative branch. To a great degree the legislative branch (the congress) exists to provide oversight of the executive branch. In other ways, congressional power can be quite extensive as visible in a number of famous court cases where such power was challenged and the end result of the court cases resulted not in a lessoning of congressional power, but an affirmation and expansion of it.Examples of famous court cases that involve Congressional power include McCullough vs. Maryland (the constitution grants Congress the ability to carry out the constitution when the function of the national government is concerned); South Carolina vs. Katzenback (the authority of Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act was upheld); Gibbons vs. Ogden (Congress’ powers under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution were upheld); and Mc Grain vs. Doherty (inherent powers defined)Of all its powers, Congress is most notable for the ability to regulate and maintain interstate (and foreign) commerce, write tax law, declare war and fund the military, confirm nominations to the federal court and even impeach the President if he breaks the law (or opt to ignore the fact that he broke the law) While some may wrongfully argue that such powers lead to a long, bureaucratic process that could be much better served it were streamlined by a central authority, the fact that Congress prevents the emergence of a central authority is its greatest asset.That is to say, by not allowing the executive branch to develop overreaching power, the Congress eliminates the President from emerging as a dictatorial figure who is not subject to oversight. If too much power is placed in the hands of any one branch of government, then the ability of the government to overreach and become corrupt is a very real possibility. Congress keeps this syste m of checks and balances in line. The expansion of Congressional power also exists to greatly help the people. For example, South Carolina vs.Katzenback solidified the power of the Voting Rights Act and allowed people to maintain their ability to exercise their right to vote. The control of commerce as defined by McCullough vs. Maryland held businesses accountable and did not give them free reign to do whatever it is they wished at the detriment of society as a whole. Yes, there have been numerous complaints over the years that Congress has overreached its authority and regulated/interfered in business and private lives beyond what is appropriate; but such overreaching has been curtailed in the past when public outcry became loud and virulent.As such, it would be hard to press a case that Congressional Power is abusive or overreaching since Congress does, ultimately, have to be accountable to its constituency every election cycle. Because of this, the ability to exercise power remai ns in check and can not overreach beyond what the population wishes. So, in that regard, congressional power is not unlimited and is subject to the same checks and balances system that the other parts of government are subject.

Hotel marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hotel marketing - Assignment Example When a product is marketed well, the value of a product is communicated and consumers’ relationship with the company will be well managed hence benefiting the company. For a hotel business to succeed there is a set of engagements required, these include, capturing the inside of the market, creating a good public relation so as to connect with the customers well, providing the best services, developing a long term growth, being in a position of developing and delivering value in time, and having good marketing strategies. In our hotel industry, we are targeting several groups of guests including those planning for weddings, group meetings, tourist guest house, large corporate meetings, reunions, training seminars, and luncheons. Marketing will assist us to know who our customers are and how to satisfy their requirement. Due to the competition existing in the industry, we have developed a motto GIVING THE BEST TO ALL so as to attract people from different ages and different mult icultural background. I selected the outlet serving each group depending on the age, marital status, ethnic/racial background, income, education status, employment status, accessibility, and interest of each group because different mode of communication can reach different groups differently. This article explains how to lure customers and the cost of marketing in the hotel.

I will put it later Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

I will put it later - Essay Example She reminisced how they, as a young couple, experienced the difficulties they have been through as a consequence of their student loans and related it to how the president feels toward students’ needs and what he did to help them get better services. The content of her speech were mostly based from her familial background and experiences. The speech seems well rehearsed because even though the speaker’s own stories were told, the result was short and to the point. If the speech was done extemporaneously, there is the great possibility that Obama could have gotten around the bush but it was not. Her stories were carefully chosen and her statement were meticulously versed to sound as formal as possible but personal enough to create the drama that made her listeners agree with her thoughts and applaud her. Taking into consideration the fact that the first lady is already used to delivering speeches, one might say it could have been an impromptu. However, the speech seems to have been purposefully made to impress the audience by reaching out to them with the message that the family is not any different from all the other families represented by the participants. Moreover, the stories have been strategically arranged not just to present a smooth flow of the narration but to allow also the speaker to put in the essence of why she was telling the stories. For instance, she talked a lot about their parents so that a listener might wonder about their roles in what she was trying to tell them. Eventually, it was made clear that her speech was also a call to the people to continue working despite the hardships they experience, thinking not about their present situation but hoping that their children or grandchildren’s future would be better. The First Lady made an impressive speech. It was so effective that it accomplished its goal of having the

Free topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Free topic - Essay Example efine the way that the 20th and 21 century has developed, it is exceedingly hard to argue that any one invention has changed the way in which life exists more than that of the internet. Due to the fact that the internet allows a level of communication, and information distribution across such a wide range of topics, one can view it in an entirely different way the other tools that have thus far been listed. Regardless of the level of utilization that can be had from any range of inventions that such an study could reveal, the revolution that the internet has provided spans across nearly each and every layer of available knowledge and information that one can hope to engage with. For this reason, understanding, appreciating, and analyzing the unique ways that that internet has fundamentally reshaped our world will the point towards which this research proposal seeks to analyze. The idea of the internet has existed within minds of scientists and engineers since the dawn of the communication age; however, it was not until research from the last 1960’s that the United States government saw the benefit to such an interconnected group of robust computer networks. This was primarily born out of the fact that early computing power was so limited that it had to be maximized by utilizing a type of â€Å"piggyback† approach which allowed one server system to piggyback on another and communicate as a means to maximizing existing output. In such a way, this eagerly representation of the internet was less about person to person communication or information retrieval as it was about seeking to ameliorate a given alack within the realm of computing. Regardless of the reason, the growth and development of these network of interconnected computers soon began to expand beyond the realm of government research and soon began to see rapid growth within the field of private business and finally, with the advent of personal computers (PCs), the individual user himself/herself. As

World Water Wars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

World Water Wars - Essay Example It all starts with rain pouring down on soil, the soil soaking some of it to replenish the plants and trees and some to replenish the ground water supply. The leftover rain water is drained back into the sea which again is heated by the sun creating water vapors which again turn into heavy clouds that provide rain. So where did it all go wrong? Why the never ending cycle is not enough to supply famine regions of Africa with fresh drinking water? These are the questions that actually change our perception about water because now water is not a natural resource available for one and all by God but a valuable commodity, privately owned and exploited for corporate profit. Further on, the perception that building more and more dams would solve our problem after watching the documentary is completely reversed. Dams are nothing but elements choking the river nutrients from flowing further. 2) Blue Gold: World Water Wars The documentary (Bozzo, â€Å"Blue Gold: World Water Wars†), ske tches a realistic picture of what the world is beneath the veil of glamour, advance technology and looming structures of corporations. It creates awareness regarding the importance of water and the depletion of it as our most important resource. Not visible to the common eye, water is going to be the reason of potential conflicts and the United States has already created a new world map defining the conflict regions. These conflicts will turn into World Water Wars. Ninety seven percent of our planets water is salt water and only three percent of it is fresh. The conflict is between those regions who own that three percent and those who wished that they could own it. Wishes do come true. The government decides to privatize water and in the process creates giant water firms that are now influencing from water prices to foreign policies. The documentary (Bozzo, Blue Gold: World Water Wars†) is a wakeup call for all of us who are still under the illusion that water is the last thi ng that could trouble us, since we have all the pools, fountains and lakes around; how could we possibly be having a water crisis? 3) The crisis At first like in the Mayan civilization, civilizations prospered around water and strategically populated around areas that would fulfill their water requirements. However, as the world advanced the system was reversed and water was adjusted to according to where we lived instead of us adjusting to where it was. This has developed a huge problem for us and for the generations to come. We have polluted the water to such an extent that no matter what huge water corporations say; even the bottled water that we drink is polluted. Poisonous water of Mexico full of wastage flows to landscapes that grow crops sold back to us; in short our daily food intake includes the poisonous water whether we like it or not. Increasingly, dangerous water diseases are more deadly than any other disease. The fact that our fresh water source is depleting at a fast er pace has forced us into obtaining ground water at a faster rate not giving it enough time to be replenished. Natural disasters are also a reason of our increasing dependency on aquifers. Excessive pumping of aquifers may lead to disastrous events such as giant sinkholes forming in Florida. The fact that we pump billions of gallons of water every day is decreasing our ground water reserves and is putting more pressure on sea; the result of it is tsunami and earthquakes. Also now more rain does not permeate in the ground because it is covered with paved roads therefore again creating pressure on the ocean. 4) Creation of water company giants Suez, Veolia, RWE, Thames, Coca Cola, and Nestle are powerful water companies who have privatized vast volumes of water that was at first a

How does our economic system shape our values and our behaviors in the Essay

How does our economic system shape our values and our behaviors in the workplace - Essay Example Education offers them the requisite knowledge and skills to climb the economic ladder. Workers who are well educated are open to resources and are employable within the economic system of US. On the other hand, the workers have changed their view of tax and want reforms implemented to reduce over-taxation on people with benefits. Employees are considering alternative means of generating income. Despite the financial crisis in the economic systems, workers must assume responsibilities in their households. The solution does not lie in the salaries they get because they are not enough. The novel possibilities that workers are considering viable alternatives for getting extra income include foreign employment, selling forehead for commercial advertising and engage in private military contracts among other legal options. However, the alternatives demand relevant qualification, nationality, and qualification. Workers have become socially segregated in the workplace (Kasser, Cohn, Kanner & Ryan, 2007). Workplace features employees with different social classes. The difference in economic and social statuses has led to a wide inequality gap. Workers are struggling to deliver in their jobs while still demanding for class recognition. The situation has damaged the social stability in the workplace and the overall productivity of the firms. The strong social and economic conflict between the rich and poor in the workplace will have profound effects on the national politics and economy, in general. A people divided cannot embrace the same economic agenda. Employees have embraced the values of competitive achievement and power (Kasser, Cohn, Kanner & Ryan, 2007). The values are aimed at encouraging financial success for all people. Workers have long ceased to think about their interests but the success of other people within their community. However, the

International study case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International study case - Essay Example The success of Hero Honda has been prominent to such an extent that in the Indian market, when the general public is referring to the two wheeler industry, the first name that comes on top is the Hero Honda Motors Limited. The company has managed to secure the top spot in India when it comes to volumes in the two wheeler industry and the second spot in the world in the same category. Background As mentioned above, the Hero Honda company formed as a result of a joint venture of the Hero Group of India, owned by the Munjal family, and Honda Motors of Japan. The company started with each of the two co-owners possessing 26% of the company with the rest owned by the public and financial institutions. The arrangement to form the joint venture was initially on a 10 year period till 1994 and Honda Motors was supposed to provide the technology and technical expertise while Hero Cycles was responsible to bring in local talent for the company management including the marketing, human resources and finance managers. A period of uncertainty followed in this joint venture when Hero Honda began to lose its market share due to the fact that the Honda research and development department was too slow to introduce new products for the Indian market. Therefore, they initially missed out on the boom in the two wheeler industry from the year 1993 to 1996 but soon recovered as the clauses of contract of Hero Honda were renegotiated and the research and development was given priority. Since then, Hero Honda has been on a constant rise and quickly managed to beat its competitors to become the producer with the highest market share in the industry. Issues As India began to liberalize and foreign direct investment was allowed into the nation, the foreign investors could view the huge population as a major motivator to invest. Soon, the emergence of Hero Honda, Bajaj, TVS, and Yamaha made this industry a very dynamic one where every company was competing against themselves to be the marke t leader. In the case of Hero Honda however, it was much more complex than its competitors. The competitors including Bajaj and TVS were giving Hero Honda a tough time in the domestic as well as in the international market. Bajaj and TVS had also formed joint ventures of their own and therefore they were not far behind Hero Honda on technological grounds. Along with this, the Indian market prefers to buy a two wheeler at a low price given that it is usually the lower and the middle financial class, who cannot afford to buy cars, that buys the two wheelers. This encouraged the importers to introduce the China-made motorbikes in India which were priced at a much lower level than its Indian counterparts. This made it necessary for the Hero Honda marketing department to position the brand as such to make it the preferred option for the Indian buyer. Unfortunately for Hero Honda, the company had to face not only the external competition but also internal due to poor cooperation between t he partner firms. The Honda Motors’ Research and Development department was not located in India and they had little Indian customer insights. This meant that the R & D department was unable to respond to the changing Indian two wheeler market as fast as other competitors were. Along with this, when Honda decided to open its subsidiary firm on its own to produce scooters in India, it was also felt that they may also decide to part ways with Hero group and start

Trading and Technical Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Trading and Technical Analysis - Assignment Example The assignment "Trading and Technical Analysis" discusses the concept of technical analysis which involves the analysis of the market to understand the various factors causing changes in the prices. When making purchases in trading deposits must be made in full amount before a transaction can be completed. Additional funds can, however, be added if the presented funds are not enough for the transaction. Additional fund a must be added within seven days of the trading period. Amounts deposited after the trading period cannot be accepted in undertaking the transaction. Uniform comparison refers to the comparison of markets through the utilization of fundamental and technical analyses. This involves the utilization of similar data in making financial decisions. Technical analysis enables an individual to make purchasing decisions while the long-term investment decisions are made through the application of fundamental economic analysis. A DK notice describes a terminology utilized by traders in describing a comparison of confirmation of transactions. This notice is sent to a party when one party receives a confirmation which it does not recognize. This notice is commonly utilized by the party with insufficient information in seeking to be provided with the information. The notice is settled by the provision of the requested information. The Moving Average Convergence/Divergence (MACD) refers to an indicator of technical analysis utilized in determining various elements defining the trend of market prices.

Analysis of Theoretical Framework Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Theoretical Framework Essay The dissertation by Constance L. Pearson focuses on the issue of reading comprehension and the barriers associated with reading comprehension. Pearson identifies a variety of factors that impact reading comprehension. The motivation level of the reader, the reader’s reading level, the level of the content, and the reader’s interest significantly impact an individual’s comprehension ability. (Pearson, 1987). Pearson argues there is a direct relationship between schema and reading comprehension. Schema refers to the background knowledge on a specific topic or idea an individual has, it is all the ideas someone has related to a particular word or concept (Rumelhart, 1980). Pearson claims graphic organizers are an effective tool for measuring and teaching background knowledge, â€Å"reading comprehension appears to be enhanced by the use of advanced organizers (Pearson, 1987). Teaching methodologies and the popular research concerning reading comprehension has changed significantly over the decades. Reading comprehension was initially believed to be a process activated by the text alone. The new popular research indicates reading comprehension is complex and influenced by many variables (Pearson, 1987). The research indicates students need some background knowledge or basic understanding of the topic beforehand to fully comprehend the subject matter. The student’s level of prior knowledge significantly impacts reading comprehension. Pearson uses the term schema to refer to this background information or prior knowledge the reader posses beforehand, â€Å"Schema is all the ideas someone has related to a word or concept (Rumelhart, 1980). Pearson points to the study of Social Studies to demonstrate this point. The study of Social Studies and History is a continuous story covering a wide range of issues and topics, many of which require the reader to have substantial background knowledge to fully comprehend the subject or connect the various pieces of History. For example, it would be extremely difficult for students to analyze the causes and effects of WWI and WWII without any background information on globalization. In order to improve student’s reading comprehension it is essential to ensure students have the necessary background information to be fully comprehend the selection. The dissertation discusses the use of advanced organizers as a tool to help readers connect information,  specifically prior knowledge to newly learned information. Background knowledge or schema has a greater impact on reading comprehension than any other single factor. The theory was introduced in the 1970s and attempts to explain the learning process (Pearson, 1987). Schema refers to the entire collection of information a person has on a specific topic. It describes the collection of thoughts, ideas, images, and beliefs that are automatically triggered when a student is introduced to a particular topic or issue. The greater the students collection of background information or the more prior knowledge the reader possesses on an issue or topic the greater that students level of comprehension when exposed to new materials related to those topics or issues (Turner, 1988). Students often times simply lack the essential background knowledge or schemata to fully comprehend the information (Pearson, 1987). As a result teachers must structure their lessons to provide students with the necessary background knowledge to fully comprehend the subject matter being taught. Teacher must focus on content and then comprehension will improve, â€Å"if teachers focus on helping students understand the content, comprehension skills acquisition will occur almost incidentally† (Pearson, 1987). Expecting students to comprehend a topic or issue they know nothing about is a poor example of responsible teaching. It is the teacher’s responsibility to provide students the necessary information to make informed and reasonable decisions. Pearson argues the advanced organizer is the solution to the reading comprehension problem. The best advanced organizers are teacher created. High quality commercial graphic organizers are not readily available. They are often limited or poorly matched for the topic or lesson at hand and many are outdated as educational research continues to improve. Pearson identifies three types of advances organizers, the verbal organizer, the anticipation guide, and the graphic overview advance organizer. The verbal organizer is the simplest of the three and a reliable tool for introducing new information. The organizer introduces students to new information my associating or linking it with prior knowledge. The verbal organizer has proven an effective tool for increasing reading comprehension (Vacca   Vacca, 1986). The anticipation guide requires students to think about the information before hand by answering a series of true and false questions related to the topic. Students rely on their prior knowledge to answer the questions, then make the necessary changes as they read the selection and learn new information. The guided reading activities that often accompany new content are a perfect example of this. The graphic overview organizer is possibly the most popular of the three and has received a great deal of attention. It is well suited for the visual and tactile learner. The graphic overview organizer focuses on content and key terms. The graphic overview organizer uses pictorial images to connect key terms to the main ideas presented in the text. Pearson provided a good amount of information supporting the effectiveness of the pictorial organizer, the graphic overview organizer proved particularly effective in increasing reading comprehension among students with low levels of prior knowledge (Pearson, 1987). The dissertation was informative and interesting; it helped me to understand a number of issues related to reading comprehension. It clearly explained the huge push for the use of graphic organizers across my district over the last few years. As a Social Studies teacher I will examine more closely how I present information to students. I often take for granted their prior knowledge and then find myself wondering why some are struggling comprehending the main ideas. As Pearson pointed out successfully comprehension of Social Studies curriculum requires the essential background knowledge. The main argument of the dissertation is there is a direct relationship between a student’s level of comprehension of a topic and the student’s prior knowledge in relationship to that subject. Students struggle with new information because they lack the required schema to fully comprehend the subject matter at hand. The use of advanced organizers helps students develop their background knowledge. The more the student knows about the topic, the better the student will be able to understand that topic. Pearson claims increasing a student’s schema will improve the students reading comprehension ability and it is the teacher’s responsibility to provide students with the background information to fully comprehend the topic.

Indicators of Motivation | Research Methodology

Indicators of Motivation | Research Methodology 1.1 REASON FOR SELECTING THE TOPIC AND THE ORGANIZATION Motivation among employees in a certain organization has been given immense importance for the success of that organization these days. Especially in the rapidly changing world, without identifying the key indicators in the motivation of employees, their commitment towards the work cannot be achieved. Therefore, while I was going through the various topics suggested in the RAP guidelines provided by Oxford Brookes University, as soon as I came across this topic, I instantly decided to work on it for my research project after having discussed it with my mentor. As far as selection of the company is concerned, I felt that Coca-Cola being an international brand that has gained loyalty among the masses, could actually be of great interest to base my research on. Moreover, I personally knew a relative of mine who is currently an employee at Coca-Cola. He had told me that the companys human resource department since the past few years has been doing a lot to increase employee motivation and commitment towards the organization. According to its official website, the company has a portfolio of over 3,300 products, among which the popular ones are Coca Cola soft drink, Sprite, Fanta, Diet Coke, Minute Maid juice, Aquarius mineral water and POWERADE energy drink. The company is currently striving to research on low calorie products and to substitute sweeteners in place of sugar considering the fact the people have now become more health conscious towards their diet. Moreover, Coca-Cola had revenue generation of $8.7 billion in the year 2010 and has targeted to achieve $500 million annual sales by the end of 2011 (Alazraki, 2010). Other than that, I had studied about different motivational theories in text books during my school life, so applying it to a global organization would actually make me learn how to convert theory into practice. Since I already knew one of the employees working at Coca-Cola, doing analysis on this company was particularly easier as well as accessible for me, which facilitated in increasing the efficiency of my project. 1.2 PROJECT OBJECTIVES The objectives of my research project were as follows: To know about the history of Coca-Cola, how it started and where it stands now, along with the developments that took place in its human resource. To study the key variables that affect motivational level of employees such as promotion, personal growth, status, independence and simulation. To identify what initiatives have been taken by the company to increase its employee motivational level, and relating it to different motivational theories. To compare its initiatives with the techniques used by its competitors. To make a questionnaire based on my research topic and get it filled by the employees at Coca-Cola to find out what variables effect their motivational level and how far are they satisfied with their work. Analyzing the questionnaire, supporting it with graphical representation and also finding out the impact of the key indicators on motivational level of the employees. Commenting on the research findings. Drawing a conclusion from it. Suggesting some realistic recommendations that can be implemented in the future. 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND OVERALL RESEARCH APPROACH Before starting with my research, it was extremely important for me to frame reasonable research questions that would help me answer my research project. So, I developed the following questions that could help me answer by research approach: Have I completely understood the topic of my report? What information do I need to have, before I visit the organization? What are they key variables, usually, that help in employee motivation? What will be the sample size of my analysis? Is it large enough? Will I be able to manage such a large sample? Will I be able to apply statistical calculations effectively to analyze the questionnaire? Are my questions relevant enough to match my project objectives? Therefore, after identifying the questions, I tackled with each question one by one to make sure that I am not missing out on anything. I was also referring to the ACCA Project guideline constantly to keep my objectives clear and to strictly go according to what is required from the research project. I then had to decide on what sort of tools to use for carrying out the research and whether I was familiar with those tools or not. Technical tools included use of spreadsheets and using statistical features available on different softwares to calculate the results and facilitate its comparison. A questionnaire was built up based on the research question in which I had posed such questions where I had given appropriate ranges that would not only help employees in answering easily, but would also help me in interpretation and analysis of the data. Moreover, giving ranges had increased the reliability and relevancy of the data. The questionnaire was made to judge the key variables and factors that influence the motivational level of employees at Coca-Cola. The sample size taken to fill in the questionnaire was 200. A large sample size was taken so that more accurate results could be obtained by considering opinions of maximum number of employees. I also made a point to stay constantly in touch with few of the employees of Coca-Cola so that they are aware of how much important this project means to me and how much carefully and accurately they need to fill in the questionnaire. In addition to this, I made a point to compare each result with that of its competitors, so that my research becomes more relevant. I used various websites from the internet as my secondary research to find out information Coca-Colas competitors. Thus, deciding on proper sources of information, making a close-ended questionnaire from where maximum answers to my research can be extracted and analyzing that questionnaire with the help of technical skills and reasonable comparison, were my basic steps in conducting the research. INFORMATION GATHERING AND BUSINESS TECHNIQUES USED 2.1 SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND METHODS USED TO COLLECT IT 2.1.1 Secondary source The basic secondary sources of information used in information gathering were the internet and the text books I had, in which different motivational theories were discussed in great detail. Management by Daft and Business Studies by Peter Stimpson were the two main books I frequently referred to while working on my project. Moreover, for my own understanding of these theories in a better way, I also referred to Psychology in Action written by Karen Huffman. I had also reviewed some sample reports to understand completely, how to interpret results or in what manner people, usually, write interpretations and gave recommendations. Different and very interesting articles were also available online that enriched my knowledge and made it easier for me to understand the whole scenario existing in the organization, thus, helping me in interpreting the results. The official website of Coca-Cola was also a major source to gain information about the history of the company and to access some published articles, which discussed the achievements of Coca-Colas HR department in motivating the employees reach their organizational goals. After referring to these sources, contra-verification was done in order to ensure that the particular website or article is providing the accurate information. 2.1.2 Primary source After building upon the secondary research and gathering sufficient information about the company, I then did the primary research. To conduct my primary research, I designed a questionnaire about which I discussed earlier. Before starting with the survey, I had arranged a meeting with the HR manager of Coca-Cola to have an overview about the workings of their department and to brief him about my research project. The meetings with him also acted as a source of gaining information on the factors they considered important to influence motivation of their employees and how far has the company been able to address those factors. Incase of any incomplete information, I then again referred to the authentic websites to find out the details. Statistical techniques were used to analyze the raw data obtained. 2. 2 LIMITATIONS IN INFORMATION GATHERING The internet: While browsing the net, we usually come across a lot of irrelevant and unauthentic websites; therefore, I had to be very careful in avoiding such websites to ensure authenticity of information. It was also very time-consuming to visit numerous websites and select information that best suited my research. Referencing material from electronic media was also an issue, as the originality of the source was sometimes in doubt. Also, the information gathered had to undergo a lot of editing so that the focus of my topic was not deviated and irrelevant material could be avoided. Questionnaire: Although I tried to put in straight forward questions in the questionnaire, still the information achieved from it cannot be fully reliable as employees sometimes reluctantly do not go for the right option and deliberately go against their actual opinion due to their own psychological reasons. Since the sample size was large I had emailed the questionnaires to the respective employees and to get back the filled questionnaires was again time-consuming as constant reminders had to be sent and great care had to be taken to not bother them much. Interviews: The initial interviews with some employees and the HR manager helped in gaining a lot of information about the company, but still not all the relevant information was provided, such as the drawbacks and the issues being faced by employees. So interviews helped me in knowing about the pros of the company but not the cons. Moreover, some complex questions asked by me to the employees and the manager were either left unanswered or were answered diplomatically in order to prevent disclosure of information that the company considered as confidential. Sample reports: The limitation faced in reviewing sample reports was that every report used different formats according to the requirements of his/her instructor or employer. Moreover, authenticity of the information presented in the report could be questioned. The interpretations made in those reports were according to their subject matter and the same could not be applied here. 2.3 ETHICAL ISSUES FACED AND HOW THEY WERE RESOLVED One of the main ethical issues that I faced during my research was the confidentiality of information. Some of the information that was useful for my project could not be made part of it as the company considered such information as private. Secondly, employees did not actually give the true picture of the organization and only narrated all the good stuff about the company. Moreover, when comparing Coca-Colas statistics with its competitors, it was not ethical to name those competitors weaknesses and leak information without their consent, therefore, I had to be careful when interpreting my results. Also, getting questionnaires filled from such a large size was a tedious task and I had to patiently deal with it in order to give minimum trouble to the employees. Questionnaires had to be made according to the mental capability of the employees and such questions had to be avoided where employees feel that their weaknesses are being judged and portrayed. To overcome such problems, I firstly ensured the employees that they could fill in the questionnaires without mentioning their names. Secondly, I assured them that their opinions will be strictly used for the purpose of analyzing the research project, and would not be exploited by any means. 2.4 BUSINESS AND STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES USED ALONG WITH THEIR LIMITATION To facilitate my analysis and interpretation, I used some famous motivational theories by renowned psychologists. For instance, Maslows Hierarchy of needs theory by Abraham Maslow states that satisfaction of employees basic physiological needs such as adequate heat, air and a base salary, is the first step to increase his/her motivational level in the hierarchy. Following it are the safety needs such as safe work and job security; the third level comprises of belongingness needs such as relationship with co-workers; the fourth step includes esteem needs such as high status and recognition; and after all these needs are satisfied, the employees look for fulfillment of self-actualization needs such as growth, advancement and creativity. Thus, an employee would first want an adequate salary that could fulfill his physical needs and then he would strive to achieve the top level needs such as achievement and growth. Limitation: The limitation in this theory is that employees not necessarily go through all the levels when satisfying their needs and their might be a possibility that a high-order need might be satisfied before the low-order need; it varies from one person to another. Frederick Hergbergs two-factor theory also identifies the key indicators of motivation and the factors that lead to dissatisfaction of employees. According to this theory, if hygiene factors are poor, employees would be dissatisfied. Limitation: The theory ignores the fact that their might be employees who are adaptable to poor working conditions and the hygiene factor might not be of significant importance to them if other factors such as their pay and position in the company are satisfactory. Moreover, when I was designing my questionnaire, I also kept in mind the acquired needs theory developed by David McClleland and the schedule for reinforcement tools to be used by organizations (Daft, 2003). Acquired needs theory states that needs, such as need for achievement, power and affiliation, are not in born in a person, but are acquired by the person as time passes by. On the other hand, the reinforcement approach links the behavior with its consequences. For instance, if employees are given rewards, a variable-ratio schedule should be used instead of fixed-ratio schedule, because when the number of rewards is not fixed and is dependent upon to what extent employee performed well, employees are motivated more to work harder in order to get a greater reward (Daft, 2003). Statistical techniques used and their limitation The statistical technique used to analyze the data collected was exploratory factor analysis. Some basic tests were carried out to see if the assumptions of the techniques are applicable in our data set or not. Primary Component analysis was done to extract the results and explain variance, and the Eigen values derived from the results were graphically represented using a Scree Plot. The variables were then grouped into components by using Varimax Rotation. Moreover, before starting the analysis, pre-testing was done through reliability analysis. The method used for reliability analysis was Cronbachs alpha. The limitations associated with these techniques there are several ways to implement different techniques, so argument exists over which technique is the most suitable one. Likewise, opinion diversity is there about what amount of components to use or which rotation matrix to apply. Therefore, all such limitations lead to the problem of reliability. ANALYSIS, CONCLUSION AND FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 ANALYSIS 3.1.1 Pre-testing The instrument was pre-tested by getting filled 5 to 6 samples of questionnaire to discover if there were any issues with the instrument and to find out whether the questions were easily understood and comprehended. By pre-testing, it was concluded that all respondents were at ease in responding and the instrument appealed them. Reliability analysis is done through various methods (Cronbachs alpha being one of them), and the purpose of analysis is to know whether the same set of items would result in same responses if the questions are re-administered or re-casted. The variables are considered as reliable if they are portraying stable results after being repeated a number of times (Santos, 1999). Cronbachs Alpha is the internal consistency model which is based on the average correlation. The data is split into two halves and the correlation coefficient is taken out, and the average of the two values represents Cronbachs Alpha (Field, 2006). Here the value of Cronbachs Alpha is 0.839 which signifies consistency of data. 3.1.2 Respondent Statistics The above diagram displays the total no. of people in terms of gender that have participated in our study. The total no. of sample size is 200 (N=200). Out of the sample size of 200, 128 of the total population is represented by male and 72 respondents are females. Although, the number of females, were less as compared to males, but were enough to understand the behavior of both the genders with respect to the factors that affect the motivation level of the employees. The above diagram displays the total number of people in terms of age that participated in our study. In our analysis the total no of sample size is 200 (N=200). Out of the sample size of 200, people lying in the age bracket of 21-30 is 43; 46 people lie in the bracket of 31-40; 60 are in the age bracket of 41-50; 40 lie in the bracket of 51-60; and only 8 of the respondents lie in the age category of above 61 years. The population division in terms of age is well diversified. The above diagram displays the total number of participants in terms of marital status. In the analysis, the total number of sample size is 200(N=200), out of which, 81 people were single and 116 were married. This indicates that the population division in terms of marital status is almost equal, however, in terms of specific numbers there were more married people as compared to single ones. The above diagram displays the total no. of people in terms of working experience that participated in our study. In our analysis the total no. of sample size is 200 (N=200). Out of this size, 123 people were having a working experience of 1-5 years; 66 had it of 6-10 years; and only 8 people had an experience of 11-15 years. Thus, we conclude that majority of the respondents lied in the category of 1-5 years. The above diagram displays the total number of participants in terms of designation. Out of the sample size of 200, there were 62 Junior Employees, 51 were Supervisors, 64 were working as Managers, and 20 people were working as Senior Managers. In this study, the focus was to collect the data from all the levels of organization, so that a better understanding of the results is prepared. 3.1.3 Description of the factors There are some basic assumptions of every test/technique that need to be fulfilled before their implementation; factor analysis also has its own assumptions. The two basic assumptions of the factor analysis are the KMO value and the Bartletts Test of Sphericity. For the validation of factor analysis, the KMO value should be greater than 0.5 and the significant value of the Bartletts Test of Sphericity should be less than 0.05. In the above table, the value of KMO is greater than 0.5 that is 0.644 and the significant value of Bartletts Test of Sphericity is 0.000 that is less than 0.05. It means that both the basic assumptions of the factor analysis are met; therefore, we can apply factor analysis on our data. Communalities table is one if the primary output of factor analysis, initially it was assumed that all the variables were equally important by assigning them value equal to one. Later on, based on the data, variables that were most important or prominent in the data set were identified. The highest extraction value gave us the idea about the variable that is most important in the analysis. The highest extraction value in the above table is 0.824 for the variable perks. Perks are the facilities granted to employees, such as day care centers, parking space, free car washes, flexible timings and vacations (Mintzer, 2006). It means that perk, available to the employees in Coca-Cola, is the most important variable in terms of enhancing the motivation level of the employees, apart from their salary and other benefits. Granting perks to employees improves the overall work environment of the organization, making it more attractive for its employees to work for the organization. Following per ks, the second most important variable is teamwork; the extraction value of the variable is 0.821. Teamwork fosters a culture that increases unity, equality and collaboration in the organization. Teamwork removes any barriers that exist between departments or divisions (Susan, 2011). Total Variance Explained The Principal Component analysis was used to extract the results for the given data set. The table of total variance explains the different aspect of the analysis. Firstly, it explains the number of factors or groups that are building out of the analysis; the basic criterion behind developing the components is Eigen Value. The components that have Eigen value equal to or greater than one would be included in the final set; here we have also included the factor that has an Eigen value of 0.910 for displaying better results. As it can be observed in the above table that out of a total number of 38 components, 14 components have been formed representing the 72.706% variation of the data set. The minimum requirement of the variation explained by the factors is 60%. The above table shows the variance percentage represented by each group individually as well as collectively. The variance percentage of the first component is the maximum among all other components in the extraction square of sum loadings, but when the Varimax rotation was applied, the variation explained by all the components becomes equal, as it shows that all the formed components are of equal importance. Scree Plot is just a graphical representation of Eigen Values and components. On the x-axis we have components and on the y-axis, there are Eigen values. If we examine the above diagram in detail, it can be observed that same pattern is followed after component thirteen in the graph. Before that, the line is in curve, showing a downward trend, but after component fourteen the line becomes steeper showing a similar pattern. Scree plot, therefore, helps in identifying that what number of components should be used to be formed in the analysis. From the above diagram, maximum thirteen components would be enough to prepare the results. Rotated Component Matrixa Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis. Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization. a. Rotation converged in 26 iterations. The above table Rotated component Matrix is been developed by using Varimax rotation. Rotation of the components helps in minimizing the errors as well as biasness in the results. There are total fourteen components that have been formed. As seen in the table, The first component represents the factor equipment, visibility, and variety. The second component represents simplicity, social interaction, clarity, and bonuses. Third component factor is represented by independence, insurance, and flexibility. Fourth component includes regularity, responsibility, and power. Fifth component comprises of Location, intellectuality and organizational image. Sixth component includes teaching, competition, and tranquility. Seventh component includes perks and pays. Eighth component consists of status and simulation. Ninth component includes personal relevance, recognition, and personal growth. Tenth component includes balance and contribution. Eleventh component includes security and benefits. Twelfth component has teamwork and conditions. Thirteenth component comprises of busy and jockey, The last fourteenth component consists of a single factor that is promotion. The variables in each component having highest value are also known as surrogate variables, therefore, all these variables are essential factors in affecting the motivational level of the employees. Surrogate variables also gave the idea that if they are achieved or are on the higher side, the other factors of the component will automatically be achieved or moved towards the higher side too, collectively increasing the motivation level of the employees. For e.g. if teamwork is the surrogate variable for component twelve, it means that if in any organization the teamwork is promoted, and people are joined together to work on a task or a project, it will increase the motivational level of the employees. With this, the person starts to find out good working conditions in his work too and performs much better. 3.1.5 Analysis of the Factors on Gender basis Affecting Motivation The above studied variable is one of the important variables that plays important role in the motivation level of the employees. If we look at the above diagram, we can observe that the behavior of the equipment is same in both the genders. People working in organization either male or female consider availability of equipment equally important. If facilities such as printer, scanner, and photocopy machine, writing pad, files and other such equipments are round the clock available in the organization, it helps in speeding up their work and removes barriers that could exist in increasing their efficiency. Over here, Hergbergs two-factor theory is applicable, which considers work environment an important factor in satisfaction or dissatisfaction of employees. Availability of equipment contributes to a positive work environment that is employee-friendly and affects their level of satisfaction including both, male and female (Daft, 2003). The above studied variable is also one of the important variables affecting the motivation level of the employees. If we look at the above diagram, we can observe that the behavior of promotion differs with respect to Gender. Promotion is the most important factor for males as compared to females. Male motivation highly differs with respect to the promotion they get. Although the median line of both the genders is equal, but the overall box plot of males is on the higher side. There are some outliers also present in the male category, but we have considered them as exceptional. Promotion is a factor that extremely plays a highly essential role in employee motivation, especially among the males. Promotion increases their focus on the work and affects their pay as well as position in the organization, thus employees after a considerable period of time; desperately wait for the organization to promote them to a higher level. Applying the reinforcement approach over here, if promotion instead of at fixed intervals and ratios, is given at variable intervals, it would increase the motivation of employees to work harder and with more focus, since the time of promotion would be unexpected. Secondly, variable ratio means that the amount of reward or the degree of promotion is variable and according to the tasks performed by a certain employee, therefore, if promotion is also given in variable ratios, it would act as a positive reinforcement tool in the organization (Daft, 2003). The above studied variable is one of the important variables that plays role in the motivation level of the employees. If we look at the above diagram, we can observe that the behavior of status is highly important for females as compared to males. Females are highly specific about the respect and status they got in the organization. In addition, this factor has a huge impact on their motivation level, as the median line is upward for the females. However, as compared to males, status is important but relatively less essential when compared with other factors. There are other factors that motivate males, but for females status is highly important and it affects their performance highly in the workplace. If we apply the acquired needs theory over here, it could be seen that women are not status conscious by birth, but this factor has built in them over time and status defines power, affiliation and achievement, which is to be superior above all. So, if their acquired needs are fulfilled by the organization that would be a key variable in increasing their willingness to do work. As far as males are concerned, Maslows hierarchy of needs theory could be applied, since status in Maslows hierarchy could be categorized under self-actualization, it comes after the satisfaction of other basic needs. The graph shows that having a high status is an essential key variable but there are other factors that males consider more important than status. According to this theory, those other factors could include pay, promotion, job security and condition of the work place (Daft, 2003). 3.2 CONCLUSION Coca-Cola is a company that encourages a work environment that satisfies all its stakeholders existing within and outside the organization. Studying these variables helped in understanding the management techniques to be used in the organization to drive employees effectiveness and efficiency in their work. In our analysis, promotion is standing separate among all the other factors, showing that this factor is of prime importance and has a huge impact on the motivation level of the employees. Personal relevance is also one of the most important motivation factors. Employees find themselves highly motivated when they are able to use any of their personal talent, education or training in their jobs. Therefore, Coca-Cola needs to develop programs and design jobs in a way that encourages employees to show their personal talents and skills, which would then help them in performing well and boosting their enthusiasm. The analysis further concludes, that status is also one of the important aspects that directly affects the motivation level of the employees, who feel that their job is of high status and seen as a respectable one in the society. Simulation refers to the personal liking of the job work. If employee finds things to do in a job that is of his/her personal interest it improves his readiness level. If employee finds something in his/her work that he or she loves to do, then this aspect of the job increases his/her willingness to do so. Past researchers have witnessed that material reward and motivation has a direct relationship with each other. Thus, Coca-Cola needs to focus on material rewards and should plan according to the need of the employees. Further it has been witnessed, that independence of doing work is also one of the prime factors that has a huge impact on the motivation level of the employees. If the people are provided the liberty to work with less supervision and perform their job in a way they want to, this will surely develop their motivation in doing work. Apart from this, personal growth is also exceedingly important. Every one wants to develop him/her self with the passage of time, therefore, providing opportunity to employees to develop themselves and grow as an individual has a direct positive impact on their level of keenness. Thus, we conclude that the study has identified that a number of factors have a direct impact on the motivation level of the employees, so if proper working is done on it, it will result in a higher motivational level of the employees. Working on these factors would help Coca-Cola in enhancing their productivity of the work, as well as in improving the job satisfaction of the employees. 3.3 RECOMMENDATIONS After a thorough analysis of my

Comparing Grovers Growing Up White In America and McBrides Work, What Color Is Jesus? :: Compare Contrast Essays

Comparing Grover's Growing Up White In America and McBride's Work, What Color Is Jesus? Racial issues have been predominant for the last fifty years. The two authors Bonnie Kay Grover and James McBride share their racial views in their respective works â€Å"Growing Up White In America† and â€Å"What Color Is Jesus?† Each author has a different view on exactly what race is and how it is used. Bonnie Kae Grover is a white female who believes that race has been used as a weapon. Specifically, she focuses on how white people use their color of skin to be controlling of other people. Her gripe is on the notion of â€Å"white culture.† She questions the validity of the statement and believes it is simply just American culture and those who think of it as white culture â€Å"just moved in like they’ve discovered it† (Grover 377). She examines some similarities in today’s â€Å"white culture† and the historical attitude of the exploring Europeans. The Europeans, when inhabiting North America, â€Å"just moved in and said they had God on their side and the Indians weren’t much anyway but a few of them could work for them sometimes if they behaved themselves, and the rest were lined up for disposal† (377). The Europeans believed themselves superior to the Indians; any and all action – fair and unfair alike – taken against the Indians was justifiable because it helped the Europeans. Grover argues that this irresponsible approach is the basis of the white culture. White culture is simply American culture taken and modified as seen fit by white people. James McBride focuses his essay on his parents. His mother was white and his father black. He felt confusion; which color was he? McBride remembers when he was ten, he approached his mother with the question while she was working on the kitchen table. Her thoughtful response was only one word: â€Å"[p]liers† (391). He was not the only one in the family to have this question. His older brother took it an extra step and during Sunday school asked the reverend about the skin color of Jesus.

12 Angery Men :: essays research papers

The movie Twelve Angry Men begins with an eighteen year old boy from the ghetto who is on trial for the murder of his abusive father. A jury of twelve men are locked in the deliberation room to decide the fate of the young boy. All evidence is against the boy and a guilty verdict would send him to die in the electric chair. The judge informs the jurors that they are faced with a grave decision and that the court would not entertain any acts of mercy for the boy if found guilty. Even before the deliberation talks begin it is apparent most of the men are certain the boy is guilty. However, when the initial poll is taken Juror #8 (Henry Fonda) registers a shocking not guilty vote. Immediately the room is in uproar. The rest of the jury resents the inconvenient of his decision. After questioning his sanity they hastily decide to humor the juror #8 (Henry Fonda) by agreeing to discuss the trial for one hour. Eventually, as the talks proceed juror #8 slowly undermines their confidence by saying that the murder weapon is widely available to anyone, and that the testimony of the key witness is suspect. Gradually they are won over by his arguments and even the most narrow minded of his fellow jurors hesitantly agrees with him. Their verdict is now a solid not guilty. Arriving at a unanimous not guilty verdict does not come easily. The jury encounters many difficulties in learning to communicate and deal with each other. What seems to be a decisive guilty verdict as deliberations begin slowly becomes a questionable not sure. Although the movie deals with issues relating to the process of effective communication this paper will focus of two reasons why they encounter difficulties and how they overcome them. First, we will apply the Johari grid theory and see how it applies to their situation. Then, we will see how each individual's frame of reference and prejudices effect their perception which cause difficulties in the communication process. If we analyze the Johari grid of each juror we see a large hidden area in the case of all of the men. Take into consideration, referred to by juror numbers only they do not even have the benefit of knowing their names. These men have never talked before. Each of them come from different situations with

The Tale of Troy :: essays research papers

Book Report The Tale of Troy was written by Padraic Colum, it has 132 pages, and takes place in the ancient islands of Greece. The Tale of Troy is a fiction story. Even though Athena and Poseidon helped the Greeks during the Trojan War, Athena turns against the Greeks and convinces Poseidon to do the same. The Greeks are hit by storms on the way home and many ships are destroyed and the fleet is scattered. The war and his troubles at sea keep Odysseus away from Ithaka, for twenty years. While he was gone, his son, Telemachus, has grown into a man, and his wife, Penelope, is overwhelmed by wooers who think Odysseus is dead. While Poseidon is away from Olympus, Penelope convinces the other gods to help Odysseus return home. In disguise in Ithaka, she convinces Telemachus to look for his father. Telemachus goes to Pylos and finds out that Odysseus is being held prisoner by Calypso. Zeus orders that Odysseus be allowed to go home so he leaves on a raft. When he is almost home, Poseidon sees him and sends a storm that sinks his raft. Ino helps Odysseus by giving him her veil which protects him from any harm in the water. After two days of swimming, Odysseus reaches the Phaeacians and their kind king, Alcinoà ¼s. The king’s daughter, Nausicaà ¤, finds Odysseus and takes him to the king. Odysseus tells how he and his crew first saw the Lotus-Eaters, then they docked in front of a cave to search for food. There is wine, food, and pens full of sheep in the cave, but the cave’s owner, the giant Cyclops Polyphemus, comes back and seals the cave with a giant boulder. Odysseus planned to escape by giving Polyphemus wine until he passed out. The men poke out the monster’s only eye. Polyphemus can’t find the men and finally rolls the boulder that was blocking the cave and puts his arms in front of it to catch the men as they try to run outside. Odysseus thought Polyphemus might do this so they hang onto the undersides of the sheep as they go out to pasture. When the men passed the entrance, Polyphemus felt only the sheep’s backs and the men escaped. Aeolus, the keeper of the Winds, gave Odysseus a le ather sack that holds all the storm winds as a gift. Odysseus can sail home safely as long as he keeps the bag closed, but his crew opened the bag, that started a storm that blew them to the land of the Laestrygons, cannibals who destroy every ship in the fleet except one.

Monks

The basic purpose of monasticism is devotion to spiritual work and abdication from earthly temptations. Monasticism is known in many religions including Christianity. The word â€Å"monk† itself derives from Greek ‘monos’ – alone, so originally monasticism supposed it’s adepts to live alone[1]. Such lonely style of living has been known from the early years of Christianity, but it’s symbol is the figure of Antony the Great – a charismatic leader of the desert monks, who is said to be a founder of Christian monasticism. Antony and his followers completely left the world and devoted their lives to prays and manual work, attempting to reach cleanse their soul and know God[2]. Those â€Å"escapists† became known as anchorites (the word derives from a Greek word meaning â€Å"to withdraw†). Anchorites strived to stay alone with God and their way was a way of individual salvation. Such approach was good for early Christianity, however, with the development of Church as organization and spread of the new religion in Europe it could not satisfy both the Church and it’s numerous believers. So another way called cenobitic monasticism became popular. Saint Pachomius, the father of cenobitism has founded a community where numerous monks (both male and female) lived separately in huts or caves, however they met for prays and to perform common duties. Such from of monasticism allowed to make it more arranged and uniformed as well as to guide and control the monks. Pachomius himself wrote the first statute to govern the life in a monastery[3]. Cenobitism has not rejected the idea of personal mystical insight, it rather allowed to unite the associate-monks around a figure of a prior. So a monastery in cenobitism is a sort of school where knowledge of God is taught. Both cenobitism and anchoritism are united by several universal principles of monasticism such as surrender of all earthly vanity, labor as a part of salvation, individual way of spiritual rebirth, prayers as basic mystical practice, etc. Works Cited: 1.Lawrence, C. H. 2001. Medieval Monasticism: Forms of Religious Life in Western Europe in the Middle Ages (3rd Edition). New York: Longmans 2. Burns, Paul, ed. Butler's Lives of the Saints: New Full Edition January vol. Collegeville, MN:The Liturgical Press 3.Johnston, William M. (ed.). 2000. Encyclopedia of Monasticism. vol. 2., Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers [1] Lawrence, C. H. 2001. Medieval Monasticism: Forms of Religious Life in Western Europe in the Middle Ages (3rd Edition). New York: Longmans, p.- 9 [2] Burns, Paul, ed. Butler's Lives of the Saints: New Full Edition January vol. Collegeville, MN:The Liturgical Press, p- 107 [3] Johnston, William M. (ed.). 2000. Encyclopedia of Monasticism. vol. 2., Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, p. – 215 [4] Lawrence, C. H.   (supra note) p.- 45

Project Scope and Charter Essay

The first phase of any project is the initiation phase. This phase commences when some type of business issue or opportunity is identified bringing about a proposal project to solve or address the issue or opportunity. The main deliverable of this phase is the project charter, which contains a broad view of what the project is about, who is involved, why the project is being conducted and how & when the project will be carried out. (Hughes Lecture, 2013) Once the charter is approved the project can move into the planning phase, which is where the charter is used to identify the scope of the project. This paper will examine the relationship between project scope and charter and highlight the benefits of each. Project Charter The project charter is a short document that serves as an informal contract between the project team and the sponsor of the project. (Kloppenberg, 2012, pg 84) This document contains only enough detail to get the project approved so it can move into the planning phase. Project Management Professional, Ritchie Hughes describes the charter as a representation of the â€Å"view from 3000 meters†. The project charter is usually drawn up by the Project Manager and team, or, in instances where a Project Manager has not yet been assigned, the project sponsor will complete the charter. Hughes explains that the functions of the â€Å"why† section of the charter are to ensure: the correct individuals will be consulted (e.g. stakeholders and governance), projects that are linked or dependent on the project in question are identified, the organization has enough resources (internally or externally) to complete the project, a business case for the organization is conveyed and that all the information is provided to support the executive team. (Hughes Lecture, 2013) Approval of the charter grants authority to the project manager to go through with the project and utilize the allotted budget or resources for the project activity. As the charter approval is the â€Å"Go/No Go† decision for the project, a non-approval means termination of the project. (Hughes Lecture, 2013) Scope Approval of the project charter signifies the transition into the planning phase of the project. A critical part of the planning phase is identifying the scope of the project. Project scope is defined as â€Å"the work that must be performed to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions.† (Kloppenberg, 2012, pg. 142) Ritchie Hughes explained that scope can also mean â€Å"the sum of products, services and results to be provided as a project.† The benefits of scope are that the work to be performed is clarified, listed and any work not to be completed (outside the project’s scope) is identified. Scope is also a useful tool in managing expectations and avoiding assumptions among stakeholders and the project team. (Hughes Lecture, 2013) Scope Creep A common issue when managing a project’s scope is dealing with scope creep. Scope creep can be defined as â€Å"the extra deliverables that can creep into a project.† (Collegiate Projects, 2013, pg. 1) These â€Å"project improvements† can be very hard to avoid but may have a major effect on the project’s budget, timing or quality. Projects that may be susceptible to scope creep should have a scope change management plan that contains: a definition of scope change for the project, a process for submitting and reviewing scope changes, documentation needed for the change process and a tool to track change requests and their resolutions. (Collegiate Projects, 2013, pg. 2,3) An understanding by both parties (project team and sponsor) of scope creep and its effects on the project, and an organized management plan will help avoid scope creep that may negatively affect the project’s success. Conclusion In the early stages of project management, two very important aspects are the project charter and scope of the project. Not all projects need a charter but understanding and managing the scope of a project will help the project team effectively complete the project in time and budget without â€Å"Gold Plating†. References Kloppenborg, T. J. (2012). Contemporary project management: organize, plan, perform (2nd ed.). Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning. (2013). Managing Scope Creep. Collegiate Project Services, 1, 1-3. Hughes, R. (Director) (2013, January 31). Project Initiation: Scope & Charters. Bus 427. Lecture conducted from Tom Rippon, Victoria.

Mas Strategic Analysis

Strategic Audit Report Strategic Management 313 Unit Index No. 3522 Semester 2, 2011 Malaysian Airlines PREPARED BY: Alfonso Di Tullio Andrew Dellaposta Philip Podgorski Sebastian Michael 14078282 13947899 13949206 14224933 SUBMITTED: 23/09/2011 1 1. 0 Executive Summary The aim of this report is to analyse Malaysia Airline System Berhad (MAS) in regards to its competitive position in the South East Asian (SEA) airline industry, and provide recommendations to help MAS counter the threat of Low Cost Carriers (LCCs). Analysis is limited to the major airlines operating within the SEA airline industry.Firstly, the report begins with an external analysis of the SEA airline environment highlighting significant opportunities and threats. The most notable opportunity is an increased demand for low cost travel in SEA, while the growing market share of LCC AirAsia is an emerging and significant threat. Secondly, an analysis of MAS's internal resources, capabilities and core competencies is carr ied out highlighting significant strengths and weaknesses. MAS? s most prominent strengths are its high brand recognition and reliable MRO facility. However, poor management of costs and high capital intensity prove to be the organisations main weaknesses.Finally, these characteristics are cross matched in a TOWS matrix to develop a number of possible strategies from which an evidence based recommendations are formed. It is recommended that MAS form a corporate strategy to diversify and offer low cost budget air travel as well as existing premium services. This can be achieved by horizontal integration into the related LCC airline segment through the formation of an alliance with existing SEA LCC leader AirAsia via an equity swap arrangement. In support, MAS shall also divest its fledgling LCC subsidiary Firefly.This strategy will counter the growing threat of LCC AirAsia while also providing the benefits of economies of scope/scale, transfer of core competencies and infrastructure sharing, and thus help MAS create and sustain a competitive advantage in the SEA airline environment. 1 Table of Contents 1. 0 2. 0 3. 0 4. 0 Executive Summary †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 Introduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Malaysian Airlines – Main Strategic Issues †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 Malaysian Airlines in the SEA Environment †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 4. 1 General Environment Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 4. 1. 1 Political Environment †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 7 4. 1. Economic Environment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 4. 1. 3 Socio-cultural Environment †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9 4. 1. 4 Technological Environment †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9 4. 1. 5 Environmental Environment †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 10 4. 1. Legal Environment †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 10 4. 1. 7 Summary †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 4. 2 Industry Environment Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 11 4. 2. 1 Threat of new entrants †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12 4. . 2 Threat of Substitutes †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 13 4. 2. 3 Intensity of Rivalry†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 13 4. 2. 4 Bargaining power of buyers †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 13 4. 2. 5 Bargaining power of suppliers †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 4. 2. 6 Summary †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 14 4. 3 Competitors En vironment Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 15 4. 3. 1 Scope and Methods of Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 16 4. 3. 2 Strategic Group Map †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 17 4. 3. AirAsia : LCC Competitor analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 20 5. 1 Capabilities†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 23 5. 2 Tangible Resources †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 24 5. 2. 1 Financial Resources †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 24 5. 2. Organisational Resources†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 25 5. 2. 3 Physical Resources †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 25 5. 2. 4 Technological Resources †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 26 5. 3 Intangible Resources †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 26 5. . 1 Human Resources †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 26 5. 3. 2 Innovation Resources †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 26 5. 3. 3 Reputational Resources †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 27 5. 4 Core Competencies †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 7 5. 4. 1 VRIO †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 28 5. 0 Malaysian Airlines Resources and Capabilities †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 23 6. 0 6. 1 6. 2 6. 3 6. 4 6. 5 Possible Strategies†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 29 SO Strategies †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 1 WO Strategies †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 32 ST Strategies †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 33 WT Strategies †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 33 Recommendation †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 7. 0 8. 0 Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 36 References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 37 2 2. 0 Introduction In the highly competitive airline industry, airlines must constantly analyse and re-evaluate the ir competitive environments in order to devise strategies that create and sustain a competitive advantage (DataMonitor 2009).This report analyses Malaysia Airline System Berhad (MAS) in regards to its competitive position in the South East Asian (SEA) airline industry, with emphasis on countering the threat of Low Cost Carriers (LCCs). An analysis of the external and micro external environment will be conducted followed by an analysis of MAS's internal resources, capabilities and core competencies. By doing so, the report will uncover the current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of MAS, and offer evidence-based recommendations that aim to counter the threat of LCCs and ensure MAS's profitability in the SEA airline industry.A graphical overview of the report structure and the analytical tools used is depicted in Figure 1 on the next page. 3 Current MAS Strategic Issues External Environment PESEL Framework Micro-External Environment Porters Five Force Model Strategic G roup Map Analysis Porters Framework for Competitive Analysis Internal Analysis VRIO Analysis Opportunities and Threats Strengths and Weaknesses Strategy Formulation TOWS Framework Recommendations Figure 1. Report Graphical Overveiw 4 3. 0 Malaysian Airlines – Main Strategic Issues Malaysia Airline System Berhad (MAS) is a Malaysian-government owned airline with an active fleet of over 100 aircraft.Operating in a traditional hub-and-spoke configuration, MAS flies approximately 50,000 passengers daily to and from its two Malaysian home bases in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu (Malaysia Airline System Berhad n. d. ). MAS's roots date back to 1947 where it operated as a charter airline as Malayan Airways Limited. By the 1960's, a reduction of operating costs through technology and global economies of scale allowed the airline to offer single tickets to the general public at an affordable price, bringing about rapid expansion (Thomas 2007).By the 1980's, it had expanded to providin g longhaul flights with the aid of an economic boom in Malaysia. MAS experienced two periods of unprofitability in 1997 and 2005 but recovered primarily through aggressive route rationalisation (cutting unprofitable routes) (White 2006). By 2006, MAS only flew only 19 domestic flights compared to 118 in 2003 (Airline Business, 2006). This lack of domestic flights and market liberalisation opened the Malaysian domestic market to Low Cost Carrier (LCC) AirAsia, which took over many of MAS's unprofitable routes with discount airfares, via its low cost operating model.By 2007, AirAsia had rapidly expanded to include regional and international routes while maintaining an emphasis on low operating costs at every level, thus becoming a significant threat to MAS's profitable routes (Poon et al. ). 5 Yearly Profit Before Tax (PBT) of Selected Airlines in SEA 1500 Currency in Millions of Malaysian Ringgits 1000 500 MAS Air Asia JetStar -500 0 -1000 MAS Air Asia JetStar End of 2007 526. 6 554. 4 End of 2008 262. 3 -880. 5 244. 744 End of 2009 491. 8 592 327. 084 End of 2010 282 1,104. 60 409. 836 Figure 2: (BusinessWeek 2011a; BusinessWeek 2011b; Qantas 2010; Qantas 2009)Figure 2 depicts the yearly profit before tax (PBT) of LCCs AirAsia and Jetstar, and MAS since 2007. Following heavy investment in 2008, Air Asia was expected to grow rapidly at the expense of MAS as it continues to apply its low cost model to more routes that MAS already covers (Poon et al). By the end of 2010, this trend was already evident and will likely continue. MAS can no longer ignore the threat of LCCs. MAS must seek out new competitive advantages through a decisive set of strategies that capitalise on its internal strengths, minimise its weaknesses, capture industry opportunities and manage its macro-economic challenges. 4. 0 Malaysian Airlines in the SEA Environment External analysis of MAS will focus on the general, industry and competitor environment of the company. This analysis will lead t o the identification of the main opportunities and threats facing the organisation. 4. 1 General Environment Analysis Through the use of PESTEL analysis, the general external environment is analysed in order to find factors that will most likely affect MAS. 4. 1. 1 Political Environment The political situation within Malaysia is fundamentally focused on the country? s economic growth.The government has intervened within the Malaysian economy in order to stimulate economic growth so as to improve the living standards of the poor (Boyle 2011). However such noble standing has backfired as political suspicion has risen as to whom mainly benefitted (Boyle 2011). As a result Malaysia has become a dangerous place for tourists to visit as rallies and activist marches are common. Recently 50,000 people have protested in a rally with the police force quelling the march with tear gas and water cannons. Many were arrested and charged with „war against the king? (Boyle 2011).This unrest wi thin Malaysia could affect tourism and the airline industry. 7 4. 1. 2 Economic Environment The economy of Malaysia had grown since its independence in 1957, becoming a main exporter of certain resources such as tin, rubber and oil (Thomas White 2010). With Malaysia? s reliance on the exportation of goods overseas, the economy had thrived and expanded. Malaysia seeks to transform its production from agricultural to industrial through the establishment of information technology and research and development bases. This will encourage skilled workforces and stronger technology, a movement known as the „knowledge economy? Thomas White 2010). This venture into knowledge economy displays opportunities for great improvement in technology and skills within the labour force. However, the recent global financial crisis has affected the export trade which Malaysia had heavy reliance on to support the economy (Thomas White 2010). The decline in overseas demand was a major blow to the grow ing Malaysian economy and caused problems for industries within the country. Khazanah Nasional or „National Treasury? translated into English, is the main investment arm of the Malaysian government that has piece of almost every local corporation within the country.This is significant because Khazanah Nasional holds equity in AirAsia as major shareholder and has 70 percent stake invested within MAS (Stock Market Reviews 2011). This means that the local Malaysian government has a „golden share? of MAS making it the largest shareholder to the business and exerting considerable power over MAS. This is similar to Malaysian government intervention in the economy. 8 4. 1. 3 Socio-cultural Environment Malaysia is a country with diverse ranges of ethic cultures from Chinese, Malaysians and Indians.Through a history of unrest between the multi-cultured society, Malaysia has reached some means of harmony however, racial discrimination still seethes (Thomas White 2010). The various religions and culture diversity is a rare sight that attracts tourists. Despite the multi-cultured country, there is still cultural conflict in the country in respect to the Malaysia people. The unrest is caused due to the negligence of the Malaysian government in civil liberties and certain human rights issues which in turn has caused political instability (Anwar 2010).There are numerous ethnic groups to manage in Malaysia and many feel discriminated or cheated by the Malaysian government. 4. 1. 4 Technological Environment In terms of technology, airlines within Malaysia are either enhancing customer experiences through new modes of communications or reducing operation costs from upgrading of aircraft. Constant innovation is always encouraged in this changing environment to ensure survivability. In order to keep up with the growing competition in the airline industry, MAS has upgraded technology and operating processes.New check-in technologies such as automated kiosks and mobile, self-service terminals have been introduced to enhance consumer interactions and workforce productivity (Malaysia Airlines 2011). Modifications to aircraft are ongoing and encouraged. Following price increases in aircraft fuel, the airline industry has modified aircrafts to be more fuel-efficient in order to avoid increasing operating costs while supporting the green revolution. Reductions in the airline industries carbon 9 footprint are achieved through CO2 standard engines and an abundant supply of palm oil biofuels (Association of Asia Pacific Airlines 2010).This new green technology suggests that airlines will successfully manage increasingly strict regulations surrounding carbon emissions. 4. 1. 5 Environmental Environment Environmental issues within the airline industry have grown even stricter with the notion of climate change and a green revolution. The tropics of South East Asia already experience severe outbreaks of fire due to warmer climate and the use of forest burning to clear land presents a problem (Wong-Anan 2009). The increase in fires results in smogs over major cities presenting visibility problems for aircraft and potential health hazards for citizens and tourists.The aviation industry has begun a unified strategy in addressing climate change developed during the UNFCCC Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009 (Association of Asia Pacific Airline 2010). The strategy aims to reduce the carbon footprints of aircraft through fuel-efficient planes, CO2 standard engines and a cap on carbon emissions (Association of Asia Pacific Airline 2010). In regards to restrictions introduced to combat climate change, Malaysia has begun a shift in the reliance of fossil fuels to cleaner alternatives.When the price of fossil fuels rose, countries within South East Asia began investment in bio-fuels, with Malaysia approving over 5 million tons (Shameen 2006). The many large plantations of palm oil trees in Malaysia is a valuable natural resource to assist i n the shift to bio-fuels from fossil fuel. 4. 1. 6 Legal Environment A recent development that could affect the airline industry in Malaysia is a plan to increase aircraft landing charges by 30% and parking charges by 60% from September 15, 2011 (Nambiar 10 2011). The price hike would systemically increase the prices of airfares due o increased operating costs. For example, international passenger fares would increase by RM65 (Nambiar 2011). The significant rise in prices could discourage international and domestic air travel. Analysts suggested that the increase in airport taxes may not deter international customers as significantly as the low cost carrier travellers, a concern for domestic travellers (The star online 2011). Within the SEA airline industry, one of the main issues surrounds the ethics of an aesthetic, sexualised and emotional labour force.The notion of a perfect flight attendant has been those of females of specific size, weight and beauty (Speiss and Waring 2005). This leads to ongoing problems surrounding sexual discrimination in the labour force and legal challenges. 4. 1. 7 Summary In summary, opportunities exist to reduce the carbon footprint of the airline industry in Malaysia by using alternative biofuels and more technologically advanced aircraft. Despite that, there are threats due political turmoil, increasing operating costs and labour relation issues. 4. 2 Industry Environment AnalysisOne widely accepted method of analysing the micro external environment is Porter's Five Forces Model. Developed in 1979, it provides a framework for analysing the level of competitive intensity and thus attractiveness of a market (Grant et al. 2011). 11 4. 2. 1 Threat of new entrants Siegfried and Evans (1994) argue that that there are two types of entry impediments. Structural barriers which exist due to natural characteristics of the industry and behavioural barriers which originate via intentional discretionary conduct by incumbent firms.Perhaps th e strongest structural barrier that exists in the airline industry are high capital requirements which provide incumbents a natural absolute cost advantage over entrants in the short run. This is empirically supported by Dunne and Roberts (1991), and Chappell, Kimenyi & Mayer (1992) which found that high capital intensity industries such as airlines have significantly lower entry rates. This barrier is however mediated by the prospective firms cost of capital and thus dependent on economic conditions such as interest and exchange rates.This suggests that relative to other industries, the airline industry has a significantly lower capital barrier during a global boom due to its high capital intensity nature. One behavioural barrier that MAS itself perpetuates is brand recognition and customer loyalty via the generation of customer delight. Brand loyalty increases a customer's psychic switching costs. Ong and Tang (2010) found that customer loyalty to MAS is higher in the internationa l route markets as customers tend to place a higher priority on price on shorter routes at the expense of loyalty.Among other reasons, Air Asia capitalised on this weakness in order to successfully enter the market in 2001. MAS also has an operational unit cost advantage over new entrants via the learning curve effect. Through over 60 years of experience, MAS holds knowledge, skill and stakeholder contacts that new entrants will need to acquire. 12 4. 2. 2 Threat of Substitutes For MAS, close substitutes only exist for domestic routes in the form of buses, boats and personal automobiles. However, such substitutes are perceived inferior in terms of convenience and only marginally superior in price (O'Connell and Williams 2005).Furthermore, domestic routes only make up 15% of revenue. Consequently the threat of substitute products can be seen as low. 4. 2. 3 Intensity of Rivalry With the advent of nearby regional-route low cost carriers such as Air Asia and a significant amount of agg ressive international carriers such as Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways, rivalry and price competition on all routes is high. Although airlines attempt to distinguish themselves through means other than price, most buyers still indicate that price is their primary factor in choice (Ong and Tang 2010). This leads to intense price wars.For instance, in the mid 2008 low season, MAS attempted to match Air Asia by offering cost-price fares (Grant et al. 2011). As many costs are fixed, the profitability of individual airlines is determined by efficient operations and favourable unit costs. As airlines are a naturally high capital intensity industry, airlines need to constantly be using their capital (airplanes) to maximum capacity. During periods of poor economic performance, price competition increases even further in an effort to remain operationally efficient due to reduced demand since leisure air fares are price elastic. . 2. 4 Bargaining power of buyers In the airline industry, c onsumers have high buying power for several reasons. Firstly, as supported by Shaw (2007), leisure customers are likely to spend the majority of their travel budget on airfares and thus are sensitive to changes in price. Secondly, customers do not strongly differentiate between airlines. Thirdly, the widespread availability of air fare comparison search 13 engines strongly reduce information-search costs due to an abundance of relevant accessible information.In addition to low switching costs, these factors induce the customer into dissonance-reducing buying behavior. Customers can change airline firms with little consideration. Recognising this, some airlines such as MAS have attempted to lower the bargaining power of buyers through the introduction of frequent flyer programs. 4. 2. 5 Bargaining power of suppliers The capital-intensive nature of the industry largely originates from the need to purchase relatively-expensive aircraft that are essential for any airline to exist.Aircra ft are purchased from a market that is a near-duopoly consisting of Airbus and Boeing. This low concentration of suppliers relative to buyers, coupled with its business-critical nature leads to an industry where suppliers have strong bargaining power. Indeed, this bargaining power is so strong that Boeing, MAS's primary aircraft suppliers, have complained of constant excessive demand with backlogs for some of its aircraft orders stretching to 2019 (International Business Times 2011). Furthermore, it is near-impossible for an airline firm to vertically ntegrate its aircraft purchases due to extremely high entry costs in the form of very large capital requirements and a high learning curve. 4. 2. 6 Summary In summary, it can be concluded that the SEA airline market is moderately attractive. Strong supplier and buyer bargaining power along with strong rivalry within existing firms restrict MAS's profit margins. However, high barriers of entry and a low threat of substitutes suggest tha t the number of competitors (or competitive goods) will likely not significantly increase. 14Furthermore, these factors also suggest that in the long-term, demand for airline travel will increase due to a shortage of viable substitutes and population growth. Figure 3: Adapted from Porter (1980) 4. 3 Competitors Environment Analysis To understand how competitors within the SEA airline industry create a competitive advantage, a Strategic Group Map will be formulated in order to analyse how airlines form groups based on the strategies they have adopted. Following this, an analysis of the most significant competitor derived from the strategic group map will be undertaken using Porters Framework for competitor analysis. 5 4. 3. 1 Scope and Methods of Analysis Malaysian Airline Systems (MAS), the national airline carrier of Malaysia, is located in SouthEast Asia with a population of 600 million (ASEANstats 2011). Air travel within the ASEAN region alone accounted for 36% of MAS? s passeng ers in June 2011 and is predicted to grow significantly (Malaysian Airline System Berhad 2011). Based on this, competitive analysis will be limited to the major Low Cost Carriers (LCC? s) and Network Airlines based in this region, as listed in Table 1.Airline Air Asia Indonesia Air Asia Thailand Air AsiaX AirAsia Firefly Garuda Indonesia Jetstar Lion Malaysian Airways Nok Air One to Go Singapore Airways Thai Airways Tiger Airways Country Indonesia Thailand Malaysia Malaysia Malaysia Indonesia Singapore Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Thailand Singapore Thailand Singapore Associated Carriers AirAsia, Air Asia Thailand, AirAsiaX AirAsia, Air Asia Indonesia, AirAsiaX AirAsia, Air Asia Indonesia, AirAsia Thailand AirAsiaX, Air Asia Indonesia, AirAsia Thailand Malasian Airlines Qantas Firefly Thai Airways Tiger Airways Nok Air Singapore Airways Type of CarrierLow Cost Low Cost Low Cost Low Cost Full Service/Network Low Cost Low Cost Full Service/Network Low Cost Low Cost Full Service/Network Full Service/Network Low Cost Table 1: Major South East Asian Airlines (Zhang 2009) 16 4. 3. 2 Strategic Group Map As described by Porter (1980), a strategic group map aims to identify a cluster of companies within an industry that implement similar strategies. Two key strategic variables are selected for the airline industry and its competitors are plotted on a quadrant according to these variables to help identify the strategic groups (Grant et al. 2011).One of the strategic issues to be addressed in this report is the threat of low cost carriers to full service carriers such as MAS. A key characteristic of LCC? s is the basic services offered on board flights versus the many included services offered by the full service network carriers (Damuri and Anas 2005). Based on this difference, one of the variables selected for the strategic group map will is the „level of service? offered by an airline shown on the (Y) axis. The geographical range in which relevant airlines operat e has been selected as the second variable, used on the (X) axis of the strategic group map.This ranges from domestic, regional (within SEA), through to international long haul for the identified airlines in Table 1. A strategic group map has been formed (see Figure 4 on next page) to display the position of each major SEA airline along the strategic variables of level of service and geographical range 17 Figure 4 18 Analysis of the strategic group map (Figure 4) identifies four distinct strategic groups within which airlines adopt similar strategies based on the variables chosen: 1. Domestic LCC 2. Regional LCC 3. International long haul LCC 4.Network Full service carriers The following conclusions can be drawn from observations of the Strategic Group map. ? As shown in Table 1 some of the LCC airlines within these strategic groups are subsidiaries of the Network carrier airlines. They are engaged in the LCC and the full service segments. For example, in 2007 MAS created a fledglin g wholly owned domestic LCC called Firefly (Firefly 2009). ? By definition MAS has similar strategies to those airlines within its strategic group and as such faces the most intense rivalry from them.Each of the airlines within this group has similar capabilities such cargo, engineering and ground handling services. ? MAS also face direct competition from other strategic groups. Malaysian based airline AirAsia and its subsidiaries span all the strategic groups that employ a LCC strategy on domestic, regional and some long haul routes. ? Within the International „Long haul LCC? strategic group AirAsiaX is the only airline competing. This clearly gives them a competitive advantage and perhaps threatens some of the Network carriers long haul market.Philip Lim (2011) from the Taipei times reports that since recent tough economic conditions there has been a substantial swing of business travellers to LCC? s in the long haul travel segments. New entrants, may also judge this strateg ic group as an attractive segment due the low rivalry. 19 Form a corporate level it is clear that MAS? s main competitors within the South East Asian airline industry are SIA, and Thai Airways. However the focus of this report is to analyse how MAS is to counter the threats of low ost competitors. AirAsia? s Malaysian base and breadth over all LCC strategic groups highlights that they may also be a more relevant, threatening and emerging competitor. This is supported by Thomas (2007) who notes that AirAsia has captured over 50% of Malaysia? s total air travel market. Based on these findings it is pertinent to undertake a brief competitor analysis of AirAsia in order to gain a deeper understanding of their activities. 4. 3. 3 AirAsia : LCC Competitor analysisBased on the observations of the strategic group analysis, an analysis of Malaysian airlines main LCC competitor, AirAsia will be undertaken using „Porters Framework for competitive analysis? (Grant et al. 2011). The framew ork focuses on analysing an organisations Strategy, Objectives, Assumptions and Resource capabilities in order to understand and predict competitors behaviour. Focusing on AirAsia, each of these aspects is explored. AirAsia – Strategy AirAsia has subsidiaries in all the LCC strategic groups such as AirAsiaX, AirAsia Thailand, & AirAsia Indonesia.AirAsia competes with smaller LCC? s and also Large International Network carriers. Air Asia? s annual report (2010) highlights that the Organisation implements the following 5 Strategies in order to gain a competitive advantage. 20 1. Low Fares – No Frills ? ? No frequent flyer programmes or airport lounges Choice to purchase in-flight services 2. High Aircraft utilisation ? ? High frequency flights High turnaround of flights 3. Point to point network ? All flights are non-stop. Does away with resources at transit locations. 4. Convert Fleet to more reliable and efficient aircraft. Complete fleet of A320? s. This homogeneous f leet reduces maintenance costs. 5. Safety First ? World standard maintenance of fleet by reputable provider (Luftansa). AirAsia – Objectives The organisations goals are as follows ? ? ? To continue to be the Lowest cost airline in every market it operates within High margins Sustainable growth It can be seen in the Table 2 (next page) that AirAsia has grown remarkably since 2007 across all significant measurables. It has also won the Skytrax „Worlds best low cost airline? award for the last 3 years (SYTRAX 2011). 21For the year ended 30 June 2007 Revenue [Ringit Millions] Total Assets [Ringit Millions] Profit before Tax [Ringit Millions] No of Passengers Carried Group Fleet Size No of Employees No Routes Served R1,603. 00 R4,779. 00 R278. 00 8,737,939 54 2,924 75 For the Year ended 31 December 2010 R3,948. 00 R13,240. 00 R1,099. 00 16,054,738 90 4,702 132 Percentage increase since 2007 to 2010 146. 29% 177. 05% 295. 32% 83. 74% 66. 67% 60. 81% 76. 00% Table 2: Air Asia Group Recent Performance (AirAsia 2010) AirAsia – Assumptions In AirAsia? s 2010 Annual report the organisation made a number of assumptions about the airlines operating environment.Firstly, global economic conditions are set to improve and secondly demand for air travel in the SEA region is predicted to rise substantially. However oil prices are expected to continue increasing, putting further pressure on operating costs and political uncertainty in the Middle East may continue to cause further disruptions to flight services. AirAsia – Resources and Capabilities One AirAsia? s main strengths and key to its success is quoted by Poon and Waring (2010, 203) as the , â€Å"†¦forensic management of costs†¦closely monitored on a daily basis†.This focus has come from the strong leadership of the group CEO Tony Fernandes who monitors costs daily in order to find ways to deal with any issues. 22 Another strength of AirAsia lies in the creation of AirAsiaX to c ompete in a new strategic group of low cost long haul services. As described by Wensveen and Leick (2009), this is a new competitive environment that creates a bridge between various short-haul LCC? s across the globe. Perhaps opportunities exist for of LCC? s around the globe to form alliances to compete with the network carriers.AirAsia has no aircraft maintenance repair or overhaul (MRO) facilities of its own. MRO is a key element of AirAsia success as it provides safe and reliable aircraft. As described by Rieple and Helm (2008) leaving this to a third party could be risky as AirAsia is not in direct control of these activities and is subject to market forces in relation to the cost of these services. With a growing fleet this could be interpreted as a weakness and competitive disadvantage compared to the major network carriers such as MAS, SIA and their low cost subsidiaries who all have their own MRO facilities. . 0 Malaysian Airlines Resources and Capabilities The internal an alysis of MAS will focus on the organisations resources and capabilities that help it gain a competitive advantage. This analysis will lead to the identification of the main strengths and weaknesses of MAS. 5. 1 Capabilities Capabilities, put simply, are the integration and collaboration of individual resources to reach a desired outcome (Grant et al. 2011). Capabilities are a combination of both tangible and intangible resources. By analysing a company? capabilities, we can deduce both the core competencies and competitive advantages that the company may possess. A competitive 23 advantage may lie within a company? s capabilities if they are not easily replicated (Grant et al. 2011). The below table represents MAS capabilities based on the resources mentioned below: Functional Area Management Capability Forward Thinking Clear Objectives Resources Business Turnaround Plan 1+ 2. Transparent information sharing. Skilled Managers. Innovative programs. Awards, Customer Loyalty, Recognis able, Various advertising mediums.Skilled Technicians, trusted supplier materials. Revered History, Government co-operation, strong supplier support, strong government links, open communication channels, innovation, employee knowledge Marketing Manufacturing Organisation Quality Customer Service Brand Recognition Differentiation High Quality Products Product Range Strong Network R Strong CSR Development Table 3 5. 2 Tangible Resources 5. 2. 1 Financial Resources MAS have several shareholders. „Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad? is the majority shareholder with a 52. 0% stake of MAS. The second-largest shareholder is „Khazanah National? which holds 17. 33% of the shares. Foreign shareholders make up 5. 13% (Grant et al. 2011). Up until December 2008, MAS had shrunk its operations for the tenth consecutive quarter (IntellAsia 2008). MAS? officials identified that increasing maintenance, repairs costs, an increasingly inefficient route network, higher staff costs and escalating fuel prices and increasingly inefficient route networks as reasons for the financial losses (Scribd 2011). The 24 introduction of the BTP has helped MAS deal with the financial issues, increased competition and government intervention (Grant et al. 011). 5. 2. 2 Organisational Resources The introduction of the BTP (Business Turnaround Plan) in 2006 and its successor the BTP2 in 2008 was implemented to regain profitability after 10 consecutive quarters of negative profit. MAS profit of RM 493 Million in 2009 (Grant et al. 2011) can be largely attributed to the success of the BTP. MAS has been able to successfully implement its private MRO (maintenance, repair overhaul) department which has reduced costs and increased both effectiveness and efficiency simultaneously (The Financial Express 2008).In 2008 MAS expanded their partnerships with other airline organisations such as Singapore Airlines, Air Mauritius and Silk Air. Also in 2008, MAS and Etihad Airways, two opposing competitors, signed a „code share agreement? to enhance their networks respectively (Etihad Airways 2008). In 2009, MAS once again expanded its network by signing a code share agreement and frequent-flier partnership with low cost carrier Jet Airways. This agreement increased passenger traffic between Malaysia and India (The Economic Times 2009) 5. 2. 3 Physical Resources The headquarters of the airline is in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.In total, MAS has approximately 19,000 employees (Airfleet 2010). MAS has the capability to use 100 routes globally. MAS has over 70 offices worldwide, which again displays its strength in its exceptional customer service (Airlines Information 2011). As of 2010, MAS has 12 A330 Airbus? s, and a fleet of 68 Boeing Aircraft, and 42 Boeing freighter aircraft. The MAS fleet comprises of 109 aircraft. (Airfleet 2010) 25 5. 2. 4 Technological Resources MAS source its aircraft from the two most reputable aeroplane manufacturing companies in the world, Boeing and Airbus (Ahmed , 2010).By using these two companies as suppliers, MAS leads customers to believe that they use only the safest and highest quality parts when assembling their fleet. 5. 3 Intangible Resources 5. 3. 1 Human Resources MAS have been able to identify and employ highly skilled and capable workforce, which has been illustrated by the array of awards MAS has received. With pilots, engineers and technicians in particularly high demand globally (Pearson, 2008), MAS will have to offer a number of incentives and strategies to keep the most suitable workforce possible. MAS customer service has always been revered.Continual awards and recognition are testament to this MAS has received the award of best cabin crew in the world 8 times since 2000 (Skytrax World Airline Awards, 2010). Customer service in the airline industry is a major factor to be considered when customers choose which airline to fly with. 5. 3. 2 Innovation Resources MAS have implemented a number of new strategies to sug gest it is a creative and innovative company. The introduction of the „Everyday Low Fares? policy in 2008 meant that MAS matched the lowest prices of its competitors, mainly Air Asia.Although this severely cut profit margins, it 26 was able to offer 1. 3 million „zero? fares, and most importantly, MAS were able to price match Air Asia (Grant et al. 2011). In what has been described as a „pioneering? move, MAS has introduced the ability for customers to be able to check into their flights via the social networking website of Facebook. Malaysia Airlines is currently the only airline in the worldwide to have such a feature available (Cnet Australia 2011). 5. 3. 3 Reputational Resources Throughout the organisation? s history, MAS has enjoyed strong brand recognition.MAS places a heavy emphasis on customer service and can boast about being one of only six international airlines to be awarded a „5-Star? Rating (Grant et al. 2011). Other significant awards include t he „Phoenix Award? for businesses undergoing a life changing transformation and magazine „Aviation Week ranking MAS as the 2nd best full service carrier globally (Skytrax World Airline Awards 2010) . With this reputation, customer loyalty is increased. These loyal customers are crucial to the success of any organisation, as they will often exclusively only use MAS. . 4 Core Competencies The core competencies of a company have been defined as â€Å"activities that an organisation performs better than its other internal activities and that are the most critical to competitiveness and profitability† (Business Dictionary 2011). By extracting and reviewing the core competencies of any organisation, competitive advantages and the strengths of MAS can then be identified. By using the „VRIO? model (Valuable, Rare, Costly to Imitate, Substitutable), we can then extract the strengths and weaknesses of MAS. 27 5. 4. VRIO RESOURCES AND CAPABILITES VALUABLE RARE COSTLY T O IMITATE NONSUBSTITUABLE Brand Recognition High R Spending Clear Objectives Quality Customer Service Forward Thinking High Quality Products Strong Network Product Range Strong CSR Development Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Table 4 No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes 28 6. 0 Possible Strategies Following external and internal analysis of MAS, prominent strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats can be identified.These elements have been plotted into a TOWS matrix as shown in Table 5 on the next page, in order to link these characteristics and facilitate the formation of strategies that may aid the organisation resolve the intended strategic issues outlined in this report. (Weihrich 1982). 29 Strengths 1. High Brand Recognition 2. Strong learning curve advantage 3. Superior Customer Service 4. 5. 6. Clear Positioning Strong Route Network Reliable MRO subsidiary with proven record Opportunities 1. Increasing demand for low cost travel in SEA 2. Low rivalry in the longhaul LCC strategic group 3.Availability of new technology: biofuels to reduce fuel costs 4. Availability of newer more fuel-efficient aircraft SO 1. O1+O2+S1+S2+S4 Form alliance with a LCC to satisfy demand for market segments which prefer low cost over full service while maintaining the existing premium brand and positioning O1+O2+S2 – Expand and intensify Firefly operations in the SEA area O3+S6 – Leverage reliable in-house MRO to retrofit existing aircraft with biofuel Weaknesses 1. Government Golden Share: Socioenvironmental obligation to Malaysia 2. Poor Cost Management 3. High capital intensity WO 1.O2 + W3 – Shift underutilized aircraft to the Low cost/long haul segments to improve returns on capital. O3 + O4 + W1 – Use modern fuel efficient aircraft and biofuels to reduce carbon footprint to satisfy government social responsibility obligations 2. 2. 3. Threats 1. LCC? s are increasingly providing long haul services that compete with MAS 2. Continuing global economic uncertainty is increasing the attractiveness of long haul LCC? s such as AirAsiaX 3. High rivalry is further increasing from network carriers and low cost subsidiaries 4. Buyers and suppliers have increasingly higher bargaining power 5.Airports are continuing to increase landing and parking prices in a market with few alternatives 6. Malaysian labour legalisation may raise labour overhead costs. ST 1. S1+S3+S5+T2+T3 – Develop promotional campaign to emphasise safety, a proven track record and customer service awards are worth the premium S1+S3+T4 – Leverage customer service awards and brand recognition to further develop loyalty programs to decrease buyer bargaining power WT 1. W2+T1 – Shift focus from differentiation to cost leadership (similar to AirAsia) W1+T6 – Lobby Malaysian government to reduce social obligation and improve flexibility . 2. Table 5: MAS – TOWS A nalysis 30 Described below are the strategies developed from TOWS matrix that will aid MAS in achieving a competitive advantage. 6. 1 SO Strategies Form alliance with a LCC to satisfy demand for market segments which prefer low cost over full service while maintaining the existing premium brand and positioning The airline industry can be can be behaviourally differentiated into two broad segments; those consumers which place a high importance on the price of air fares above all else, and those are who are willing to pay more for premium service (Kotler et al. 010). By forming an alliance with an established existing LCC, MAS will be able to maintain and capitalise on its existing premium brand and learning curve advantage in the full-service industry whilst satisfying increasing demand for low-cost air fares in SEA (O? Connell and Williams 2005). Furthermore, establishing an alliance will ensure that each firm will be able to focus on their core competencies and established customer base by maintaining their current positioning.Expand and intensify Firefly operations in the SEA area Firefly, MAS's wholly-owned subsidiary, currently operates a small amount of domestic and regional routes (Firefly, 2011). To capitalise on increasing demand for low-cost air fares, MAS could expand and intensify Firefly's operations to cover more of the SEA region. Such a complete dual-brand strategy, as first introduced in the SEA region by Qantas/Jetstar, would essentially see Firefly compete with MAS, except that it will target the more price-conscious segment (Sandilands, 2009).MAS would be able to maintain its high brand recognition for its premium services whilst building Firefly's existing brand and experience in the LCC industry. 31 Leverage reliable in-house MRO to retrofit existing aircraft with biofuel MAS's owns an award winning reliable maintenance-repair-operations division that could be utilised to lower fuel costs by retrofitting existing aircraft with bio-fuel tec hnology (Grant et al. 2011). Bio-fuel as resource will likely be comparatively inexpensive for MAS as Malaysia has booming palm oil business from which it can produce bio-fuel from (Shameen 2006). . 2 WO Strategies Shift underutilised aircraft to the low cost/long haul segment. The airline business is capital intensive and MAS uses a large portion of its capital to purchase expensive machines compared to its labour costs. When these machines lay idle or are underutilised they can drastically increase costs for the airline (Wensveen 2009). Low rivalry identified by the strategic group map in the low cost/long haul segment could be an opportunity for MAS to diversify and shift underutilised aircraft into this new segment to increase aircraft utilisation.Use modern fuel efficient aircraft and bio-fuels. The governments golden share of MAS allows the Malaysian government to put internal pressure on the MAS board to uphold social and environmental responsibility obligations to Malaysia. Malaysia has booming palm oil business that could be used to reduce reliance on high carbon emitting fossil fuels (Shameen 2006). Along with this, the use of new generation aircraft that are more fuel efficient can substantially reduce MAS carbon footprint and help satisfy some government social responsibility obligations. 32 6. 3 ST StrategiesDevelop a promotional campaign to emphasise safety, track record and customer service awards. The attractiveness of low-cost carriers and higher rivalry from the low-cost subsidiaries presents as threats to MAS in maintaining survivability within the airline industry. Recently in 2010, Malaysia Airlines had won two awards as Asia? s Leading Airlines and Asia? s leading Business Class Airlines which can become the core focus of the promotional campaign (Malaysia Airline 2010). Through implementing a promotional campaign, MAS is able to rejuvenate its brand as the high quality airline that it is.Leverage customer service awards and brand recogni tion to further develop loyalty programs to decrease buyer bargaining power. With the increase in buyer bargaining power, the strategy of developing loyalty programs ensures higher switching costs to keep loyal fliers of MAS with the company. MAS already have the Enrich loyalty program in which customers are able to benefit from. In 2007, Virgin Blue had joined in partnership with MAS Enrich loyalty program to further the benefit for consumers (Malaysia Airline 2007).The partnership of Virgin Blue with MAS Enrich Loyalty program creates higher switching costs for buyers and reduces the bargaining power that has been on the rise. 6. 4 WT Strategies Shift focus from Differentiation to Cost Leadership Malaysian Airlines systems currently operates on a „differentiation? strategy. This strategy has allowed the organisation to distance itself from its competitors, and have a recognizable and strong brand recognition, which is paramount in gaining and retaining customer base. In rece nt 33 imes, some competitors, namely Air Asia (a Low Cost Carrier) has started to increase long haul services, which previously was only offered by Malaysian Airlines. The implications of LCC? s increasing long haul routes means that a number of customers will use LCC? s over MAS purely due to having a lower cost. A feasible strategy would be for MAS to offer same the same prices as these LCC? s over similar routes, essentially nullifying the LCC competitive advantage. Customers would be more likely to fly with MAS over LCC? s due to a) MAS reputation b) Customer service.This would change MAS overall strategy from „differentiation? to a „cost leadership? strategy. Lobby government to reduce social obligations and improve operational flexibility Malaysian Airlines currently has to meet a number of social obligations demanded by the government. Malaysian Airlines is widely supported for meeting its Corporate Social Responsibilities, but faced with the threat of an increase in labour restrictions and legislation, it would be wise for MAS to propose to (lobby) the government that for a relaxation of these Corporate Social obligations.This in turn, would improve operational and organizational flexibility, which would help MAS deal with the possible threat of increasingly stringent labour restrictions. The lobbying process would have to be done in a manner in which the final result (increased organizational flexibility) benefits both the government and organisation, as the government has veto powers over any decision made by the MAS board. 6. 5 Recommendation Based on the strategies developed following internal and external analysis of MAS, it is recommended that MAS adopt a corporate strategy to diversify and offer low cost budget air 34 ravel to satisfy the increasing demand for market segments which prefer low cost over full service, while maintaining the existing premium brand and positioning (Jegathesan 2011). This is to be achieved by horizontal in tegration into the related LCC airline segment through the formation of an alliance with existing SEA LCC leader AirAsia via an equity swap arrangement. In support of this agreement, MAS shall also divest its fledgling domestic LCC subsidiary Firefly. This strategy best resolves the main strategic issue of how an established carrier such as MAS can counter the threats posed by low cost competitors for the following reasons: 1.Each airline can focus on their core competency to create synergy and economies of scope. This strategy brings benefits of the specialisation of the two companies together. MAS in the long-haul premium travel and AirAsia low cost air travel. 2. Exchange in human capital such as Air Asia? s Tony Fernandez who was able to make Air Asia successful. The exchange of human capital is more than just able-bodied men, but the transference of skills and experiences. Both companies stand to benefit in the exchange of knowledge and skills. 3. Sharing of prominent intangibl e resources that each business