Topic: United Airline
Reference: APA style
Requirement:


1.Vision and Mission of Organizations (one Pages)


A. United Airline Vision Statement?State vi...sion and analyze it. How would you make it better?
B. United Airline Mission Statement?State mission and analyze it. How would you make it better?


2. United Airline Company Audit (three page)

a. External Analysis?Key competitive forces in Porter?s Five Forces Model. You need to detailed analyzes on each competitive force facing United Airline

b. Competitive Profile (CPM) Matrix?with brief discussions on each key factor.

c.Internal Audit?
For this project,
you need to identify FIVE weaknesses. Once you identify
those weaknesses in this case, you need to present the arguments
to support your opinions. Also,you need to discuss the negative impacts/influences of each weakness. Without
those arguments/discussions, you cannot strongly justify your points, and your
team will not get high score from your analyses. Anyway, you need to develop
the strong discussions to justify validities of each key issue in SWOT.

d: Fiancial ratio analysis: it needs to include the detailed interpretation and discussion of current financial ratios.P.S: Financial Ratios (Data should
be updated until one year from first day of Spring 2012 semester)  more

Title: United Airlines

Must be 7 full pages not including the workcited page.

Style: APA Publication Manual 6th edition.

Content: At a minimum include: 1. Overview of the airline or company (history, corporate structure, aircraft fleet) 2. Business Strategy 3. Discussion (including: Safety Programs, Lawsuits pending, financial problems, merger with another airline etc, federal civil penalties etc.) 4. Commitments and Contingencies 5. Conclusions

Format: Title- 1 Page only
Content- 5-6 pages(full pages)
References - 1 page, 7 References, Only 3 from the web are allowed (but id you find a magazine online it
is not considered an online/web source. If you find an electronic version of a book
source, it is ok too because it is not considered an online/web source.

Notes: Use Courier New, Font 12
Margin: Top= 1 1/2", Left. Right. & Bottom =1"
Page numbers: Front page= centered 1" above the bottom of the page. All other pages= top right corner,
3/4 from the top and 1" from the side.

Find a union, which represents United Airline workers and describe the current state of negotiations between the union and the management. The union can be one that represents mechanics, flight attendants, or pilots. Write one page about the union itself and the rest about current negotiations.

This research paper about united Airlines must include the various aspects of an MNC (multinational corporation) operating in a foreign country. Your paper should include the following elements from a management perspective:

? Describe the company, the industry, and the target entry or operation (host country)
? Assess the risks, opportunities, and threats, in terms of political, legal, and economic environment
? Describe the cultural differences that create obstacles for entry and operation, including such differences in language, religion, customs, and/or leadership styles that affect business interactions and negotiations
? Describe, in detail, the entry strategy and operating procedures of the company and the reasons for that strategy
? Include possible recommendations for alternates or improvements for the entry strategy or operating procedures in the host country

Hi There,

My order is about Video Business Case Report. A topic is Sweet Revenge for a Broken Guitar. I have to submit via TURNITIN so please make sure that there is NO plagiarism.

...PLEASE DO NOT WRITE MORE THAN 2000 WORDS.

Terms of reference for critiquing this case are as follows:

Formulate a professional response to in-depth issues contained in a real life Video.
Watch and read the video and Internet links provided. Locate and refer to additional credible video and Internet links.
Students will act as an independent professional consultant reporting to senior managers of the company concerned. Students are expected to provide informed and robust advice to this business client. A sophisticated understanding of the critical aspects of this Video Business Case needs to be demonstrated. A succinct and high impact report is expected

? How saving $1,200 cost United Airlines 10,772,839 negative views on YouTube (Article) http://sentium.com/a-public-relations-disaster-how-saving-1200-cost-united-airlines-10772839-negative-views-on-youtube/
? United Airlines (Website) www.united.com
? United Breaks Guitars (Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo
? United Breaks Guitars Song 2 (Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-UoERHaSQg
? United Breaks Guitars Song 3 (Video) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P45E0uGVyeg


Suggested Headings for the report:

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (200 - 300 words required) included:
? Objectives of the report
? Scope (topic and limitations)
? Information sources used
? Key findings
? Key recommendations
? Principal elements of conclusion

2. ISSUES

Provide a brief introduction that summarises the main Issues of the case. Issues are the specific problems the business is facing and needs to address. Consider what visible symptoms of the problems identified need to be resolved?

3. CAUSES

Identify the importance of the Causes to the organisation concerned. What caused these Issues to arise? The reasons underlying the Issues will be explicit in the Causes identified.

4. DECISION CRITERIA
(Develop a set of Decision Criteria to choose from the Alternative courses of action)

Decision Criteria are the indicators that need to be considered when evaluating and making a decision. Develop a set of Decision Criteria to choose from the Alternative courses of action. These criteria will be used to measure each Alternative available, and decide those to recommend as Solutions, and those to recommend against implementing. Generating expected benefits that would be achieved by resolving the Issues at hand is one way to create Selection Criteria. Conversely, the adverse effects of certain Selection Criteria need to be considered. The expected benefits and drawbacks should be grouped based on underlying themes inherent in the case. This is essentially a logical approach to weighting and ranking relevant data in order to make decisions

5. ALTERNATIVES
(Develop a set of realistic Alternatives to address the Issues and Causes identified)

A variety of options or different actions that a company could take to address the Issues and Causes need to be identified. Prevention (dealing with underlying Causes) is usually better than cure (fixing Issues that have arisen). Measuring each Alternative against the Decision Criteria will assist in clearly identifying and selecting the better options as well as less desirable options.
Include a Conclusion consisting of Solutions, approaches to Implementation and Implications.

6. RECOMMENED SOLUTIONS.

What could United have done differently to deal with the PR outfall?
Decide on Solution/s to the Issues derived from the Alternatives. For each competing Alternative, justify why different Solution/s were chosen or rejected. A preferred Solution/s needs to be indicated

It should be clear to anyone reading the report why specific Alternatives are recommended as Solutions, and why others were rejected. A well written report will allow the company to compare different Alternatives as Solutions, should they disagree with the weightings of the various Decision Criteria.


7. IMPLEMENTATION AND IMPLICATIONS.

Consider the financial cost of the brand burn for United.
Provide realistic suggestions on how these Solution/s could be implemented in the organisation concerned within the industry context being scrutinized. Provide the necessary details on the Implementation for the proposed Solutions. Include the managerial and financial implications for adopting the preferred Solutions. If the organisation implements the recommended Solutions, what might happen to the company? What are the Implications for adopting each of the Alternatives? What might be the Implications of not following the recommendations?

8. REFERENCES (7 SOURCES)

----------------------------------------------
Ethical behaviour
Ethical issues should be referred to throughout the report. Also, ethical issues should be incorporated into the Decision Criteria. Ethical behaviour is an important concern for most aspects of business. When critiquing the case, students are challenged to be aware and sensitive to ethical issues that impact on all company stakeholders.
Locating evidence to support a position
The case is decision based and portrays an issue from the point of view of an individual working for a specific company in a particular industry. Students will need to resolve problems or issues. Learners need to explain the fundamental nature of the situations encountered within this context to deal with or reduce the effect on business of these problems. Resolutions to the challenges faced by these businesses are not simply contained in the video clips or transcriptions. Responses will need to be created using logical reasoning processes supported by a wide variety of information sources including Curtin Library Databases, Internet, discussion boards, social media, print media and so forth.
Company stakeholders
Sound business judgment needs to be based on evidence and consider all the relevant available information. Part of this process involves acknowledging and reconciling the views and rights of the relevant company stakeholders. This may invoke social and ethical legitimacy issues. Anticipating and responding to environmental changes is an indication of innovative problem solving. Anticipation of the intended and unintended consequences of decisions is important when judgments are made about difficult decisions.
Credible analysis
Be sure to identify all assumptions before making any judgments. Decisions need to be supported by sound logic and with evidence to support the conclusions reached. Finally, it is important to thoroughly consider the robustness of the overall analysis. Credible Solutions need to be considered in the context of organisational challenges. The consequences of implementing recommended actions need to be carefully considered.  more

In July 2009, a musician named Dave Carroll was traveling with his band from Toronto Canada to Nebraska somewhere, much like many millions of other folks have done. Looking out the window the plane, h...owever, Dave noticed that the United Airlines baggage handlers were, to put it mildly, failing to treat his rather expensive guitar and a number of other musical instruments belonging to the band with suitable care, preferring instead to sort of fling them through the air into the cargo hold. Dave pointed out to the UAL cabin attendants that this was not likely to be of significant benefit to the instruments' health, but was told that nothing could be done and he should simply sit down and be quiet. Upon arriving in Chicago, Dave determined that in fact he had been right, and his $2400 guitar was now $2400 worth of rather expensive kindling. He pointed this out to the United Airlines staff at the time, and suggested that perhaps some compensation might be in order. United Airlines, in the best bureaucratic tradition, took almost a year to conclude that its folks certainly hadn't done anything wrong, that Dave was probably just being excessively picky, and that they weren't about to pony up anything. After all, weren't they a Fortune 25 company engaged in a conflict with one rather slender young musician? It seemed like a classic application of the business motto once attributed to the old monolithic AT&T: ?We?re the phone company?we don?t care. We don?t have to.?

Back then, that worked. In fact, it still does, a lot of the time; money and power still convey a lot of advantage. But here?s where things get interesting. As a practicing musician, Dave was well aware of a recent phenomenon known as Youtube ? a strange sort of Internet place where you could essentially tack up as many electronic versions of ?95 Theses? as you wanted to, allowing some creativity, some luck, and something called ?viral video? behavior to be leveraged on occasion into something quite unprecedented. Let?s start by watching what Dave posted:

Carroll, D. (2009) United Breaks Guitars. Music video posted to Youtube. Retrieved November 27, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo&feature=channel

Now lots of people post things on Youtube, and most of them don?t go anywhere. But here?s where it got different in his case; for reasons known primarily to the gods of the Internet, Dave actually did ?go viral? ? accumulating well over a million hits in fairly short order, rocketing to the top of the charts (to date, almost 10 million hits overall) ? and, in the process, vastly confusing United Airlines by creating a highly visible public relations nightmare out of what ought to have been a minor transaction, and also causing the whole IT analysis profession and assorted professors of business to suddenly take seriously the possibility that here was a tool that just might have the potential to bring about a whole new kind of customer relations management. Here are two more videos featuring experts probing at this rather simple case for deep lessons:

Milliken, J. (2010) Brands and Social Media Participation; United Breaks Guitars. Coreographytv. Retrieved November 27, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNpry5iSTBo&feature=related

Owyang, J. (2010) Social Media, Crisis & Reputation Management. Coreographytv. Retrieved November 27, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43-7gDTk49k&NR=1

Dave has even achieved the ultimate B-school immortality ? being made into a Harvard Business School case! Here?s how the august professors are now phrasing the Lessons Learned:

Hanna, J. (2010) HBS Cases: United Breaks Guitars. Working Knowledge: Harvard Business School. November 29. Retrieved November 27, 2010, from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6492.html?wknews=112910

So what does this all mean? Is it just a cute little song that somehow made it big -- the proverbial flash in a pan -- or is it actually a vision of a new kind of relationship between companies and customers mediated by the larger world of social media? It could be either, or anything in between. One thing is clear, however -- this could not have happened even as recently as 2 to 3 years ago. It's probably equally clear that we're going to see a lot more of it -- and we're going to see a lot more things like this using tools and technologies that are today still barely on the drawing boards, if they've even gotten that far out of the heads of the smart 12-year-olds who are going to be billionaires before they need to shave.

There's a lot more out there in the optional and supplemental readings as well as the wide wonderful world of the Internet to give you a feel for the nature and effects of social media in business; the more widely you can spread your own information gathering net, the more effective your analysis is likely to be. Your own social media experiences are likely to be useful sources of information as well.

When you believe you have a reasonable feel for how social media are affecting business, you'll be in a position to prepare an effective short paper (or alternative ? see below) on the topic:

Does the availability and use of social media on the Internet really provide businesses with new and different useful information? If so, how? If not, why not?  more

Choice of company is United Airlines.....but willing to change if can't be researched to writers choice...just email me asap with company of writer's choice if it isn't United Airlines.<...br>
Choose a publicly held corporation from an industry with which you are familiar. Conduct research on the organization using the Internet, and other credible sources. Your portfolio for that organization needs to include the following:

1. Analyze how people, information, and information technology help the company remain competitive in industry.

2. Analyze Porters Five Forces Model in relation to competition within the industry of that corporation.

3. Evaluate how supply chain management systems, enterprise resource planning systems, and customer relationship management systems are currently used, or could be used, within the organization.

4. Evaluate how a database management system and a data warehouse are currently used, or could be used, within the organization.

5. Analyze how the five agent?based technologies are currently used, or could be used, within the organization.

6. Evaluate which of the nine major e?commerce business models are currently used, or could be used, within the organization, and synthesize how these could work together to create value within the organization.

7. Analyze how the organization could benefit from using the systems development life cycle (SDLC) and what type of projects within the organization could benefit from this process.

8. Evaluate the phases of business continuity planning as they relate to the organization.

9. Analyze how the organization could use emerging trends such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cell phones, and RFID to remain competitive in the future.

10. Evaluate the measures the organization takes, or could take, to ensure information is protected and free from security vulnerabilities.

Your portfolio should be seven pages in length, applying APA Requirements and should encompass your knowledge from all modules of the course. Cite and integrate at least 10 credible outside sources besides the course textbook. You may wish to refer to the Portfolio Rubric under the Course Information page in the left navigation panel to see the evaluation criteria for your project.  more

You are to write a 20-page paper. Read the Case Study below. For Outside Sources, Use Internet Only.

**Your analysis should include all 12 of the strategic steps below. Additionally, be sur...e to conduct a financial analysis which allows you to present a future cash flow analysis to demonstrate that the firm can implement your recommendations.**

In writing a comprehensive written analysis. You must follow the steps outlined below, which correlate to the stages in the strategic management process.

12 Strategic Steps

Step 1: Identify the firms existing vision, mission, objectives, and strategies.

Step 2: Develop vision and mission statements for the organization.

Step 3: Identify the organizations external opportunities and threats.

Step 4: Construct a competitive profile matrix (CPM)

Step 5: Construct an external factor evaluation (EFE) Matrix

Step 6: Identify the organizations internal strengths and weaknesses.

Step 7: Construct an internal factor evaluation (IFE) Matrix.

Step 8: Prepare a strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats (SWOT) Matrix, strategic position and action evaluation (SPACE) Matrix, Grand Strategy Matrix, and Internal-External (IE) Matrix. Give advantages and disadvantages of alternative strategies.

Step 9: Recommend specific strategies and long-term objectives. Show how much your recommendations will cost. Itemized these costs clearly for each projected year. Compare your recommendations to actual strategies planned by the Company.

Step 10: Specify how your recommendations can be implemented and what results you can expect. Prepare forecasted ratios and projected financial statements. Present a timetable or agenda for action.

Step 11: Recommend specific annual objectives and policies.

Step 12: Recommend procedures for strategy review and evaluation.

Southwest Airlines Co.-2004
Despite terrorist attacks, new security measures, dramatic increase in aviation insurance costs, industry downsizing, rising energy costs, and a severe production in consumer air travel, Southwest Airlines is still poised for success. For 12 the consecutive years 1991 through 2002, the Department of Transportation and travel consumer report listed Southwest Airlines and among the top five all major carriers for on-time performance, best baggage handling, and fewest customer complaints. In a highly competitive industry, all Kerry is continually strive to place first in any of these categories of the Department of Transportation report; Southwest is the only airline to ever hold the Triple Crown for its annual performance. In addition to this honor, Southwest is consistently among Fortune magazines most admired companies second in 2002, and it is also one of the magazines list for a 100 best companies to work for. In 2002, Southwest ranked first among airlines customer service that expansion, as reported in the Wall Street journal. In addition, Southwest ranked first in Money magazine feature for the 30 best stock since 1972.Southwest continues to operate profitably despite geopolitical tensions: in 2003, it had $442.0 million in net income on $5.8 billion in revenues (Southwest annual report, 2003).in an industry that historically has been awash in red, where airlines continually go in and out a bankruptcy or fail, Southwest has an enviable record of holder 30 consecutive years of operation at a profit. But, considering the tremendous strain in current economical and political environment, can this record of success continue? In their best-selling book Nuts, Kevin and Jackie Freiburg point to a company with people who are committed to working hard and having fun and who avoid following industry trends. The Freiburg note that Southwest, based in Dallas, Texas, is a company that likes to keep prices at rock bottom; believes the customer comes second; runs recruiting ads that says, work at a place wearing pants is optional; paints its $30 million assets to look like killer whales and state flags; avoids trendy management programs; avoids formal, documented strategic planning; spend more time at planning parties than writing policy; and once settle a legal dispute by arm wrestling. This strategy has always worked, but will he continue to work?
History and Growth of Southwest Airlines
Rollin King and Herb Kelleher completed the necessary paperwork to create airline Southwest Co. later named Southwest airlines. The two filed for approval with the asked FAA; and on February 20, 1968, the Texas Aeronautical commission approved their plans to fly between the three cities. In the 1980s and 1990s, Southwest continued to expand, and by 1993, it was serving 34 cities in 15 states. Southwest Oakley, but methodically, moved Southwestern states into California, the Midwest, and the Northwest. It added new destinations in Florida and on the East Coast. With its low prices and no-frills approach, it quickly dominated the market it entered. In some markets, southwest entered, competitors soon withdrew allowing the airline to expand even faster than they projected. For example, Southwest entered the California market in 1990; it quickly became the second largest player, with over 20% of the interstate market. Several competitors soon abandoned Los Angeles-San Francisco route because they were unable to match Southwest $59 one-way fare. Before Southwest entered this market, fares had in as high as $186 one-way. California offers a good example of the real dilemma facing competing carriers, which to refer to Southwest as a 500 pound cockroach that was to be stamp out. While airfares were dropping, passenger traffic increased dramatically. Competitors, such as American Airlines and US Airways, were losing money on several key routes segments, even though they cut service drastically. In the late 1994 United began to fight back by launching a low-cost high frequency shuttle service on the West Coast. But it found that even a shuttle could not win against Southwest in a head-to-head battle. So United airlines repositioned its shuttle away from Southwest routes and even abandoned some routes altogether. According to the Department of Transportation, eight airlines surrendered West Coast routes to Southwest; at the same time, one-way fares fell by over 30% to an average of $60, and traffic increased by almost 60%. The major problem for the larger airlines was that many of these was cost rows were critical for feeding traffic into their highly profitable transcontinental in transpacific routes, and Southwest was cutting into that market. Southwest is currently before the larger domestic area in terms of customer boarded. Airline has transformed itself from a regional carrier operating out a Dallas, Texas into a truly national carrier. At year end 2002, the airlines surged 58 cities in 30 states and operated more than 2800 flights a day with its fleet of 375 Boeing 737s. In 2002, Southwest flew 45.4 billion revenue passenger miles compared with 44.5 alien revenue passenger miles in 2001. The most remarkable in its 30th year in a row of profitable operations, with total operating revenues in 2002 of $5.52 billion a decrease of 0.6% over 2001. Operating income in 2002 fell by 33.9% into the Houston one. Net income fell by 2.9% from $511.1 million in 2001 to $241.0 million in 2002 (Southwest annual report, 2003). Nonetheless, Southwest was the only profitable major US airline in 2002.
Management
Lamar Muse led Southwest its climb to profitability; but, in a dispute the board, he was ousted in 1978. With Muse out, Kelleher moved into the top position, and ran the airline until June 19, 2001. On that date, Kelleher was succeeded as CEO by Southwest vice president and general counsel, James F. Parker, 54. Colleen C. Barrett, 56, who started her collaboration with Mr. Kelleher 34 years earlier as his legal secretary, would-be president and chief operating officer. Mr. Kelleher is slated to remain as chairman for three years. Mr. Parker has been the airlines taught labor negotiator, making him well known to the Company employees, and, according t Mr. Kelleher, he has had a say in every important decision for long long time. Ms. Barrett, the unsung hero of Southwest, has been the keeper and crusader of Southwests culture, and she has success indoctrinated thousands of new workers in southwests ways. Parkers plan as CEO is to stay with the cheap southwest below cost, low fare, no-frills airline it has always been. There will be no change in our core philosophy and our base business model, he says. It is a model he helped shape as general counsel for 15 years. Southwest Management team drives home the feeling that all of XP or part of one big family. Southwest culture committee, formerly headed by Barrett, has unique ways to preserve the Company under dog back ground and can do spirit. She constantly reinforces the message that employees should be treated like customers, and continually celebrates workers who go above and beyond the call of duty. Barrett also regularly visited each of the company stations to reiterate the airlines history and to motivate employees. As keeper of the company culture, Barrett commemorates all employees are a special events with cards signed Herb and Colleen. Employees know the culture and expect others to live up to it. Donna Conover, another longtime Southwest employee who also understands and supports the company culture, will succeed Barrett as president and COO.
Strategy
Southwest operation under Kelleher has a number of characteristics that seem to contribute to its success. It has always been able to quickly seize strategic opportunity whenever one arises. Other key factors are at its conservative growth pattern, its cost containment policy, and the commitment of its employees. Kelleher always resisted a chance to expand too rapidly. His philosophy was to expand only when there were resources available to go into a new location with 10 to 12 flights per day not just one or two. For years, he also resisted the temptation to being transcontinental operations or to get into a head-to-head battle with major carriers are long-distance routes. But even with a conservator approach, Southwest expanded any vigorous pace. Its debt has remained the lowest among US carriers, and, with an A-rating, Southwest has the highest Standard & Poors credit rating in the industry. Southwest has made its mark by concentrating on flying large numbers of passengers on high frequency, short hops (usually one hour a less) at bargain fares. It has avoided the hub and spoke operations of its larger rivals, taking its passengers directly from city to city. Southwest also tends to avoid the more congested major airports in favor of smaller satellite fields. Kelleher revealed that niche strategy of Southwest when he know and where rents other airlines a hub and spoke systems in which passengers on a shuttle to a few major hubs from which they are transferred to other planes going to their destination, we wound up with a unique market niche: we wound up with a market segment that is peculiarly ours, and everything about the airline has been at that to serving the market segment in the most efficient and economical way possible. However, the strategy may be changing. Southwest has begun to introduce longer, nonstop trips on such routes as Baltimore, Maryland to Las Vegas, Nevada (2099 miles), and Austin, Texas to Los Angeles (1234 miles). Even one-stop trips are being added through central cities such as Nashville and Kansas City coast-to-coast travel. The prospect of Southwest going long haul on a grand scale is what the genie rivals always hoped would not come out of the bottle, says analyst Kevin C. Murphy of the Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. He believes Southwest will continue its expansion and that it will really rewrite the economic of the airline industry. This shifting strategy is downplayed by the fact that Southwest still flies about 80% of its flights on routes that are shorter than 750 miles. In 2002, the average flight was 548 miles and had duration of 1.5 hours. We are built for the short-haul markets, and we know that, says chief financial officer Gary C. Kelly. Kelleher explains the jump into routes that are 1000 plus miles as a way to deal with the changes in the 1997 federal ticket tax, which was pushed by the bigger carriers. The incorporation of that new tax replaced a percentage tax with a tax that included a flat, per segment fee, which hits the low-fare carriers harder.
Competitors believe southwest would have moved strongly into the long-haul flights market despite the altered tax requirements. They have dug all a shallow hole, says Rona J. Dutta, senior vice president for planning at United Airline Inc. He also replied that other low-fare units are increasing the competition and South West core markets. As all other major airlines have performed poorly since the 2001 terrorist attacks, many are expanding for developing a low fare program in an effort to increase profit. Short-haul lines such as JetBlue, Spirit Airlines, ATA Airlines, AirTran Airlines, SkyWest Airlines and Frontier Airlines, as well as Delta Song and Continentals JetExpress, maybe affecting Southwest probability, but with its lower cost and impressive balance sheet, Southwest still prevails. Nonetheless, some low-fare lines have ended operations because they were unsuccessful in competing with existing low-fare lines. These include US Airways MetroJet, shuttle by United, Vanguard, and national airlines. Southwest continues to be the lowest cost airline in its markets. Even when trying to match Southwest cut rate fares, the larger carriers could not do so without incurring substantial losses. Southwest continues to operate with the lowest cost per available seat mile (the number of seats multiplied by a distance flown) among all major airlines, what an average of 15 to 25% below its rivals. One of the major factors in this enviable record is that all of its planes used are of a single type Boeing 737s which dramatically lower the Company cost of training, maintenance, and inventory. Because of Southwest crews know the 737 inside and out, they could substitute personnel rapidly from one flight to another in an emergency. In addition, Southwest recognized that planes only earn you money while they are in the air, so the company worked hard to achieve a faster turnaround time on the ground. Most airlines take up to one hour to unload passengers, clean and service the plane, and board new passengers. Southwest has a turnaround time for most flights of 20 minutes or less. Thorough knowledge of 737has helped in this achievement. Southwest has also caught cost in the customer service area as well. Because of its flights are usually one hour or less, it does not offer meals-only peanuts and drinks. Boarding passes are reusable plastic cards, and boarding time it saves since the airlines has no assigned seating. Airline does not subscribe to any centralized reservation service. It will not even transfer baggage to other carriers: that is the passengers responsibility. Even with this frugality, passengers do not seem to object, since the price is right. The ability to turn planes around rapidly, surprisingly, has not jeopardized by the events after 9/11, but this did not happen without incurring added expenses. Initially, new government mandated security procedures did not cause delays and longer check-in times. Since then Southwest has added new automated systems and technologies that have streamlined the check-in process. This includes computer-generated baggage tag and boarding passes and self-service rapid check-in kiosks. Because of these new additions, Southwest reports that check-in times are almost back to normal. Southwest has achieved team spirit that others can only envy.one of the reasons for this team spirit is that the company truly believes that employees come first, not customers. Southwest is known for providing its employees with tremendous amount of information that will enable them to better understand the company, its mission, its customers, and its competition. Southwest believes tat information is power. It is a resource that enables employees to do the job better. Armed with this knowledge, they are able to serve the customer better, and customers will deal with Southwest rarely get the runaround. Even though unionized, Southwest has been able to negotiate flexible work rules that enable it to meet the rapid turnaround schedules. It is not unusual for pilots to help flight attendants cleaned airplanes or to help the ground crew the baggage. Consequently, employee productivity is very high, and the airline is able to maintain a lean staff. In good times, Kelleher resisted the temptation to over-higher, and so avoided lay offs during lean times.
Southwest has only laid off three people in 25 years and it immediately hired them back. The airline industry as a whole has furloughed approximately 100,000 employees as a result of the 2001 attacks. Not only did Southwest lay off no one, it also hired employees in 2002 and increase overall salaries, wages, and benefits. This was made possible by reductions in other areas: new plane deliveries were delayed, renovations to the company headquarters was scrapped, but layoffs were not considered. Said CEO Parker, we are willing to suffer some damage, even to our stock price, to protect the jobs of our people. This employee we change in policy has contributed to employees feeling of security and a fierce sense of loyalty. The people of Southwest see themselves as crusaders whose mission is to give ordinary people the opportunity to fly. Maximizing profitability is the major goal at Southwest. This leads to a drive to keep costs low and quality high. The airlines ideal service consists of state, frequent, low-cost flights that get passengers to the destination one-time and often closer to the destination and the major airlines do, because its competitors use larger airports farther from the cities. Southwest uses Dallass Love Field, Houston Hobby Airport, and Chicagos Midway, which are closer to their respective downtown areas, are less congested, and are, therefore, more convenient for the business traveler. This also helps Southwests on-time performance. In its marketing approach, Southwest always tries to set itself apart from the rest of industry. It also plays up its fun-loving, rebel reputation. In the early years, when the big airlines were trying to run southwest out of business by undercutting its low fares, Southwest made its customers an unprecedented offer. In response to a Braniff ad offering $13 fare to fly between Houston and Dallas, Southwest place an ad that read, nobodys going to shoot Southwest Airlines out of the sky for a lousy $13. It did offer to passengers the opportunity to purchase a ticket from Southwest the same price, which was half the normal fare or to buy a full fare ticket for $26 and received a bottle of premium whiskey along with it. The response was unprecedented. Southwest planes were full and, for short time, Southwest was one of the top liquor distributors in the state of Texas. Southwest ads always try to convince the customer that what the airline offers them is of real value to them. It also believes it is in the business of making flying fun. With its ads, the company wants customers to know that when they fly Southwest Bay will have an experience unlike any other. It promised a safe, reliable, frequent, low-cost air transportation that is topped off with outstanding service. By keeping its promises, Southwest has earned extremely high credibility in every market it serves.
e-Business
Southwest has been aggressively marketing its services on the Internet, and it was the first airline to establish a home page on the Web. When Fortune magazine asked experts which businesses have web sites that work, the answer to got was not many. However, Southwest was one of the Jim side as a business doing it right. In the Internet travel rays, many observers think the West has lost the battle to a subsidiary of American Airlines, Travelocity. Yet while Americans have been getting most of the attention, Southwest has been getting the business. According to a Nielsen/Net Ratings survey 13.8% of the people visited Southwest site booked a flight. The company looked to book ratio is twice that of Travelocity and higher than that of any traditional retailer on the Web. Southwest, it seems as being a success in turning browsers into buyers. In March 2002 Internet week reported that Southwest experienced Internet traffic gain 16%.Southwest reports that approximately 50% of its passenger revenue is generated by online bookings. It costs per booking via Internet is about one dollar; in comparison, the cost per booking via a travel agent is about $10. Southwest web site has also been named the top ranking web site customer satisfaction among major travel sites, according to research conducted Harris interactive. The Southwest side scored a rating of 8.62 out of 10, with its web site attracting 4 million unique visitors during March 2001. In the June 11, 2001, issue of Internet week, Southwest web site was named as one of the top 100 ebusinesses in United States, as determined by the publications survey.
Competitors
Since September 11, 2001, competition for Southwest Airlines has yet to our major airline to low-fare airlines. This happened mainly because major airlines incurred losses and 2002. Before September 11, 2001, United Airlines, the second largest airlines with over 100,000 employees, was one of Southwest most formidable competitors. Since then, the company has downsized to approximately 85,000 employees. Because of financial losses, United airlines filed for bankruptcy in December 2002. Since United shuttle service ceased operation shortly after September 11, 2001, direct competition with Southwest Airlines has diminished. Following September 11, 2001, Delta Airlines, the third-largest US carrier, cut 21% of its workforce and in 2003 was operating with approximately 70 5000 employees. Delta Airlines flies to about 225 US and foreign locations, and remained particularly strong throughout much of the southern tier of the United States, where two of its major hubs Atlanta and Dallas/Fort Worth are located. In the summer of 2003 Delta Air Lines replaced its low-fare regional carrier service Delta express with Song, in an effort to better compete with low-fare airlines like Southwest. Delta airlines have also acquired a minority stake in three regional airlines which can feed passengers into its several hubs, and has established an alliance with Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines. A third past competitor, American West Airlines, is faring better than both Delta Airlines and United airlines. In July 2002, American West Airlines recalled virtually all employees furloughed after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Despite net income losses of $388 million in 2002, American West airlines expects to restructure its finances with the of federal loan guarantees totaling $380 million. It has about 1100 employees and serves 144 cities in United States with foreign locations in Mexico and Canada. American West Airlines has a strong position in its hubs, Phoenix and Las Vegas. These locations put it into direct competition with Southwest. With Continental airlines and Mesa airlines, which have small stakes in American West Airlines, America West Airlines has formed alliances which give it access to another 35 destinations.
The low-fare carriers are doing better because they do not rely on high business fares and do not of frill the major carriers offers. They tend to gravitate toward secondary airports where less congestion and lower fees keep cost down. Many also fly point-to-point without stops, and in general have relied on highly efficient e-business. Most importantly, low-fare airlines have succeeded in appealing to the customer in ways that major airlines never could by using creative market strategies in promoting individualism. As a result, customers are intrigued by this new mode of transportation after trying it, are convinced that it i a new way to travel. In 1994, revenues earned by low-fare carriers represented 5% of the $76 billion US air travel market. By 2003, their share was over 20%, according to CFO magazine, up from just 10% in 2000. Experts predict that low-fare airlines will have 25 to 35% of market share by the end of 2004, an increase that may restructure the airline industry forever. JetBlue airline is one of Southwest newest and possibly most noteworthy competitors. In 2002, JetBlue was the only airline to report profits, with $55million on revenues of $635 million. In 2003, despite geopolitical tensions, JetBlue was hiring an average of six new employees a day to accommodate growth. JetBlue founder and CEO is David Neeleman, who was employed in the inner circle of Southwest for over a year. Thus it is no surprise that JetBlue is structured similarly to Southwest: a low-cost, low-fare airlines with high employee productivity, a laid-back attitude, and a single aircraft model. Perhaps these are the reasons that JetBlue continues to grow and earn profits. It may also explain why Southwest CFO Gary Kelly stated, we have got to be prepared for intense competition. In fact, Southwest gave model JetBlue planes to its executives with a note: know your enemy. Currently, the two airlines do not compete in many of the same markets, but being the only two airlines experiencing significant growth, they are certainly affect each others potential growth. All of the competitors have calm into head-to-head competition with Southwest on several occasions. Southwest always walk with competition and firmly believes it can come out ahead in any of those situations. Kelleher when asked about his thoughts on facing a competitor such United shuttle head on, stated, I think its good to have some real competitive activity to get your people stirred up and renews their vigor and their energy in their desire to win.
Long-haul success for Southwest will put pressure on the profits realized by its bigger competitors. A cost advantage of Southwest includes a rat 20 minute gate turnarounds; an efficient all-Boeing 737 fleet, including new 737700s that can fly cross-country nonstop; and a more productive workforce. Even if longer flights increase the cost, Southwest still realizes a significant competitive advantage. Roberts, Roach& Associates Inc., an airline consultant in Hayward California says that Southwest has at least 59% cost advantage over a bigger rivals at flights of 500 miles, as well as a 35% lead for flights at 1500 miles. It is a huge threat, says a rival airline executive. Already, a quarterly to an estimate by analyst Samuel C. Buttrick from PaineWebber Inc., nonstop flights longer than 1000 miles account for more than 16% of Southwest capacity. Southwest is not the only low-fare airline that has expanded long-haul services in recent years. According to report from the Department of Transportation, AirTran Airways, ATA Airways, Frontier airlines, JetBlue Airways, and Spirit Airlines, along with Southwest, had expanded long-haul services by 26% between 2000 and 2002. Will longer flights or these airlines also mean a lost in profit due to increased cost, or could low-fare airline win an even larger portion of the market to reign in the American skies? For now, consideration serious expansion had to put on hold as many airlines are still trying to recover from losses over the past two years. Southwest will continue its strategy to capitalize conservatively and increased growth steadily. It is capitalizing on the schedule cutbacks other airlines have made, but as a result, the door is also open for other low-fare carriers to profit.
The Future
Today, Southwest provide services to only eight cities, so there are tremendous opportunities for expansion. The problem: competitors have learned from Southwest Airlines and its unique management strategies, and they are using these tactics as well as unique ones to win over consumers. Southwest has always utilized conservative growth tactics, but this may hurt it if new competitors opt for faster growth strategies. Over 100 cities have asked Southwest Airlines to begin service in their communities because of positive impact the Company has had when it began operations in a new location. But if Southwest does not do it, another low-fare airline will.  more

Accident analysis United Airlines DC-10, Sioux City Iowa 19 Jul 1989
The body of the paper needs to be 8 pages I will do abstract and title page
Instructor requested not to copy and paste NTSB accident report
12 pitch, Times New Roman
Report should analyze topic area and identify shortcomings or deficiencies.
The paper can be contemporary or historical.
This is a systems safety class, we have been studying topics like: MIL std 882, safety tenets, risk assessment, human factors, hazard analysis, education and training, preliminary hazard list, accident analysis, etc..

Try to gather as muchresearch as possible for any two accidents and then compare and contrast the investigation, looking for such things as crash dynamics, accessibility, needed resources, thoroughness of the investigators involved,human factors issues, etc. I welcome any aspect of these accidents. Also, this is an opinionated type of paper, I want to know your thoughts as the writer, view points and opinions concerning the accident investigation from start to finish. There is no certain requirement for the number of pages in your analysis, but remember, it has to be thoroughfor the average citizen of the public to understand it.

The Accident's to be investigated are going to be Delta Airlines, Flight 191 - L-1011, Dallas/Forth Worth, TX and United Airlines, Flight 173 - DC-8, Portland, Oregon.

Both accidents involved a certain degree of human factors and I want you to tap into that and the last moments before the accidents.

The paper should have 5 pages of content and prepared using APA 6th Edition standards. WDon't forget the basics; spelling, grammar, and APA format.

In July 2009, a musician named Dave Carroll was traveling with his band from Toronto Canada to Nebraska somewhere, much like many millions of other folks have done. Looking out the window the plane, h...owever, Dave noticed that the United Airlines baggage handlers were, to put it mildly, failing to treat his rather expensive guitar and a number of other musical instruments belonging to the band with suitable care, preferring instead to sort of fling them through the air into the cargo hold. Dave pointed out to the UAL cabin attendants that this was not likely to be of significant benefit to the instruments' health, but was told that nothing could be done and he should simply sit down and be quiet. Upon arriving in Chicago, Dave determined that in fact he had been right, and his $2400 guitar was now $2400 worth of rather expensive kindling. He pointed this out to the United Airlines staff at the time, and suggested that perhaps some compensation might be in order. United Airlines, in the best bureaucratic tradition, took almost a year to conclude that its folks certainly hadn't done anything wrong, that Dave was probably just being excessively picky, and that they weren't about to pony up anything. After all, weren't they a Fortune 25 company engaged in a conflict with one rather slender young musician? It seemed like a classic application of the business motto once attributed to the old monolithic AT&T: Were the phone companywe dont care. We dont have to.
Back then, that worked. In fact, it still does, a lot of the time; money and power still convey a lot of advantage. But heres where things get interesting. As a practicing musician, Dave was well aware of a recent phenomenon known as Youtube ??" a strange sort of Internet place where you could essentially tack up as many electronic versions of 95 Theses as you wanted to, allowing some creativity, some luck, and something called viral video behavior to be leveraged on occasion into something quite unprecedented. Lets start by watching what Dave posted:
Carroll, D. (2009) United Breaks Guitars. Music video posted to Youtube. Retrieved November 27, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo&feature=channel

Now lots of people post things on Youtube, and most of them dont go anywhere. But heres where it got different in his case; for reasons known primarily to the gods of the Internet, Dave actually did go viral ??" accumulating well over a million hits in fairly short order, rocketing to the top of the charts (to date, almost 10 million hits overall) ??" and, in the process, vastly confusing United Airlines by creating a highly visible public relations nightmare out of what ought to have been a minor transaction, and also causing the whole IT analysis profession and assorted professors of business to suddenly take seriously the possibility that here was a tool that just might have the potential to bring about a whole new kind of customer relations management. Here are two more videos featuring experts probing at this rather simple case for deep lessons:

Milliken, J. (2010) Brands and Social Media Participation; United Breaks Guitars. Coreographytv. Retrieved November 27, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNpry5iSTBo&feature=related
Owyang, J. (2010) Social Media, Crisis & Reputation Management. Coreographytv. Retrieved November 27, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43-7gDTk49k&NR=1
Dave has even achieved the ultimate B-school immortality ??" being made into a Harvard Business School case! Heres how the august professors are now phrasing the Lessons Learned:
Hanna, J. (2010) HBS Cases: United Breaks Guitars. Working Knowledge: Harvard Business School. November 29. Retrieved November 27, 2010, from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6492.html?wknews=112910
So what does this all mean? Is it just a cute little song that somehow made it big -- the proverbial flash in a pan -- or is it actually a vision of a new kind of relationship between companies and customers mediated by the larger world of social media? It could be either, or anything in between. One thing is clear, however -- this could not have happened even as recently as 2 to 3 years ago. It's probably equally clear that we're going to see a lot more of it -- and we're going to see a lot more things like this using tools and technologies that are today still barely on the drawing boards, if they've even gotten that far out of the heads of the smart 12-year-olds who are going to be billionaires before they need to shave.

There's a lot more out there in the optional and supplemental readings as well as the wide wonderful world of the Internet to give you a feel for the nature and effects of social media in business; the more widely you can spread your own information gathering net, the more effective your analysis is likely to be. Your own social media experiences are likely to be useful sources of information as well.
When you believe you have a reasonable feel for how social media are affecting business, you'll be in a position to prepare an effective short paper (or alternative ??" see below) on the topic:
Does the availability and use of social media on the Internet really provide businesses with new and different useful information? If so, how? If not, why not?

Special possibilities:
Since this is a case about new media, its only fair that you have some new media alternatives in dealing with it. So while youre perfectly free to write the same sort of paper that youve been accustomed to writing (as described below in the Regular Case Expectations), you are also encouraged to think about using some sort of more creative social media application in response. If I gave you all the possibilities, it wouldnt be all that creative, now would it? But by way of stimulus, you might consider:
A video essay and/or discussion and/or presentation made available through Youtube
Using a Facebook page or related approach to formulate your response, either alone or perhaps working together with some of your colleagues
Submitting your paper as a series of 142-character tweets through Twitter (see this modules SLP assignment) ??" daunting as a prospect, but theoretically possible
Something else entirely.
An unspecified number of points may be awarded for creativity of presentation as well as quality of ideas ??" but the ideas have to be there first, even if the medium is the message.
PLEASE NOTE: You certainly do not have to use any of these alternatives; it's perfectly fine just to write a paper as you are accustomed to doing. You won't be penalized in any way. The alternatives are included here just to get into the spirit of the thing, if you happen to have a little extra time and a little extra tolerance for learning to use new tools under pressure. Please do not feel that you will be disadvantaged in any way by not participating in this strange part of what's already a very unusual and experimental course!

Regular Case assignment expectations:
Your paper should be short (3 pages, not including cover sheet and references) and to the point. It is to be structured as a point/counterpoint argument, in the following manner. You are expected to:
Begin this paper by stating your position on this question clearly and concisely -- take one or the other position (either for or against formality), but not both!
Citing appropriate sources, present the reasons why you take this position. Be sure to make the most effective case you can.
Then present the best evidence you can, again citing appropriate sources, against your position -- that is, establish what counterarguments can be made in response to your original position.
Finally, review your original position in light of the counterarguments, showing how they are inadequate to rebut your original statement.
The following features of your paper will be assessed in particular:
Your ability to see what the module is all about and to structure your paper accordingly. In this case, there isnt a single right or wrong, yes-o-no answer ??" either perspective can be justified. Your task is to construct a logical, well-reasoned, and persuasive argument for your conclusions. Be sure that you take a defined position on the question, and construct your paper to support that position with suitable arguments and evidence.
Your focus on the question as presented, and your ability to use the language of the module convincingly. Here, this means your ability to differentiate between what constitutes the "technical system" of an organization and what constitutes its "social system", to define possible changes that could be made to either system and their probably consequences, and to explain how a "socio-technical" perspective involving joint consideration of both systems together may be better than dealing with either system by itself.
Your ability to consolidate ideas from reading materials and your understanding of the materials. Select your illustrative cases to prove your point; dont just dump a bunch of illustrations onto the page just to fill space. Use information from as many sources as you can, as long as its of good quality. At the least, you are expected to show evidence of having read and understood the required readings.
Your informed commentary and analysis -- simply repeating what your sources say does not constitute an adequate paper.
Some in-text references to your readings, with citations in proper academic format.  more

This paper should be about the crash of United airlines flight 232. In the paper I need have a thesis statement saying something like I believe the crew did everything possible that they could at that point in time and under the circumstances. Then in the body of the paper basically needs to answer these questions:

How did the crew develop a strategy for landing the aircraft?

How important was crew and interpersonal communication to the success of the crew?

Could more lives have been saved?

Were all crewmembers, including flight attendants, involved in the communication process surrounding the emergency? Were air traffic controllers effectively involved and utilized?

What are the long-term effects of the accident on our training systems and methods?

If have any questions please let me know. Thanks.

Dear Sir/Madam:

I just need the assignment below completed (answering all the case study questions at the bottom of this message # 1 - # 4). All directions and reading material to complete th...e assignment are included below. However, you will need to find additional sources to complete the assignment, as indicated below. Thank you!

Assignment:

Please prepare a formal document with the questions restated first and then your answer to each question. Your answer should be complete thoughts, grammatically free from errors (use spellcheck), and should have supporting documentation / references (i.e. internet, etc.) It should be college-level written assignment. Each of your answers should be at least 2 paragraphs per question (A paragraph is at least four sentences).

Flying into Trouble?the OneWorld Alliance and Antitrust Laws

Over the last number of years airline alliances have become an increasing reality in international travel. The Star Alliance is currently the largest of these with twenty member airlines including Lufthansa, Continental Airlines, United Airlines, British Midland International, Singapore, Air China, and U.S. Airways. Another significant player is the OneWorld Alliance that has eleven member airlines that includes British Airways, American Airlines, Cathay Pacific Iberian, Finnair, and Royal Jordanian. SkyTeam is the third main grouping and includes Air France, Delta Airlines, and Aeroflot.

The U.S. Department of Justice, however, does not always think these alliances are good for business. In a recent ruling against given members of the OneWorld Alliance including British Airways and American Airlines, the Department of Justice indicated that OneWorld?s third proposal to expand their alliance could result in ?competitive harm? on six transatlantic routes. As a compromise the Department of Justice proposed that OneWorld give up some of its lucrative slots at congested airports including London?s Heathrow Airport.

To make matters more complicated, it is the Department of Transportation, not the Department of Justice that has the final say on airline regulation in the United States. OneWorld points out that the Department of Transportation overruled similar concerns from the Department of Justice to approve a Star Alliance proposal earlier this year. As a result, OneWorld have indicated that they will issue a ?robust response? to the Department of Justice recommendations.

In Europe the European Commission has also expressed reservations about the OneWorld proposal. In addition, Virgin Atlantic, which isn?t a member of any alliance, has repeatedly called for the Department of Transportation to reject OneWorld?s anti-competitive application.

Source: Doug Cameron ?Justice Department Objects to OneWorld Extension? the Wall Street Journal, December 21, 2009


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Why would large airlines want to join alliances such as OneWorld, Star, or SkyTeam? What are the potential advantages and disadvantages?

2. Why do you think Virgin Atlantic refuses to join an airline alliance?

3. So you think the government should have a role in overseeing these alliances? Is it good for competition for the government to keep intervening?

4. Does it make sense to have several government departments involved in antitrust regulations?

End of assignment questions.  more

You are to write a 1-page paper. After reading the Case Study, answer the question at the end of case study.DO NOT USE OUTSIDE SOURCES

Benefits Are Vanishing

Raymond Brice expected t...o retire from United Airlines and receive a $1,200 a month pension. Suddenly all ran out for Raymond Brice and 35,000 other in an airline retirees. The government Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation announced it would not guarantee the bankrupt airlines allows virtually ensuring that if the airline's parent company is to remain in business, it will have to chop away and expensive pension and retiree medical benefits. The numbers are daunting. United airlines goals $598 million in pension payments in the next six months and a total of $4.1 billion by the end of 2008, plus an additional one billion for retiree health care benefits, obligations of ailing airlines cannot begin to meet. And if United finds a way to get out of its promises, competitors American airlines, Delta Airlines, and Northwest airlines are sure to try to as well. You airline workers are about to find out what other airline employees already know: the cost of a broken retirement promises can be steep. Of the airlines many crisis, the biggest was the high pension plan, a sinkhole of unfunded liabilities. Why are the retirees being left in the cold? An unsavory brew of factors has come together to put stress on the retirement system like never before. First, there is a simple fact that Americans are living longer in retirement, and that cost more.
Next come internal corporate issues, including soaring health cost and long-term underfunding of pension promises. Perhaps most important, in the global economy, long-established US companies are competing against younger rivals here and abroad that pay little or nothing toward their workers retirement, giving the older companies a huge incentive to dump their plans. The House is not burning now, but we will have a crisis who in some of these issues are not fixed says Stephen A. Kandarian, who ended a two-year stint as the executive director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation(the little-known federal agency that insures private pensions) in February. Kandarian is not domestic about that crises might play out, either. By that time it will be too late to save the system. Then you just play triage. As industry after industry and company after company's drive to limit, or eliminate, their so-called legacy costs, a historic shift is taking place. No one voted on it and Congress never debated the issue, but with little fanfare we have entered into a vast reorganization of our retirement system, from employer funded to employee and government-funded.
A sort of stealth nationalization of retirement. As the burden moved from companies to individuals who have traditionally been notoriously poor planners it becomes near certain that in the end, a bigger portion will fall on the shoulders tax payers. Where the develops, the government is forced to step in, says Sylvester J. Schieber, a vice president at benefit consulting firm Watson Wyatt Worldwide. If we think we can walk away from these obligations scot-free, that is just a dream. Evidence of the shift is everywhere. Traditional pension so-called defined benefit plans and retiree health insurance or wants all bu t universal at large companies. Today experts can think of no major company that has instituted guaranteed pensions in the last decade. None of the companies that have become household names in recent times have them: Microsoft, not Wal-Mart stores, not Southwest airlines. In 1999, IBM, which has old-style benefits and contributed almost $4 billion to shore up its pension plan in 2002, get a study of its competitors and fouled 75% in that all for a pension plan and fewer still paid for retiree health care. Instead, companies are much more likely to offer defined contribution plans such as 401(k), to which they contribution a set amount.
In 1977, there were 14.6 million people with defined contribution benefits; today there are an estimated 65 .million. Part of their appeal has been that a more mobile workforce can take their benefits with them as they hark from job to job. But just as important, they cost less for employers. Donald E. Fuerst, a retirement actuary at Mercer Human Resources Consulting LLC, nope that while even a well matched 401(k) often cost no more than 3% of payroll, a typical defined benefit plan can cost 5% to 6% of payroll. Despite this MP to defined contribution plans, there are still 44 million Americans covered by old-fashioned pensions that promise a set payout at retirement.&nb sp; All told, they are old more than $1 trillion by a 30,000 different companies. Many are those employers have also promised tens of billions of dollars more in health care coverage for retirees. Even transferring a small part of the burden to individuals or the government can have a profound impact on the corporate bottom line. A decision by Congress to have Medicare cover the cost of prescription drugs, for example, will lighten corporate retiree health care obligation by millions of dollars. Equipment maker Deere & Company estimates that the move will shave $300 million to $400 million of its future health-care liabilities starting this year.
The U.S. Treasury, on the other hand, pays and pays dearly. The drug benefit, which takes effect in 2006, is expected to cost the government the equivalent of 1% of gross domestic product by 2010, and other potentially big taxpayer cost are looming, to. In mid-April, over the objection of the PBGC, Congress granted a two-year reprieve from catch pension contributions for two of the most troubled industries: Airlines and steel. Congress also Lord of the interest rate all companies used to calculate long-term obligations, barring pension liabilities. While these moves lighten the corporate burden, they increase the chance to tax payers will have to step in. The last funding required, the more risk that is shifting to the government, says Peter R. Orszag, a pension expert and senior fellow and economic studies at the Brookings institutions. The question is: how comfortable are we with the risk of failure? Company-sponsored healthcare, which generally cover retirees not yet eligible for Medicare and laments what Medicare will pay, is likely to disappear even faster than company pensions. Subject to fewer federal regulations, those benefits are easier to rescind and companies are fast doing so. It is much harder to renege on pension promises. So instead, many profitable companies are simply freezing plants and denying the benefits to new employees. Last fall, AON consulting found that 150 of the 1000 companies that surveyed had frozen their pension plans and the previous two years, a dramatic increase from earlier years, another 60 companies that that they were to be considering following suit. The government bail out the fund is $9.7 billion in the red, Social Security and personal savings are probably going to be enough.
The cost honoring PBGC's commitments could be higher than anyone is expecting. The government bailout fund has relied on having enough healthy companies to pony up premiums to cover plants that fail. But in a scenario of rising plan terminations, healthy companies with strong plants still in the PBGC system would be asked to pay more. The operations already fretting the patients have become a competitive liability and a turnoff to investors; this could be the tipping point. Faced with higher insurance costs, they could out, rapidly accelerating the system's decline as the remaining healthy participants become overwhelmed by the needy. In the end, the problem what and with Congress, which could be forced to undertake a savings and loan type bailout. It is almost too painful to think about, and so no one does. But when the bill comes due, it will almost certainly be addressed to taxpayers. Most worrisome is the record number of pension plans in danger of going under. According to the PBGC, as of September 2003, there was at least $86 billion in pension obligations promised by companies deemed financially weak. That is up from 35 billion dollars the year before. And it is on top of a record number of companies that manage to dump their troubled pension plans on the PBGC last year: 152. In 2003, a record 206,000 people became PBG C pensioners, including 95,000 from its biggest takeover ever; Bethlehem Steel Corp. companies are racing to cut or dropped retiree medical benefits to get a quick boost to their bottom lines.
And retiree health care coverage, which is easier to eliminate than pensions, is disappearing even faster. Unlike pensions, which are accrued and funded over time, retirees health care is paid for out of Kari Cash accounts, so any cuts the neatly bolster the bottom line. Estimates are that as many as half of the companies offering retiree health care or 10 years ago have thou dropped the benefit entirely. Many of those have not yet who slam the door are requiring their former workers to bear more of the cost. Some 22% of the retirees will still get such benefits are not required to pay the insurance premiums themselves, according to by Hewitt Associates & Co... Some 20% of employers told Hewitt and that they might make retry east page within the next three years. This hit hardest the old sweetheart or before 65 and are not eligible for Medicare. But even older retirees suffer when they lose supplemental health benefits like prescription coverage. It is not just struggling companies, either. IBM, which is already fighting with retirees in court over changes made to his pension plan in the 1990s, is now getting a mere four from angry retirees about health care costs. In 1999, IBM How much retiree health care or it would pay per year at who $7,500 of each employee's annual medical insurance costs. Although IBM is certainly in no financial distress the company earned $7. 6 billion on $89 billion in sales last year. Big Blue says its medical costs have been rising faster and revenue. That share the company says it spent 335 million on retiree health care.
Of this year, for the first time, many IBM retirees are beginning to hit the $7,500 limit. Sandy Anderson, who worked as a manager at IBM's semiconductor business for 32 years and today is the acting president of a group of 2000 retired called Benefits Restoration Inc., saw his own insurance bill triple this year. Sandy suspects who that the company is trying to make a works so expensive that retired each drop, eight children to savings calculated by the group at $100,000 per drop out. And but more than that, Anderson is angry that a manager, IBM Inc. urged him to talk to his staff about retirement benefits as part of their overall compensation. The job market was tight, and IBM's message was our salaries are not the highest, but we will take care of you when you stop working, he says. Now he feels that the company is reneging. I feel I have misled a lot of people, that I have lied to people, says Anderson. It does not sit well with me at all. IBM says its opt-out levels are low and that it often sees retirees returned to the plan after opting out for a period of time. The company also argues that it has not changed its approach to retiree medical benefits for more than a decade and that the rising cost of healthcare is the real issue.

Discussion Question

1.Is it ethical for a company to promise benefits and then years later walk away from the promise? Discuss.  more

Please create a report outlining the strategic actions that CEO Richard Anderson should undertake to enhance Deltas competitiveness and performance. Your report should include 2-3 pages of recommenda...tions that are necessary for Delta to strengthen its position in the airline industry and to make a success of its various initiatives. Your recommendations should be specific and supported with facts from your industry and company situational analyses.Please utilize the following two cases as well as any publicly available information, to frame your analyses.
Case 26: Southwest Airlines and Case 30: United Airlines. Although neither case directly covers Delta, both provide significant external and competitor information to help frame your analysis. you can access Business Source Complete and Market Insight for industry reports and data. Overall, your report should address the following:
What is the current strategy? What are the economics of this strategy, and how is Delta striving to create a competitive advantage?
Are there external forces that make this strategy obsolete?
What do your industry and company analyses reveal as the strategic issues and problems that need to be addressed?
Given the issues and problems identified, what strategic actions and recommendations does the company need to take?
How do we implement these new actions? What are some of the limitations?
It is imperative that the support offered for each of your recommendations be based on conclusions drawn from application of the analytical tools discussed in the course. Your report may include the following analytical elements:
??" Features of the general environment
??" An evaluation of the competitive forces in the airline industry
??" The forces driving change in the industry
??" Identification of Deltas main competitors and their positioning
??" An evaluation of Deltas strategic and financial performance
??" A critique of the companys strategy
??" An analysis of Deltas capabilities and value chain
??" An assessment of Deltas strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats

All case reports are to be written (double spaced) using 12 point type with a serif font for the body (Times New Roman) and sans serif font for headings (Calibri). The report should follow correct form, spelling, grammar, etc. The body of the paper should be no more than seven pages including specific recommendations supported by the strategic interpretation of your industry and company analyses. Number the pages.
The document should include an assortment of charts, tables, and exhibits in an appendix to support your analyses and recommendations. Do not add exhibits that are already included in the case. Each exhibit must be referenced and discussed in the body of the paper. The appendix does not count towards the main body limit of seven pages.
The report should begin with a brief Executive Summary, addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of the company. This section should summarize the issues / problems uncovered in your analysis, as well as outline the strategic actions you recommend.
The main body of your report should contain sufficient detail to explain and support the major issues identified in the case and the primary recommendations for solving important problems. Please include an analytical section that discusses your view of the industry and company situation. Then, include a separate section that outlines specific recommendations. Do not just rehash case facts. Instead, present an insightful and unique analysis.
The criteria for case reports include:
Evidence of ability to size-up the organizations situation and to identify key problems/issues.
Use of appropriate analytical techniques, sound logic, and well-supported arguments in evaluating the organizations present condition and future prospects.
Evidence of ability to formulate realistic and workable recommendations for action.
Thoroughness -- both (a) scope and coverage and (b) depth of analysis.
Evidence of ability to use good communication skills (including the use of charts, tables, graphs, and figures to support your analyses).
Evidence of adequate preparation, pride of workmanship, and display of professional attitude and approach.

There are faxes for this order.  more

Question: Will AirTran continue to be successful in this highly competitive industry?

Case:

Internet Mini Case #11
AirTran Holdings, Inc.
Maryanne M. Rouse

AirTran ...Airways? ability to grow, in what has arguably been the worst environment in years for airlines, adds an unexpected new chapter to one of the most unlikely turnaround stories in the airline industry. In 1996, when the carrier was known as ValuJet, it grounded all flights for three months after the crash of its Flight 592 in the Everglades killed all 110 people on board. Fortu-nately, the carrier had floated a package of $150 million in junk bonds just prior to the Ever-glades crash, and these cash resources proved critical as the company addressed safety concerns during the shutdown and the 11 successive loss quarters that followed. In 1997, ValuJet merged with AirTran Airways Corporation to form AirTran Holdings, Inc. (AAI).

At the end of December 2004, AirTran operated 508 daily flights to 48 destinations, primarily in the eastern United States, making it the second-largest ?affordable-fare? scheduled airline in the United States in terms of departures (just behind Southwest).

Although the company moved its headquarters from Atlanta to Orlando, Florida, after the 1996 crash, it still flies most of its flights to and from Atlanta, providing both point-to-point and one-stop flights through its Hartsfield hub. AirTran offers a business class any business can afford, all-assigned seating, a generous frequent flier program, and a corporate program dubbed ?A2B?; unlike its competitors, the carrier never requires a round-trip purchase or a Saturday night stay.

The company?s regional jet operation, AirTran JetConnect, operated by joint-venture partner Air Wisconsin, flies 50-seat Canadair Regional jets in short-haul markets to and from the airline?s hub at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport. AirTran JetConnect serves Greensboro, North Carolina; Pensacola, Florida; and Savannah, Georgia?all of which were previously served by AirTran. The new service will allow the company to redeploy its 717s to increase frequencies in longer-haul, more profitable markets and facilitate growth in larger markets not currently served. In addition, AirTran JetConnect will allow the airline to expand into other short-haul markets as well as increase frequencies in underserved markets.






______________________________________________________________________________
This case was prepared by Professor Maryanne M. Rouse, MBA, CPA, University of South Florida, as the basis for classroom discussion. Copyright ? 2005 by Maryanne M. Rouse. This case cannot be reproduced in any form with-out written permission of the copyright holder, Maryanne M. Rouse. Reprint permission is solely granted to the pub-lisher, Prentice Hall, for the books, Strategic Management and Business Policy?10th and 11th Editions (and the In-ternational version of this book) and Cases in Strategic Management and Business Policy?10th and 11th Editions by the copyright holder, Maryanne M. Rouse. This case was edited for SMBP and Cases in SMBP?11th Edition. The copyright holder is solely responsible for case content. Any other publication of the case (translation, any form of electronics or other media) or sold (any form of partnership) to another publisher will be in violation of copyright law, unless Maryanne M. Rouse has granted an additional written reprint permission.

MARKETING AND OPERATIONS
AirTran?s marketing strategy is to develop an innovative brand identity that sets it apart from its low-fare and full-service competitors. The company targets two primary segments: price-sensitive business travelers and leisure travelers, primarily in the eastern United States. To attract business travelers, the carrier launched a business class product that is, in terms of comfort, the equivalent of the first class service offered by its full-service rivals. The business class cabin is configured with 2 ? 2-foot oversized seats, providing considerably more leg and seat room than a typical coach cabin. Targeted to the price-sensitive business flier, upgrades to business class from coach are just $25.

AirTran offers a range of fares based on advance purchases of 14 days, 7 days, 3 days, and ?walk-up? fares. All fares are one-way, and most are nonrefundable; however, reservations can be changed prior to departure, with a service charge.

The company also offers a popular frequent flier program, A+ Rewards, that allows members to earn free travel more quickly than its competitors and, for twice the number of flight credits, will even buy members a free domestic ticket on any major carrier. The A+ Rewards program offers a number of ways to earn free travel, including the use of the AirTran Visa card, Hertz car rent-als, and bonus earnings for Business Class.

In spring 2003, AirTran introduced a new standby program targeted broadly to young travelers (and specifically to college students) between the ages of 18 and 22. Dubbed the X-Fares Standby Program (www.xfares.com), this marketing initiative allows those who are eligible to fly standby to almost any AirTran destination for $55 per segment ($75 per ?long-haul? seg-ment).

In addition to targeting individual business travelers, AirTran has focused on developing travel partnerships with companies of all sizes, from one- and two-person small businesses to such large corporations as BellSouth, State Farm, and John Deere. Under the terms of its A2B corpo-rate travel program, employees of registered companies get free confirmed upgrades to business class when paying full coach fares, fee waivers for ticket refunds or changes, and advance seat assignment. Unlike rival Southwest, AirTran has established interline ticketing and baggage agreements with Delta, United, US Airways, and American Trans Air and has ticketing arrange-ments with major online travel services such as Orbitz, Priceline, Expedia, and Travelocity.

AirTran has been aggressive in lining up corporate and community support via public?private partnerships that allow the carrier to shift more of the risk of expansion to communities and businesses expected to benefit from overall lower fares in their markets. The ?public? part com-prises revenue guarantees by cities, counties, or other municipal entities to protect AirTran against losses during the initial phase of operations; the ?private? part builds ?travel banks? in which businesses pledge to spend a specified amount on tickets. Both elements help to build a loyal following and serve as a cushion against the early losses of expanding into a new city and the invariable backlash from bigger competitors, which often respond by slashing their own fares and expanding service. Because AirTran?s arrival in a market typically drives down fares by as much as 50%, both cities and businesses view the partnership guarantees as money well spent. For example, when AirTran began service to Wichita, Kansas, in May 2002, the average full fare on the Wichita?Washington, DC, flight dropped from $1,667 to $460. Wichita, which was com-peting with other cities to lure AirTran, estimates that the entry of the low-fare carrier could lead to annual airfare savings of $43 million for business and leisure travelers.

In December 2004, AirTran lost a bidding war to buy leases on 14 gates at Midway Airport in Chicago from ATA Holdings, a company now in bankruptcy. The company, which added seven daily flights from Midway to Florida destinations in January 2004, had planned to create a Mid-western hub and diversify its route system by adding more east?west flights. Despite the disap-pointing loss of gates to Southwest, AirTran believes it can grow profits by adding new destina-tions?Sarasota, Indianapolis, and three unnamed cities?and by adding flights to connect cities already in its system.

Named ?Best Low-Fare Airline? for 2001 and 2002 by Entrepreneur magazine, AirTran?s cost structure is among the lowest in the domestic airline industry in terms of cost per Average Seat Miles (ASM). The company?s low-cost position is supported by an emphasis on cost controls, lower distribution costs (reservations, ticketing), and high employee productivity. The compa-ny?s labor costs are equivalent to approximately 25% of revenue?the same percentage as Fron-tier and JetBlue?below Southwest?s 30% and significantly below the full-service carriers? 40+%. An award-winning web site that makes it easy to book flights online has helped AirTran shift 52.5% of its sales to the site?one of the highest percentages in the industry?with an addi-tional 13% of bookings coming from other travel sites. The company estimates its cost per book-ing online at less than $1?a significant saving over the $8.50 average cost of booking through a travel agent.

In September 1999, the company became the launch customer for the new Boeing 717, an inno-vative, cost-efficient, and environmentally friendly commercial aircraft that has reduced the higher fuel and maintenance costs associated with the DC-9s with which it had begun operations. (The company?s current fleet comprises 77 Boeing 717-200s and 5 Boeing 737-700s.) AirTran has also forged close ties with Boeing and Boeing Capital Corporation, a full-service provider of financial services, including asset-based lending and leasing. Boeing Capital, an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Boeing Company, refinanced $201 million of AirTran?s junk bonds in 2001 (and also agreed to finance the 20 Boeing 717s to be delivered in 2002, 22 used and 1 new 717 in 2003, and 5 737-700s delivered through June 2004), enabling AirTran to continue its rap-id fleet modernization.

FINANCE
AirTran was one of the few domestic airlines to report profitable operations for the year ended December 31, 2003, recording operating income of $86.3 million and net income of $100.5 mil-lion. The company also strengthened its balance sheet by issuing $145.9 million in common stock and $125.0 million of convertible debt at 7% while paying down $76.5 million of long-term debt at 11.27%, paying down $12.7 million of long-term debt at 13%, and converting $5.5 million of 7.75% convertible debt to equity, all of which greatly improved AirTran?s debt-to-equity ratio.

Despite a sea of red ink, overcapacity, and threatened bankruptcies in the industry, the company overcame intense fare wars and weak October bookings to eke out a profit of $1.1 million, or 1 cent per share for fourth quarter 2004. Although this was down from $21.7 million or 24 cents a share in fourth quarter 2003, AirTran beat analysts? consensus estimate of a 9 cent loss. Both domestic fare wars and escalating fuel costs hurt the company?s profit yield. (The company re-ported a 70.3% increase in fuel costs.) AirTran?s load factor for the period declined 0.5%, to 69.3, compared with fourth quarter 2003; however, revenue passenger miles increased 22.6% as capacity rose 23.4%.

The four hurricanes that struck the state of Florida in 2004 have had and will continue to have a major economic impact on the state in the affected area, which represents about 51% of the air-line?s normal traffic flows and seriously disrupted flights over the normally busy Labor Day hol-iday. Both the company?s Orlando headquarters and its aircraft hangar in Orlando suffered dam-age that further hampered operations. The impact of the hurricanes, coupled with a weak revenue environment and record high fuel costs, affected AirTran?s financial results for both the third and fourth quarters.

For the full year, AirTran reported a profit of $12.3 million, or 14 cents per share, to become one of only two U.S. airlines (the other was Southwest) to post an overall profit for the year.

Complete annual and quarterly financial information is available from the company?s web site (www.airtran.com), The Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com), and FreeEdgar.

THE INDUSTRY
On the morning of September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks shut down the U.S. airline industry. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suspended all commercial flights within hours after the attacks on the World Trade Center?s Twin Towers and the Pentagon and, although some flights resumed three days later, on September 14, the industry still had not recovered nine months later. Continuing concerns about the safety of flying, a weaker-than-expected economic recovery, and delays resulting both from tighter security and fewer flights led to a passenger traffic year-over-year decline of approximately 12% among the nine major U.S. airlines in the first three quarters of 2002.

Major airlines, many of which deferred or cancelled new aircraft deliveries, pared down flight schedules, and furloughed employees in the wake of 9/11, have been slow to increase capacity to previous levels. Some majors have permanently retired up to 5% of their total capacity, mostly large, older, gas-guzzling planes such as DC-10s and 727s. And, while analysts and airline finan-cial officers agree that retiring inefficient aircraft is a positive step toward profitability in an in-dustry that had suffered from overcapacity, a great deal of that capacity is being replaced by low-fare startups, most of which are still growing, and by small-jet regional carriers. For example, New York?based JetBlue Airways, while still small (500 million revenue passenger miles in April 2002, about 10% of what Continental carried in the same period), has won over a signifi-cant number of business travelers on the long-haul routes that have been the province of big, full-service carriers for years. JetBlue is strongly capitalized and well run, and analysts predict that it can grow at an aggressive 25% per year for the next five years by taking market share from the majors. Similarly, both Frontier Airlines and American Trans Air have made traffic gains at the expense of United Airlines in Denver and other western cities.

The airline industry is highly competitive in terms of fares, frequent flier benefits, routes, and service. Profit levels in the industry are highly sensitive to changes in operating and capital costs and the extent to which competitors attempt to match each other?s fares and services, as well as to general economic trends. Energy prices continue to be unpredictable: Favorable prices in the first quarter of 2002 were followed by sharp increases in April and May. The airlines have racked up higher costs for the security tax assessed on tickets; for the monthly security fees paid to the Department of Transportation (DOT); for a war-risk insurance premium; for implementing federally mandated directives such as stronger cockpit doors; and for the first class seats dedicat-ed to federal air marshals. Recently testifying before a Congressional committee, airline execu-tives noted that if the United States does strike Iraq, the results will be disastrous for the industry because travel, particularly international travel, will fall off sharply at the same time that oil pric-es surge.

Of increasing concern to carriers is the number of business travelers who are practicing what one industry analyst calls ?Airline Avoidance.? Poor service and complex pricing, further exacerbat-ed by arcane rules, regulations, and restrictions on reservation changes, have created an envi-ronment in which companies and individuals are purchasing planes, purchasing fractional owner-ship in planes, or choosing to drive. So many travelers are choosing the latter that Delta Air Lines (DAL) launched a fare sale at the end of March 2002 specifically to provide additional customer incentive to fly rather than drive. The short-haul market is crucial to profitability for full-service carriers because, in general, travelers pay more per mile to fly short trips.

Increasing numbers of travelers are using web sites to book airline tickets, hotel rooms, and car rentals. According to the Internet analysis group Jupiter Media Metrix, consumers were expected to spend about $36.8 billion on travel sites in 2004, up from $24 billion in 2001. Concerned about prices and practices of online travel services, Congress created a nine-member commission to investigate the pricing, practices, and exclusive marketing agreements of various airline and independent sites.

The industry is subject to regulation by a number of federal, state, and local departments and agencies. The DOT has regulatory jurisdiction over passenger airlines, with the FAA regulating aircraft maintenance and operations, including equipment, ground facilities, licensing, and com-munications. The Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001 established a new Transpor-tation Security Administration (within the DOT) with responsibility for aviation security func-tions including passenger and baggage screening.  more

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION COMPLETELY. DO NOT SKIP!

I need this paper to the EXACT standards specified below.
The topic I have chosen is 'Flight Crew Resource Management'. I have already tu...rned in the preliminary drafts on this topic & therefore the topic cannot change.
I have include a bibliography of possible sources, refrences I had looked into (not all of them were accepted by the professor; he is an absolutely stickler for primary sources only; his favorite are journals). Maybe it will help you get a jump start.
Also I ask that someone email me or call me with a fax number where I can send copies of my preliminary drafts with the professor's comments & corrections so you can have a better idea of what is expected.
If you have any questions please call me at (614)291-7724 or (210)363-8488 asap.
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COURSE HANDOUT FOR AVN 540

Your major assignment for AVN 540 this quarter is to draft and later submit a written Technical Paper (15 type written, double spaced pages). Note that the syllabus calls for a 7 page DRAFT by the sixth week. It will be edited and returned, you are expected to read and comply with the instructions in that edited draft. The objective of the project is to give you a chance to work in depth in one topic important to Human Factors in Aviation.

The grading criteria for the project are shown in the score sheet included later in this handout (p. 8.)
In addition to the Engineering & Science Library (175 W. 18th ave.), pertinent materials can also be found in the Library in Sullivant Hall (15th and High), the Health Sciences Library (on W. 10th Ave.), and the Biological Sciences Library, in the NE corner of their building at Cannon and 12th Ave. Depending on your topic, you may need to use one or more of these three libraries. There are over 4 dozen special libraries on this campus, and you are expected to find and use them, as needed to do the research for this paper.

REQUIRED Format of the Paper

The preparation of your paper is most important to successful completion of this course. Your paper MUST include a Title Page, a Table of Contents, and the following headings:

ABSTRACT
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
LITERATURE REVIEW
SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
REFERENCES

Subheadings of your choosing may be added, but these major headings are MANDATORY.

Focus of Your Paper

The paper should emphasize "scientific" issues rather than "operational" issues. For example, most articles in popular aviation magazines such as Flying, AOPA Pilot, etc. are not acceptable because they are "operational" in their focus. They may be used to assist in the identification of an issue of importance but are not acceptable as the central focus of the paper and the required literature review. These are regarded as secondary rather than primary sources of information. A Technical Paper must be based on the primary sources, not secondary ones.

The focus should be on "scientific" issues and solutions as reported in the professional / literature: scientific journals, published meeting Proceedings, Government Technical Reports, and some (not all) textbooks. Some textbooks are too elementary to use in a Technical Paper or cover topics too superficially. Use the papers presented in the Proceedings of the Symposia on Aviation Psychology, the Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, or some similar professional Conference Proceedings as a model. Finally, the focus of the paper should be some problem within the topic area you have chosen. Do not try to be too broad in covering the chosen area. Rifle in on some (ANY) specific topic; do not try to do all things, for all people, for all time. Identify a problem that is in need of a solution and work on it in depth.

Abstract

The abstract is a short (Maximum 150 words) summary of the paper. It gives your objective in the paper, your method, and what you found. Recommendations of the Journal of Human Factors for what should be in a good abstract are provided later in this handout: read and comply with those directions. To avoid making this sound like an introduction, write it LAST!

Statement of the Problem

Identify a problem within your chosen topic area for the paper that needs to be solved. The rest of the paper should focus on developing the solution for this identified problem. You CAN write this section AFTER the literature review, so it better fits what you actually found in your library research. The emphasis of your paper should be reflected in the Statement of the Problem, which can mention background information, but should be no more than 1-2 pages in total length. Mention of "operational" problems may be made, but they should not be the main emphasis of the paper.

Literature Review

Your most difficult problem in preparing a good Technical Paper will be finding the literature to support your problem statement and proposed solution. However, as mentioned above, one method is to work backwards: do a literature search on a topic, then prepare the Problem Statement and the Solution section AFTER you get a more complete view of the topic from reading and summarizing the literature, which is what this section is all about. Therefore, timing is of utmost importance. To assist you in the matter, you will be required to:
1. Turn in a bibliography after the first week of class
2. Turn in a couple of Abstracts of papers you read the next week, and
3. Decide on a topic / paper title by the third week of class.
You may also be asked to provide both a two-minute oral in class, so be prepared!

The literature review should examine research that has been conducted on the chosen problem leading toward a solution. Look at examples of literature reviews in papers from the Symposium on Aviation Psychology and in the text for the course. Papers published in these Symposia Proceedings can serve as reasonable models of what is expected here.

Suggested Solutions

This section of your paper should be used to provide solutions to the problem you identified. These solutions may be your own solutions or those suggested by authors in the literature you reviewed. This does not need to be a particularly long section. A one to three page summary will do.

References

The paper should contain references not a bibliography. A bibliography is simply a list of books; references are materials you cite in writing your paper. Each time you use an idea from someone else, you should cite a reference to that person?s work. WARNING: Otherwise, you are plagiarizing. That is illegal, violates OSU rules (per University Survey: A Guidebook and Readings for New Students), and will be treated as Academic Misconduct. I am required by the Provost of this University to report all such incidents, and I WILL do that, so be advised.

The proper way to cite a reference is to give the author's last name followed by the year of publication, both in parenthesis, e.g., (Hawkins, 1987). If you include a quote, add the page number in your reference citation: (Hawkins, 1987, p. 84). Each cited reference should be placed in proper form in the Reference section. The Reference section should contain no references to any work that was not called out (cited) in the text and it should contain ALL the references that were called out in the text. References should be listed in alphabetical order by author's last name. Examples of using one acceptable reference format are:

Boff, K.R. and Lincoln, J.E. (1988) Engineering Data Compendium: Human perception and performance. Wright-Patterson AFB, OH: AAMRL.

Hawkins, F.H. (1987) Human factors in flight. London: Gower Press.


You should look for your literature from the following sources (listed in approximately descending order of preference):

1. The International Journal of Aviation Psychology, (Engr. & Sc. Lib.)

2. Proceedings of the First through Eleventh Symposia on Aviation Psychology (On Reserve in Engr. & Sc. Lib. On 18th Ave.)

3. Human Factors Journal (Engr. & Sc. Library)

4. Ergonomics (Engr. & Sc. Library)

5. Journal of Applied Psychology (Ed and Psy Lib - Arps Hall, 1945 N. High St.)

6. Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine (Health Sci Lib, 376 W. 10th)

7. The International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, (Engr. & Sc. Lib.)

8. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics (Engr. Lib, may be on Closed Reserve: used in several other classes too)

9. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Human Factors Society (Engr. & Sc. Lib.)

10. Proceedings of the Behavioral Engineering Conference (Engr. & Sc. Lib.)

11. Annals of Emergency Medicine (Health Sci. Lib)

12. Government Publications (2nd floor, Engineering Library or write for them)

13. Industrial Publications (Write the appropriate industry)

14. Books as listed in Main Library card catalog

15. Battelle Library

16. Microfich in Main Library

17. ASRS Reports (In California, was: 415-969-3969 ? area code for Moffett Field may have changed by now)
18. NTSB reports of specific accidents (1-202-382-6600)

19. Simulation, Simulation Councils, Inc, LaJolla, CA. (Engr. & Sc. Lib.)

20. Other Sources (Use your own creativity)

When all above are exhausted (but not before), ask the instructor.

While your paper must NOT be based on books (secondary sources) but on journal articles (primary sources), it may refer to single chapters in ?edited? collections of papers. Some of these suitable secondary sources include works like the following (not an exhaustive list):

Boff, K.R., Kaufman, L., and Thomas, J.P. (1986) Handbook of perception and human performance, Vol I & II. NY: Wiley and Sons.

Boff, K.R. and Lincoln, J.E. (1988) Engineering data compendium: human perception and performance. Wright-Patterson AFB, OH: AAMRL.

Hawkins, F.H. (1987) Human factors in flight. London: Gower Press.

Hurst, R. and Hurst, L. (1982) Pilot error: The human factors. New York: Aronson.

Jensen, R.S. (1989) Aviation psychology. London: Gower Press

McCormick, E.J. and Sanders, M.S. (1982) Human factors in engineering and
design. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Roscoe, S.N. (1980) Aviation psychology. Iowa City, IA: Iowa State Press.

Salvendy, G. (1987) Handbook of human factors. NY: Wiley & Sons.

Taylor, R. and Rolfe, J. (1987) Flight simulation. NY: Cambridge University Press.

VanCott, H.P. and Kincaid, R.G. (1972) Human engineering guide to equipment
design. Washington, DC: Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, 20402.

Weiner, E.L. and Nagel, D.C. (1988) Human factors in aviation. New York: Academic Press.

EVERYONE IS ASSUMED TO HAVE HAD A SECOND WRITING COURSE: X-367.
YOU ARE EXPECTED TO APPLY WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN TAUGHT.

Major Problems in Previous Student Papers

1. Not following directions
a. Paper format
b. Reference format / procedure:
i. references that were not cited in paper
ii. citations in paper not appearing in list of reference
iii. references not in alphabetical order by principal author?s last name

2. No coherence from one section of paper to another

3. Missing major points of the topic because not enough time was spent reading the literature.

4. Technical communication errors
a. Poor paragraph construction
b. Poor sentence construction (especially: misplaced modifiers)
c. Spelling errors
d. Plural vs possessive
e. Typos
f. Plural subject and singular verb form (or vice versa)
g. Wrong word is used:
"to" for "too" or "two"
"their" for "there" or "they're"
?than? for ?then?
"effect" for "affect" (or vice versa)
"were" for "where" (or vice versa)
"weather" for "whether"
?compliment? for ?complement? ( and vice versa)
--- and others ---
k. Split infinitives: adverbs are supposed to come AFTER verbs
l. Redundancy
m. and many, many other writing errors not listed above: learn to edit / proof your work!

5. Few if any graphics in both oral and written papers


Students who want some help can contact:
The Writing Center CALL: 292-5607
147 University Hall
230 North Oval Mall

NOTE: They may have moved or be ?out of business? now.



Foreign students can get additional help from the following source:

Michael Dordick, PhD
English as a Second Language (ESL) Composition Program
60 Arps Hall
1945 North High Street
dordick.1@osu.edu
292-6360
eslcomp@osu.edu
http://esl.osu.edu/noncredit
Also: American Language Program 292-1364
alp@osu.edu


GRADING CRITERIA FOR
AV 540 TECHNICAL PAPER

Written?______
Oral? ______


COMPONENT WEIGHT COMPONENT GRADE SCORE

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
CONTENT

Abstract 5 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ____

Statement of Problem 15 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ____

Literature Review 30 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ____

Suggested Solutions 15 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ____

References 10 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ____

EVIDENCE OF PREP. 15 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ____

GRAPHICS 5 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _

COMMUNICATION 5 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __

TOTAL (Total possible = 1,000) _____ _

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NOVELTY/CREATIVITY (5-100 points Extra Credit) _____________

Start Time_________ End Time_________ Length______________

Title_________________________________________________________________________

Author(s)_____________________________________________________________________

COMMENTS


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BIBLIOGRAPHY
(has comments put in by professor *PNT*)

Chute, R. D. & Wiener, E. L. (1994). Cockpit/cabin communication: I. A tale of two cultures. In Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual Aircraft Cabin Safety Symposium. Long Beach, CA: Southern California Safety Institute, Inc pp ___-___

Federal Aviation Administration. (1995) Crew resource management training (AFS- 210, AC no. 120-51B). Washington, D. C.

Nader, R. & Smith, W. J. (1994). Collision course: The truth about airline safety. PA: TAB Books. (pp. ___, ___-___, ___-___)

FAA News. "Atlantic coast airlines first to use FAA crew performance program." Sept 1996. (* Professor Noted that {PNT} FAA News is not a source for lit rev however it can be used in problem statement*)

Helmreich, R. L. "The evolution of crew resource management." Oct 1996. (pp. __-__) (*PNT the above is incomplete reference info*)

Chute, R. D. & Wiener, E. L. (1996). Cockpit-cabin communicaiton: II. shall we tell the pilot? The International Journal of Aviaiton Phychology, 6 (3), 211-229

Cardosi, K. M., & Huntley, M. S. (1998). Cockpit and cabin crew coordination (DOT/FAA Report No. DOT-TSC-FAA-87-4) Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transpotation. (NTIS No. DOT/FAA/FS-88/1)

Foushee, H.C., Lauber, J. K., Baetge, M. M., Acomb, D. B. (1986). Crew performance as a function of exposure to high density, short-haul duty cycles. (NASA Technical Memorandum 88322). Moffett Field, CA: NASA Ames Research Center.

Kayten, P. (1993). The accident investigator?s perspective. In E. Wiener, B. Kanki & R. Helmreich (Eds.), Cockpit resource management. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. (pp. ___-___)
National Transportation Safety Board. (1992). Special Investigation Report: Flight Attendant Training and Performance During Emergency Situations (NTSB/SIR-92/02). Washington, DC: Author.
Vandermark, M. J.. (1991). Should flight attendants be included in CRM training? A discussion of a major air carrier's approach to total crew training. International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 1, 87-94.
Wiener, E. L. (1988). Cockpit automation. In E. L. Wiener and D. C.. Nagel, Human factors in aviation. San Diego: Academic Press. (pp. 433-461)
Burgoon, J. K. (1991). Relational message interpretations of touch, conversational distance, and posture. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 15 (4), 233-259.
Degani, A., & Wiener, E. L. (1994). On the design of flight-deck procedures. (NASA Contractor Report No. 177642). Moffett Field, CA: NASA Ames Research Center.
Ginnett, R. C. (1987). The formation process of airline flight crew. In R.S. Jensen (Ed.), Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Aviation Psychology, Columbus, OH, (__-__).
Hackman, J. R. (1993). Teams, leaders, and organizations: New directions for crew-oriented flight training. In E. L. Wiener, B. G. Kanki, & R. L. Helmreich (Eds.), Cockpit resource management (pp. __-__). San Diego: Academic Press.
Kayten, P. (1993). The accident investigator's perspective. In E. L. Wiener, B. G. Kanki, & R. L. Helmreich (Eds.), Cockpit resource management (pp. 283-314). San Diego: Academic Press.
Moshansky, V. P. (1992). Commission of inquiry into the Air Ontario crash at Dryden, Ontario. Toronto, Canada.
National Transportation Safety Board (1975). Eastern Airlines Douglas DC-9-31; Charlotte, NC.; September 11, 1974. (NTSB-AAR-75-9). Washington, DC: Author.
National Transportation Safety Board (1988). Hazardous Materials Incident Report: Inflight Fire, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83, N569AA, Nashville Metropolitan Airport, Nashville, Tennessee, February 3, 1988 (NTSB/HZM-88/02). Washington, DC: Author.
National Transportation Safety Board (1989a). Delta Airlines, Boeing 727-232, N473DA; Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport, Texas; August 31, 1988. (NTSB-AAR-89/04). Washington, DC: Author.
National Transportation Safety Board (1989b). United Airlines Flight 232, McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10; Sioux Gateway Airport, Sioux City, Iowa; July 19, 1989 (NTSB-AAR-90/06). Washington, DC: Author.
National Transportation Safety Board (1992). Special Investigation Report: Flight Attendant Training and Performance During Emergency Situations (NTSB/SIR-92/02). Washington, DC: Author.
Ruffell Smith, H. P. (1968). Some human factors of aircraft accidents during collision with high ground. Journal of Institute of Navigation, 21, 1-10.
Wiener, E. L. (1977). Controlled flight into terrain accidents: System-induced errors. Human Factors, 19, pp. ___-___.
Wiener, E. L. (1985). Beyond the sterile cockpit. Human Factors, 27, pp.__-__.
(* PNT ?don?t dwell on the NTSB reports. Use them as evidence of need for study (i.e. Problem Statement). Literature review should be based on the empirical studies that help us understand the problem, evaluate & justify recommended course of action?*)

I HAVE A COPY OF ANOTHER PAPER WITH THE EXACT FORMAT THAT THE PROFESSOR PASSED IN THE CLASS AS AN EXAMPLE & GUIDELINE TO WRITING THE PAPER. IT IS 'THE PERFECT EXAMPLE' & I CAN FAX IT OR EMAIL IT TO YOU UPON REQUEST.

Please call or email me if you have any questions or cannot fulfill my needs ASAP so I can find other alternatives.

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCCH!!!
Brijesh Shah

There are faxes for this order.  more

In July 2009, a musician named Dave Carroll was traveling with his band from Toronto Canada to Nebraska somewhere, much like many millions of other folks have done. Looking out the window the plane, h...owever, Dave noticed that the United Airlines baggage handlers were, to put it mildly, failing to treat his rather expensive guitar and a number of other musical instruments belonging to the band with suitable care, preferring instead to sort of fling them through the air into the cargo hold. Dave pointed out to the UAL cabin attendants that this was not likely to be of significant benefit to the instruments' health, but was told that nothing could be done and he should simply sit down and be quiet. Upon arriving in Chicago, Dave determined that in fact he had been right, and his $2400 guitar was now $2400 worth of rather expensive kindling. He pointed this out to the United Airlines staff at the time, and suggested that perhaps some compensation might be in order. United Airlines, in the best bureaucratic tradition, took almost a year to conclude that its folks certainly hadn't done anything wrong, that Dave was probably just being excessively picky, and that they weren't about to pony up anything. After all, weren't they a Fortune 25 company engaged in a conflict with one rather slender young musician? It seemed like a classic application of the business motto once attributed to the old monolithic AT&T: Were the phone companywe dont care. We dont have to.

Back then, that worked. In fact, it still does, a lot of the time; money and power still convey a lot of advantage. But heres where things get interesting. As a practicing musician, Dave was well aware of a recent phenomenon known as Youtube ??" a strange sort of internet place where you could essentially tack up as many electronic versions of 95 Theses as you wanted to, allowing some creativity, some luck, and something called viral video behavior to be leveraged on occasion into something quite unprecedented. Lets start by watching what Dave posted:

Carroll, D. (2009) United Breaks Guitars. Music video posted to Youtube. Retrieved November 27, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo&feature=channel

Now lots of people post things on Youtube, and most of them dont go anywhere. But heres where it got different in his case; for reasons known primarily to the gods of the Internet, Dave actually did go viral ??" accumulating well over a million hits in fairly short order, rocketing to the top of the charts (to date, almost 10 million hits overall) ??" and, in the process, vastly confusing United Airlines by creating a highly visible public relations nightmare out of what ought to have been a minor transaction, and also causing the whole IT analysis profession and assorted professors of business to suddenly take seriously the possibility that here was a tool that just might have the potential to bring about a whole new kind of customer relations management. Here are two more videos featuring experts probing at this rather simple case for deep lessons:

Milliken, J. (2010) Brands and Social Media Participation; United Breaks Guitars. Coreographytv. Retrieved November 27, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNpry5iSTBo&feature=related

Owyang, J. (2010) Social Media, Crisis & Reputation Management. Coreographytv. Retrieved November 27, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43-7gDTk49k&NR=1

Dave has even achieved the ultimate B-school immortality ??" being made into a Harvard Business School case! Heres how the august professors are now phrasing the Lessons Learned:

Hanna, J. (2010) HBS Cases: United Breaks Guitars. Working Knowledge: Harvard Business School. November 29. Retrieved November 27, 2010, from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6492.html?wknews=112910

So what does this all mean? Is it just a cute little song that somehow made it big -- the proverbial flash in a pan -- or is it actually a vision of a new kind of relationship between companies and customers mediated by the larger world of social media? It could be either, or anything in between. One thing is clear, however -- this could not have happened even as recently as 2 to 3 years ago. It's probably equally clear that we're going to see a lot more of it -- and we're going to see a lot more things like this using tools and technologies that are today still barely on the drawing boards, if they've even gotten that far out of the heads of the smart 12-year-olds who are going to be billionaires before they need to shave.

There's a lot more out there in the optional and supplemental readings as well as the wide wonderful world of the Internet to give you a feel for the nature and effects of social media in business; the more widely you can spread your own information gathering net, the more effective your analysis is likely to be. Your own social media experiences are likely to be useful sources of information as well.

When you believe you have a reasonable feel for how social media are affecting business, you'll be in a position to prepare an effective short paper (or alternative ??" see below) on the topic:

Will social media on the Internet really induce businesses to change in fundamental ways? If so, how? If not, why not?  more

We will pay $350.00 for this order!!

I'm an MBA student doing MBA in aviation management. I would like you to write a business report about United Airline. The report should be in a total of 5000 words. 1000 introduction and conclusion, 1000 history 1000 present, 1000 future, 1000 PEST (Political, Environmental, Social, Technological, Economical) analysis. The report should also include a comparison between United Airline and 4 or 5 airlines from different regions e.g. (Asia Africa Europe and the US) and identify each one's current strength, weaknesses based on the PEST.

Structured on chapters or sections, the report should contains PEST analysis, Background of United Airline, Future outlook for United Airline, marketing strategy, financial assessment, recommendations and references

American Airlines's Competitors Environment Analysis. Identify the objectives, strategies, capabilities of competing firms. These competing firms could be include Delta Airline, United Airline, North-west Airline and so on...

You are to write a 14-page paper. A Word Count Totaling 4,200 Words for this Paper. The Paper Format Must Be Times New Roman and Doubled-Spaced. Read the Case Study and at the end of the case study, a...re questions, Answer the Discussion Questions.'State the Question First', and then continue to answer. Be Sure to Properly Cite Sources Using APA Format. **For Outside Sources, Use Internet Only.**

Starbucks Corporation: Competing in a Global Market
Starbucks Corp. in a Seattle, Washington-based coffee company. It buys, roasts, and sells whole bean specialties coffee and coffee drinks through an international chain of retail outlets. Is beginning as a seller of packaged, premium specialty coffees, Starbucks has even fall into a firm known for its coffee houses, where people can purchase beverages and food items as well as package whole bean and ground coffee. Starbucks is credited with changing the way Americans and people around the world view and consume coffee, and its success has attracted global attention. Starbucks has consistently been one of the fastest-growing companies in the United States. Over a 10-year period starting in 1992, the companys net revenues increased at a compounded annual growth rate of 20 percent, to $3.3 billion in fiscal 2002. Net earnings have grown at an annual compound growth rate of 30 percent to $218 million in fiscal 2002, which is the highest reported net earnings figure in the companys history. As Business Week tells it: On Wall St, Starbuck is as great growth story. Its stock, including four splits, has soared more than 2,200 percent over the last decade, surpassing Wal-Mart, GE, Pepsi-Cola, Coca-Cola, Microsoft, and IBM in total return. Now at $21 {September 2002}, it is hovering near its all-time high of $23in July {2002}, before the overall market drop.
To continue this rapid pace of growth, the firms senior executives are looking to expand internationally. Specifically, they are interested in further expansion in Europe (including the Middle East), Asia-Pacific (including Australia and New Zealand), and Latin America. Expanding in these three Continents presents both a challenge and an opportunity to Starbucks. While the opportunity of increased revenues from the further expansion is readily apparent to the companys top management, what is not clear is how to deal with the growing anti-globalization sentiment around the world. This case looks at issues that are rising as Starbucks seeks to dominate specialty coffee markets around the world and explore what changes in strategy might be required.
Background
In 1971, 3 Seattle entrepreneurs Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, Gordon Bowker started selling whole bean coffee in Seattles Pike Place Market. They named their store Starbucks, after the first mate in Moby Dick. By 1982, the business had grown to five stores, a small roasting facility, and a wholesale business selling coffee to local restaurants. At the same time, Howard Schultz had been working as VP of US operations or Hammarplast, a Swedish housewares company in New York, marketing coffee makers to a number of retailers, including Starbucks. Selling Starbucks, Schultz was introduced to the three founders, who have been recruited him to bring marketing savvy to their company. Schultz, 29 and recently married, was eager to leave New York. He joined Starbucks as manager of retail sales and marketing. A year later, Schultz visited Italy for the first time on a buying trip. He noticed that coffee is an integral part of the culture in Italy; Italians start their day at an espresso bar and later in the day return with their friends. There are 200,000 coffee bars in Italy and about 1,500 in Milan alone. Schultz believed that, given the chance, Americans would pay good money for a premium cup of coffee and a stylish place to enjoy it. Enthusiastic about his idea, Schultz returned to tell Starbucks owners of his plan for a national chain of Cafs styled on Italian coffee bar. The owners, however, did not want to be in the restaurant business. Undaunted, Schultz wrote a business plan and begin looking for investors. By April 1985 he had opened his first coffee bar, I1 Giornales (named after the Italian newspaper), where he served Starbucks coffee. Following I1 Gionales immediate success, he expanded to three stores. In 1987, the owners of Starbucks agreed to sell the firm to Schultz for $4 million. The I1 Gionale coffee bar to the name of Starbucks. Convinced that Starbuck would one day be in every neighborhood in America, Schultz focused on growth. At first, the companys loses almost doubled (to $1.2 million in fiscal 1990), as overhead and operating expenses ballooned with the expansion. Starbucks lost money or three years running, and the stress was hard on Schultz, but he stuck to his conviction not to sacrifice long-term integrity in values for short-term profits. In 1991 sales shot up 84 percent, and the company turned profitable. In 1992 Schultz took the firm public at$17 a share. Believing that the market share and name recognition are critical to the companys success, Schultz continued to expand the business aggressively. Schultz observes, There is no secret sauce here. Anyone can do it. From the beginning, Schultz has professed a strict growth policy. Although many other coffeehouses or espresso bars are franchised, Starbucks owns all of its North American stores out right, with the exception of license agreement in airports. Further, rather than trying to capture all the potential markets and still is possible, Starbucks goes into a geographic market and tries to complete the dominate it before setting its sights on further expansion. Using this strategy, Starbucks has grown from 17 coffee shops in 1987 to 5,688 outlets in 28 countries by the end of the fiscal 2002. It also employed over 60,000 individuals, including approximately 50,000 in retail stores at the end of 2002. Starbucks Corp. is organized into two business units that correspond to the companys operating segments: North American and International. In 1995, Starbucks Coffee International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Starbucks coffee Co., was set up to the build Starbucks business outside North America, including opening company owned, licensed, and joint venture based retail stores worldwide. A recent article in Business Week notes: Starbucks also has a well seasoned management team. Schultz, 49, step down as chief executive in 2000 to become chairman and chief global strategist. Orin Smith, 60, the companys number cruncher, is now CEO and in charge of day-to-day operations. The head of North American operations is Howard Behar, 57, a retailing expert who returned last September, after retiring. The management trio is known as H2O, for Howard, Howard, and Orin.
The Starbuck Model
Schultzs goal is to: establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining uncompromising principles as we go. The companys 25 year goal is to become an enduring, great company with the most recognized and respected brand in the world, known for inspiring and nurturing the human spirit. The companys mission statement articulates several guiding principles to measure the appropriateness of the firms decisions. In describing Starbucks unique approach to competition, Fortune notes the strategy is simple: blanket an area completely, even if the stores cannibalize one anothers business. A new store while often capture about 30 percent of the sales of a nearby Starbucks, but the company considers that a good thing. The Starbucks everywhere approach cuts down on delivery and management costs, shortens customers line at individual stores, and increases foot traffic brought all the stores in an area. Last week 20 million people bought a couple copy at a Starbucks. A typical customer stopped by 18 times a month; no American retailer has a higher frequency of customer visits. Sales have climbed an average of 20 percent a year since the company went public. Even in a down economy, when other retailers have taken a beating Starbucks store traffic has arisen between six percent and eight percent a year. Perhaps even more notable is the fact that Starbucks has managed to generate those kinds of numbers with virtually no marketing, spending just 1 percent of its annual revenues on advertising. Retailers usually spend 10% or so of their revenues on ads. Business Week adds: clustering stores increases total revenue and market share CEO Orin Smith argues, even when individual stores poach on each other sales. The strategy works, he says, because of Starbucks size. It is large enough doors or office at existing stores as new ones open up, and so the overall sales grow beyond what they would have with just one store. Meanwhile, its cheaper to deliver to and manage doors located close together. And by clustering, Starbucks can quickly dominate a local market. And Schultz points out: market is much larger than we originally thought in most cases local competitors benefit from our arrival because of the expansion of the marketplace. Our strategy is never to eliminate or hurt the competition. We never underpriced our coffee and its clear that we position ourselves so not to undercut the pricing structure in the marketplace. Schultz observes that the company is still and its early days of growth worldwide. We are opening three or four stores everyday, he notes. We go strongly that the driver of the equity of the brand is directly linked to the retail experience we create in our stores. Our commitment to growth of the company is significant and will continue to be based on the long-term growth potential of our retail format.

Securing the Finest Raw Materials
Starbucks coffee quality begins with the purchase of high-quality Arabica coffee beans. Although many Americans were arranged on a commodity like coffee made from more quality robusta beans (or Arabic beans mixed with less expensive filler beans), Starbucks coffee is strictly Arabic, and the company ensures that only the highest quality beans are used. David Olsen, the companys then senior vice president and then chief coffee procurer, scoured mountain trails in Indonesia, Kenya, Guatemala, and elsewhere in search of Starbucks premium beans. His standards were demanding, and he conducted exacting experiments in order to get the proper balance of flavor, body, and acidity. From the companys inception, it has worked on developing relationships with the country should from which it buys coffee Beans. Traditionally, Europeans and Japanese bought most of the premium coffee beans. Olsen sometimes had to convince coffee growers to sell to Starbucks especially since American coffee buyers are notorious purchasers of the dregs of the coffee beans. In 1992 Starbucks in a new precedent by outbidding European buyers for the exclusive Narino Supremo Bean crop. Starbucks collaborated with a mill in that tiny town of Pasto, located on the side of the volcano Galero. There they set up a special operation to single out a particular Narino Supremo coffee bean, and Starbucks guaranteed to purchase the entire yield. This enabled Starbucks to be the exclusive purveyor of Narino Supremo, purportedly one of the best coffees in the world.

Vertical Integration
Roasting the coffee bean is close to an art form at Starbucks. Starbucks currently operates multiple roasting and distribution facilities. Roasters are promoted from within the company and trained for over a year, and it is considered quite an honor to be chosen. The coffee is roasted in a powerful gas-fired drum roaster for 12 to 15 minutes while roasters use sight, smell, hearing, and computers to judge when beans are perfectly done. The color of the beans is even tested in an Agtron blood cell analyzer, with the whole batch being discarded if the sample is not deemed perfect.

The Starbucks Experience
According to Schultz, we are not just selling a cup of coffee, we are providing an experience. In order to create American coffee enthusiasts put the dedication of their Italian counterparts, Starbucks provides a seductive atmosphere in which to imbibe. Its stores are distinctive and sleek, yet comfortable. Though the sizes of the stores and their formats vary, most are modeled after the Italian coffee bars where regulars sit and drink espresso with their friends. Starbucks stores tend to be located in high traffic locations such as malls, busy street corners, and even grocery stores. They are all well lighted and feature plenty of light cherry wood and artwork. The people who prepare the coffee are referred to as baristas, Italian for bartenders. Jazz or Opera music plays in the background. The storage to range from 200 to 4000 square feet, with new units tending to range from 1500 to 1700 square feet. In 2003, the average cost of opening a new store including equipment, inventory and leasehold improvements is in the neighborhood of $350,000;a flagship store cost much more.





Building a Unique Culture
While Starbucks enforces almost fanatical spenders about coffee quality and service, a policy of Starbucks reward employees is laid-back and supportive. They are encouraged to think of themselves as partners in the business. Schultz believes that had the employees are the key to competitiveness and growth. We can achieve our strategic objectives without workforce of people who are emerged in the same commitment as management. Our only sustainable advantage is the quality of our workforce. We are building a national retail company by creating pride in and stake in the outcome of our labor. On a practical level, Brooks promotes and in court employee cloture through generous benefits programs, an employee stock ownership plan, and thoroughly employee training, each employee must admit me 24 hours of training. Classes cover everything from off the huge tree to a seven hour workshop called Brewing the Perfect Cup at Home. This workshop is one of five classes and all employees must take during their first six weeks with the company. Reports Fortune: its silly, softheaded stuff, though basically, of course, its true. Maybe some of it sinks in. Starbuck is a smashing success, thanks in large part to the people who come out of these therapy-like training programs. Annual barista turnover at the company is 60 percent compared with 140 percent for hourly workers in the fast food business. Starbucks offer its benefits package to both part-time and full-time employee. The package includes medical, dental, vision, and short-term disability insurance, as well as a paid vacation, paid holidays, mental health/chemical dependency benefits, and employee assistance program, a 401(k) plan and a stock option plan. They also offer dependent coverage and same-sex partners. Schultz believes that without these benefits, people do not deal financially or spiritually tied to their jobs. He argues that stock options and the complete benefits package increased employee loyalty and encourage attentive service to customer. Employee turnover is also discouraged by Starbucks Stock option plan known as the Bean Stock Plan. Implemented in August of 1991, the plan made Starbucks and the only private company to offer stock options unilaterally to all employees. Starbucks concern for all employee welfare expands beyond its retail outlets coffee producers. The companys guidelines call for overseas suppliers to pay wages and benefits that address the basic needs of workers and their families and to allow a child labor only when it does not interrupt required education. This move has set a precedent for other importers of agricultural commodities.
Leveraging the Brand
Multiple Channels of Distribution. Besides its stand-alone stores, Starbucks has set up cafs and carts in hospitals, banks, office buildings, supermarkets, and shopping centers. And other distribution agreements have included office coffee suppliers, hotels, and airlines. All this coffee is a large segment of the coffee market. Associated services (an office coffee supplier) provides Starbucks coffee exclusively to thousands of businesses arond the United States. Starbucks has deals with airlines, such as an agreement with United Airlines to provide Starbucks coffee to Uniteds nearly 75 million passengers a year. Starbucks, through a licensing agreement with Kraft Foods Inc., offers its coffee in grocery stores across United States.
Brand Extension
In 1995, Starbucks launched a line of packaged and prepared tea in response to growing demand for teahouses and packaged tea. Tea is a highly profitable beverage for restaurants to sell, costing only 2 cents to 4 cents a cop to produce. As its tea became increasingly popular, in January 1999 it acquired Tazo, a Portland, Oregon based to a company. Starbucks coffee is also making its way onto grocery shelves via a carefully planned series of joint ventures. An agreement with Pepsi-Cola brought a bottle version of Starbucks Frappuccino (a cold, sweetened coffee drink) to store shelves in August of 1996. In another 50-50 partnership, Dreyers Grand Ice Cream Inc., distributes seven quart products and two bar- products of Starbucks coffee ice cream. Other partnerships by the Company are designed to form a new product association with coffee. For instance, the companys music subsidiary, Heart Music, regularly releases CDs, some in collaboration with major record labels that are then sold to Starbucks retail stores. While Starbucks is the largest and best-known of the coffeehouse chain and its presence is very apparent in metropolitan areas, the firms estimates indicate that only a small percentage (about 7 percent) of the US population has tried its products. Distribution agreement and the new product partnerships, Starbucks hopes to capture more of the US market.
International Expansion
For many years analysts have absurd that the US coffee bar market may be reaching saturation. They point to market consolidation, as bigger players snapped up some of the smaller coffee bar competitors. Further, they note that Starbucks is also maturing, leading to a slowdown in growth of unit by them and firm profitability. In response, some argue, Starbucks has turned its attention to foreign markets for continued growth. For instance, Business Week notes: To duplicate the staggering returns of its first decade, Starbucks has no choice but to export its concept aggressively. Indeed, some analysts give Starbucks only two years at the most before it exaggerates the US market. The chain now (in August 2002) operates 1,200 international outlets, from Beijing to Bristol. That leaves plenty of room to grow. Indeed, about 400 of its planned 1200 new stores this year will be built overseas, representing a 35 percent increase in its foreign base. Starbucks expects to double the number of its stores worldwide, to 10,000 in three years. However, of the predicted three of four stores that will open each day, the majority will continue to be in the United States.
Early Expansion
In 1995, the firm established a subsidiary called Starbucks coffee international. At that time, the subsidiary consisted of 12 managers located in Seattle. Today, the subsidiary is led by Australian expatriate Peter Maslen and is staffed with about 180 experienced multinational and multilingual managers located in Seattle and three regional offices around the world. This group is responsible for all Starbucks business development outside North America, including developing new businesses, financing and planning stores, managing operations and logistics, merchandising, and training and developing Starbucks international managers. Starbucks first non-North American store was opened in 1996 in Tokyo. In reflecting on this early step in internationalizing the chain, Schultz notes: Two years prior to opening up in Japan, we hired its blue-chip consulting firm to guide us to succeed here. Basically, they said we would not succeed in Japan. There were a number of things they told us to change. They said we had to have smoking, but that was non-starter for us. They also said no Japanese would ever lose face by drinking from a cup in the street. And third, they said that given the high rent, stores could not be larger than 500 square feet well, our no smoking policy made us an oasis Japan. As for our to go business, you cannot walk down a street in Tokyo today and not see someone holding a cup of Starbucks coffee. And our store size and Japan is identical to our store size and United States, about 1200 to 1500 square feet. It just shows the power of believing in what you do. And also that Starbucks is as relevant in Tokyo, Madrid, or Berlin as it is in Seattle.
The Starbucks Way
According to US News & World Report
When venturing overseas, there is a Starbucks way. The company finds local business partners in most foreign markets it tests each country with a handful of stores in trendy districts, using experienced Starbucks managers. It sends local baristas to Seattle for 13 weeks of training. Then it starts opening stores by the dozen. Its called the lineup does not vary, but Starbucks does adapt its food to local tastes. In Britain, it won an award for its mince pies. In Asia, Starbucks offers curry puffs and meat buns. The company also fits its interior dcor to the local architecture, especially in historical buildings. We do not stamp these things out cookie cutters style, says Peter Malsen, president of the Starbucks coffee international. Although Starbucks is committed to owning its North American stores, it has sought partners for much of its overseas expansion. As Catherine Lindemann, SVP of operations for Starbucks international describes it: Our approach to international expansion is to focus on the partnership first, country second. We rely on the local connection to get everything up and working. The key is finding the right local partners to negotiate local regulations and other issues. We look for partners who share our values, culture, and goals about community development. We are primarily interested in partners who can guide us through the process of starting up in a foreign location. We look for firms with (1) similar philosophy two hours in terms of shared values, corporate edition should, and commitment to be in the business for long-haul, (2) multi-unit restaurant experience, (3) financial resources to expand the star Bob confab rapidly to prevent imitators, (4) a strong real estate experience with knowledge about how to pick prime real estate locations, (5) knowledge of retail market, and (6) the availability of people to commit to our project.
In an international joint venture, it is a partner that used to store sites. Each are submitted for approval to Starbucks, but the partner does all of the preparatory and selection work. Cydnie Horwat, VP for international assets development systems & infrastructure, explains how Starbucks market entry plan starts with brand building, which then facilitates rapid further expansion in a country: when first entering a market, we are looking for different things in the first one to three years that later on. During these early years, we are building our brand. Our stores and the biggest source of advertising, since we do not do a lot of separate advertising. So we have higher investment in stores in the first three years. About 60 to 70 percent of the stores opened in the first three years are or high brand builders. Adds Horwat: First, we looked for a dreamy visible site in well trafficked areas and focus on three major factors: demographics, branding potential, and financials. Second, we categorize sites on an A to D scale. A sites are signature sites that are qualitatively superior to all other sites within the trade area [an area within Starbucks chooses to locate one store]. We rarely take a C or D store. Third, we ask our international market business unit (MBU) to send in the site submittal package with quantitative and qualitative measures, such as how the site meets Starbucks established criteria and the partners agreed upon criteria. This package is reviewed by a number of functional units operations, finance, an real estate within the international group. Fourth, we moved into the design phase, which is done in Seattle using information provided by the partner. Negotiate the least with the landlord and the initiate the construction when the appropriate permits are obtained. Finally, we turned over the store to operations. The whole process takes about 13 to 16 weeks from start to finish.
Establishing Starbucks as a Global Brand
Based on the success in Japan and other locations, Schultzs goal is for Starbucks to have a ubiquitous image as one of the most respected brands in the world. He notes: Whenever we see the reception we are getting in the marketplace such as in China, the Philippines, Malaysia, the UK, and most recently Spain and Germany, we recognize that the growth potential for the company [overseas] is very significant. We want to accelerate the growth, maintain our leadership position, and, ultimately, be calm one of the most respected brands in the world. Since its early foray into the Japanese market, the pace of international expansion has picked up significantly. In 1998, Starbucks acquired Seattle coffee company in the United Kingdom, a chain within more than 38 retail locations. That same year, it opens doors and Taiwan, Thailand, New Zealand, and Malaysia. In 1989, Starbucks opened in China (Beijing), Kuwait, South Korea and Lebanon. In 2000, it entered another seven markets (China-Hong Kong and Shanghai, Dubai, Australia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain). It added three markets 2001 (Switzerland, Israel, and Austria). Last year another nine markets were opened (Oman, Spain, Indonesia, Germany, South China-Macau and Shenzhen, Mexico, Puerto Rico, in Greece). Schultz said that this expansion is only beginning and confidently predict more to come: Ten years ago, we had 125 stores and 2000 employees. Today we have 62,000 people working in 30 countries outside of the North America, serving approximately 22 million customers all week. Our core customer is coming in about 18 times a month. With the majority of adults all round the world drinking 2 cups of coffee a day and with Starbucks having less than seven percent share of total coffee consumption in the US and less than 1 percent worldwide, these are the early days for growth and development of the company. We have got a model that has been well tested from market to market.
Starbucks is well on its way to becoming a global brand. According to Business Week: The Starbucks name and image content with millions of consumers around the globe. It was one of the fast-growing brands in a Business Week survey of the top 100 global brands published August 5, 2002. At a time when one corporate start after another has crashed to earth, brought down by revelations earnings misstatements, executive greed, or worse, Starbucks has not faltered.
But becoming a global company is not without risk. As Business Week point out, Global expansion poses huge risks for Starbucks. The one thing, it makes less money on each overseas store because most of them are operated with local partners. While that makes it easier to start up on foreign turf, it reduces the companys share of the profits to only 20 percent to 50 percent. In addition, the firm is becoming a target for anti-globalization activists around the world.
Perils of Globalization
As Starbuck establishes a global presence, its growing ubiquity has not gone unnoticed by anti-globalization activists. A clear manifestation of this game in November 1999, and tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of downtown Seattle when the World Trade Organization (WTO) held its third Ministerial conference there. Although nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and activists had gathered to oppose the WTO, some activists deliberately targeted multinationals like Starbucks, Nike, and McDonalds. A small, but vocal, percentage of these protesters garnered international press coverage by committing acts of vandalism against carefully chosen targets. As a report in Business Week recalls: Protesters flooded Seattles streets, and among their targets with Starbucks, a symbol, Madame, a free market capitalism run amok, another multinational out to blanket the earth. Amid the crowds protesters and riot police were black masked anarchists who trashed the store, leaving its windows smashed and its tasteful green and white or smelling of teargas instead of espresso.
Recalling the incident against the firm Schultz says: Its hurtful. I think people are ill-informed. Its very difficult to protest against a can of Coke, a bottle of Pepsi-Cola, or a can of Folgers coffee. Starbucks is both a ubiquitous brand and a place where you can go and break a window. You cannot break a can of Coke. Anti-globalization protesters target recognizable global brands because they are convenient symbols. The following excerpt from The Ruckus Societys Action Planning Manual and Media Manual illustration to close ties between global brands and the principles of direct actions against them: First [we] use direct action to reduce the issue to symbols. The symbols must be carefully chosen for their utility in illustrating a conflict: an oil company versus an indigenous community, a government policy versus public interest. Then we worked to place these symbols and the public eye, in order to identify the evil doer, detailed the wrongdoing and, if possible, point to a more responsible option.
The message that activists want to communicate focuses on the overseas activities corporations. They accuse multinational paying less than living wage workers in the Third World, of engaging in labor and environmental practices that would be outlawed in their home countries, of driving local competitors out of business and of furthering cultural imperialism. As one Global Trade Watch Field organizer described it: The rules by which trade is governed need to have more to do with the interests of citizens and with the back pockets and cash wads of a couple corporate CEOs. And we want to make sure that there is a balanced consideration. Obviously people are always going to be concerned with their profits; its business, and we understand that, we accept that. But we think that needs to be balanced with concern for the rights of workers, basic human rights, [and] protecting the environment.
Critics further accused international organizations like the WTO, World Bank, and IMF of promoting corporate globalization by supporting trade liberation, by promoting export based economic development, and by facilitating foreign direct investment. According to an organization that bills itself as Mobilization for Global Justice: Most of the worlds most impoverished country have suffered under IMF/World Bank programs for two decades: may have seen debt levels rise, unemployment skyrocketed, property increased, and environment devastated. Urged to export, they focus on cash crops like coffee instead of food for their own people, and allow foreign governments to build sweatshops, which also puts pressure on jobs in the US.
When Starbucks opened its first store in Mexico in September 2002, it shows a night in the Sheraton Hotel on Reforma Boulevard in Mexico City. This was Starbucks first store in Latin America and its first in an origin country, i.e., a coffee producing countries. An article on the Organic Consumers Association Web site describes Starbucks Mexican flagship store: The new Starbucks on Reforma features soft lighting and an aromatic ambience Behind the counter, will roam employees without his signature Frappuccino and lattes. Indeed, the only jarring note is the 36 pesos ($3.60) the young woman at the register wants for a double latte, 10 times the price Indian farmers are getting for a pound of their product in Chiapas Oaxaca, and other coffee Rich state of southern Mexico There is no starker contrast in the economics of coffee these days than between the cushy comforts and gourmet blends of the Starbucks Experiencia and the grim, daily existence of 360,000mostly Indian coffee farmers will work small plots crved from the Jungle Mountains of southern Mexico.
Multinational corporations and their supporters respond that the effects all and solutions for globalization are more complicated than the critics contend. They note that multinationals create jobs, pay better prices and wages and domestic firms, and conform to a local labor and environmental regulations. The skeptics are right to be disturbed by sweatshops, child labor, bonded labor, and other gross abuses that go on many poor countries (and in the darkest corners of rich ones, too). But what makes people vulnerable to these practices is poverty the more thoroughly these companies (multinational) penetrate the markets of the Third World, the fastest today introduced their capital and working practices, the sooner poverty will retreat and the harder it will be for such abuses to persist.
Moreover, multinationals argue, they have responded to the criticism of profit driven behavior by developing corporate codes of conduct, corporate social responsibility programs, and partnerships with nongovernmental organizations. They point out, however, that they are in a no-win situation, vis--vis their critics, because today can always be criticized for not doing enough. Starbucks has found that global concerns of thing get mixed up with and intertwined with local issues. Even the mere act of opening a Starbucks retail store in a neighborhood can be solved and local activism and community push back against the Starbucks brand. For example, when Starbucks opened a store in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1998, picketers carrying signs that read Dont Let Corporate Greed Destroy Our Neighborhood, greeted it. A lawyer who helps community keep national chains out, says: Its part of the growing tension in the world between the mass market economy and peoples desire to retain self-control and some local culture if you have got a beef with Starbucks, you have got a beat with capitalism. Starbucks has stationed a variety of community pushback situations around the world. Soon Beng Yeap, one of Starbucks international brand reputation manager notes: This community push back is a live issue and Starbucks manage each pushback incident case by case. In some markets we have gone in and in some we have pulled out. He cites two recent examples, one in London, where Starbucks decided to withdraw its efforts to open a store after local activists actively campaigned against the firm, and the other in Beijing, where the firm opened a store in a historic district, and, following subsequent and significant adverse comment reported in local and international media, decided to stay put.
Primrose Hill and Starbucks Decision to Withdraw
In 2002 Starbucks made plans to open a store in Primrose Hill, a London suburb. Located in northwest London, Primrose Hill is a well-known historical and picturesque area comprised of a public park, shopping village area, and attractive Victorian residential housing. Residents of Primrose Hill many of whom are writers, photographers, actors, and musicians take great pride in the area and are protective of their local environment, acting to ensure that no change stores operate in the area. In early 2002, Starbucks selected Primrose Hill as a potential site for a store, and in April 2002 cemented an application to the local council. When this information was published in the local papers, it received considerable negative feed back from the residence, in particular from the Primrose Hill Conservation Area Advisory Committee. This committee claimed that litter, noise, and disruption from deliveries to Starbucks store in Primrose Hill what real in the village ambience and contribute to the homogenization of the high streets. The opposition surprised Starbucks because Primrose Hill residents, associations (including the Primrose Hill Conservation Area Advisory Committee), and businesses had been contacted as part of calls location. What the potential site. Although the objections of Starbucks entry focused on local planning issues, there was an anti-globalization element as well. One critic was quoted as saying that Starbucks was renowned for not paying proper money to coffee growers. In response to the grid ticks, Starbucks offered to arrange meetings between the planning committee, local counselors, and its representatives to discuss the issues and hear their concerns. Despite Starbucks effort, no meeting all for was accepted and minimal responses were received. In the meantime, the Primrose Hill conservation area advisory committee began to campaign strongly against Starbucks. They collected more than 1300 letters of objection, which they then presented to the local council. Many celebrities, such as actor Jude Law, national theater director Nicholas Hytner, broadcaster Joan Bakewell, singer Neneh Cherry, author Jeanette Winterson, and artist Patrick Caulfield, lent their support by opposing that Starbucks application. Media coverage that was initially local became national when celebrities became involved. According to Horwat: Primrose Hill was an A site. A very affluent neighborhood, little or no competition, and we knew it would be a winner. Everyone [at Starbucks international]loved it. The real estate people, the fans people, and others signed off on the deal. Opposition only came when the city Council was about to approve [our application]. The opposition claimed that our entry would raise rents in the community. So we went back to the city Council to argue our case. But activists brought in movie stars and gather local and national media attention. In early June 2002, when it was apparent that Starbucks was not welcomed in Primrose Hill, the company decided against opening the store. Reflecting on their decision to withdraw, Horwat explains: We care about the abuse of the communities about which we are a part. We tried to have our stores to be part of a community. We had hoped to make a positive contribution to the people to get together in Primrose Hill. If the community does not welcome us, it is not someplace we want to be.
Adds Soon Beng Yeap: You have to understand the bigger picture in the UK to appreciate what was going on locally at the time Starbucks was seen as an American chain coming in to the British market and the British media tend to be very cynical. The specialty coffee market was becoming crowded and extremely competitive with several other chains such as Caf Nero, Coffee Republic, and Costa Coffee making a strong push market share. The Starbuck team review all factors involved as well as listened carefully to the community concerns. At the end of the day, we decided to withdraw our application.

Beijing and Starbucks Decision to Stay
Starr Boggs opened its first outlet in Beijing in January 1999 and has over 100 stores and the country today. However, Starbucks touched a nationalist nerve in 2000 when it opened a small coffee shop in Beijings Forbidden City. In highlighting this particular store, the New York Times noted: If ever there was an emblem of the extremes to which globalization has reached, this is it: mass-market American coffee called her and Chinas most hollowed historic place. Even a McDonalds in the Kremlin would not come as close. Starbucks opened its Forbidden City shop a month ago [September 2000] with a signature menu board advertising the usual Americano and decaffeinated latte coffee and a glass display case filled with fresh glazed doughnuts, cinnamon rings, and banana walnut muffins.
Starbucks, for its part, had taken extraordinary care to ensure its presence was unobtrusive. To avoid ruining the atmosphere of the big city, assigns and brand images were placed inside for this store. This small store (barely closet size according to some reports) had only two small tables and few chairs. It was located on the edge of the Forbidden City, among 50 other retailers, including some selling souvenirs and trinkets. Despite such a low-key presence, this store ignited controversy. Dozen of Chinese newspapers reported on reactions to the shop. Accoring to one such report and the Peoples Daily: The reason for this uproar is due to the cafs location: the Forbidden City, the worlds largest imperial palacefirst constructed in 1406, the forbidden city is Chinas best preserved ancient architecture encircled by a rampant 3 km. The caf, named Starbucks is situated in the southeastern corner of the Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohedian), one of the three most impressive buildings on the palace grounds. The hall used to be giving you to hold feasts by Emperor and Noble of ethnic groups on New Years Eve of Chinas lunar calendar debates over the mini Caf took place first on the Web. A survey by Sina.com showed that over 70 percent of nearly 60,000 people surveyed were opposed to the caf entry into the Forbidden City, the main reason being the damaging effects to Chinese culture heritage and its atmosphere.
The administrators of the forbidden Palace and other government officials took note of the controversy but were supportive of Starbucks. Chen , a spokesperson for the forbidden city Museum, maintained that allowing Starbucks into the big city was part of their effort to improve service in the area. Moreover, Chen added: The reaction has been very intense. Some people say this is a gem of Chinese culture and that foreign brands and should not be allowed in we cannot give up eating for the fear of choking.
According to Horwat: The Forbidden City location was a C site at best. But not definitely a D site, because there was still the benefit of brand presence. But the government said, We think you should come in, and it was difficult to say no. there was no local community, only tourist. Following the flurry of articles and the Chinese media CNN began to run news clips of the story in the United States. Watching this unfold in the US media, some senior managers at Starbucks became alarmed at the negative publicity. According to Soon Beng Yeap: The immediate reaction was to close the store! Due to the relentless negative coverage generated by the international media. After serious discussion among the senior executives, we felt as guest in a foreign country, we should be respectful of our host; the Forbidden City officials-who invited us to be there in the first place. We decided to not to pull out because it was the international media that stirred up the whole controversy. Unlike the Primrose Hill case, there was no real local community pushback. It was all media driven. A few reporters got hold of the story and ran with it, all citing the same survey by Sina.com we were very disappointed by the negative media coverage, which created a false sense of cultural imperialism about our intentions and opening the store, especially when we worked very hard to be culturally sensitive and listen to the local community.
The controversy has since died down, as a recent report (February 2003) in The Straits Times (Singapore) indicates: Today if anything, the tourists were more upset than the Beijing residents about the presence of Starbucks in the forbidden city, complaining that it was out of place in a historical site ask what were the hottest issues of the day ordinary citizens, taxi driver Liu Zhiming said: Cars, apartments, and making money. What else?

Entering Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Peter Malsen, president of Starbucks international, hurriedly convened a meeting of his key executives and Starbucks international, including Julio Gutierrez, his president for Latin America. Starbucks entry into Brazil was in jeopardy because certain activists opposing Starbucks presence in the country were gaining momentum. Brazil is the largest coffee producing country in the world, and this was Starbucks second foray into Latin America (after Mexico). The company chose not to seek a joint venture partner to enter Brazil. Since many copycat chains had sprung up in Ro de Janeiro, some imitating Starbucks to the last detail, Malsen felt that his team had to move quickly before any particular group established itself as to permit chain. After several years of working with Julios Latin American team, no suitable joint venture partner had been identified, and Malsen was considering establishing a 100 percent Starbucks owned MBU (as it had already done in the UK, Australia, and Thailand). The business development group, with Julios team, had picked a site in the Ipanema area of Ro de Janeiro. They proposed that a flagship store be opened on this neighborhoods main commercial Street Rua Visconde de Piraja. Many of Rios motion tradition boutiques started in Ipanema, later to be exported to the malls and other parts of town. Many world-renowned brands such as Cartier, Louis Vuitton, and Polo Ralph Lauren had stores on the Rua Visconde de Piraja. It is often said that news in Ipanema makes headlines all over Brazil. Starbucks had also chosen other sites, four to be specific, were the company could open stores immediately following the opening of the flagship Ipanema store. One of the stores was to be located in the posh neighborhood of Barra de Tijuca; another one slated for Leblon, and two others for shopping malls located in affluent residential neighborhoods in the city. The real estate group was ready to sign the lease with the agents of the Ipanema property owners, but was awaiting a formal response from the city Council members. The business development group, led by Troy Alstead, SVP finance and business development at Starbucks international, was confident that the Ipanema location was an A category site. The demographics of the area are just right for a flagship store. They are affluent, Young, and love of American Brands. The business development groups financial projections indicated that the Ipanema Starbucks store would be profitable in a short time, and Alstead believed that this was a conservative figure. Further, he pointed out: Based on the companys experiences of opening flagship stores and similar, high-traffic posh neighborhoods in other cities around the world our store in Ginza, Japan, comes to mind we believe the Ipanema store would be viable for Starbucks. We estimate meeting the store ROI targets in aggregate of the first five stores within two years.
But Malsen had some concerns. He was troubled by the reports about rising levels of violence and street crimes in Rio and Sao Paulo. In response to the growing violence, some of the most fashionable retailers were relocating themselves in shopping malls. He also questioned whether the timing for Starbucks was off. Current world events had generated anti-American feeling in many countries. Following the standard practice, Starbucks had been working with the local chamberof commerce since January 2003, and with the local city council for the required permits. The members city Council and local chamber of commerce were positive about granting Starbucks permission to begin construction. While the formal voting had yet to be undertaken, it looked certain that, bearing anything unusual, permission would be granted. But nongovernmental organization like the Organic Consumers Association and Global Exchange were mobilizing faster than expected to oppose Starbucks entry into Brazil. They found out about Starbucks intent to enter Brazil when to Ipanema district chamber of commerce newsletter proudly announced that, We arent extremely pleased walk of Starbucks into the fashionable district of Ipanema. By opening a store in our neighborhood, they will join other global brands and help enhance further our district image as a place to be in Rio. The NGOs was recruiting local activist and had informed Starbucks that they would oppose its entry into Brazil ride petitioning the local council to reject its application. They also threatened to start picketing in front of the store once construction was initiated. The brand group a Starbucks was concerned about the turn of events. Soon Beng elaborated: People in Latin America now the brand because of their proximity to the US. Potential partners are always contacting us about coming in. Before we go into a lace like Brazil, what is to due diligence we have to do? It is an origin country for us {i.e., coffee producing country} it is a very vocal place, and there is a love-hate relationship with United States. Advanced people always want to say yes to or when the numbers look good. Today some in Starbucks, at least in our group, say that maintaining and protecting our strong brand reputation is equally important. Others counter: if our brand or strong and why worry about it? This is a discussion we have here everyday and the company. While the pushback is not totally unexpected, it is hard to gauge the severity of the situation and its likely impact what our brand.
Malsen asked Alsteads business development group to work with Julios Latin American team to estimate how picketing in front of the store might impact the financial projections and his group had prepared. Their answer: Our financial estimates for the Ipanema store are based on comparables from other flagship stores and locations similar to Rio in other parts of the world. Our financial models are sensitive to the demographics of the area. We project that demand could fall from 5 to 25 percent, because of people picketing in front of the store. We acknowledge it is much harder to guess what the impact on our entire system in Brazil might be as we open new stores. It all depends upon the type of media coverage the activists are able to muster and the issues the media choose to highlight.
Volunteered Soon Beng
The tide of public opinion is unpredictable. We review each pushback incident the best we can, and we can have a reasonable track record of predicting outcomes. But, every time we walked into a potential site somewhere in the world, we potentially face is pushback. It would be great to have a foolproof total system to help us evaluate the sorts of issues and make the appropriate decisions. Malsen had to leave Seattle to attend an important meeting in Europe the following day. He called together his key managers and said, Look, we have experienced a variety of pushbacks and protests before. What lessons have we learned? We have been deciding whether to go into sites or pulled out on case by case basis. If we are going to grow to 25,000 stores, we cannot keep taking an ad hoc approach. We need a systematic method to respond to push back to this side whether we stay with a site or pull out. I want you to come up with a way to help me decide whether to go into Rio at all. And its got to be a system or decision process that would work equally well in London or Beijing or any place else that we want to open. Let us meet again when I get back to town in a couple of days. The managers of Starbucks international had their work cut out for them. But they look for it to tackling the issues raised.

Discussion Questions

a.Briefly describe the history and evolution of Starbucks.

b.In your view, what are the key events in the history of the company?

c.Using your own words, described the Starbucks model.

d.What were the key issues and the decision by Starbucks to go international?

e.Identify and discuss some of the negative elements of globalization focused by Starbucks.

f.Based on your analysis, what advice would you provide Starbucks with respect to the next 3-5 year period.  more

The research paper should be Psychology 100 Individual and Society. I've alos attached a sample paper for formating and conclusion statement. This paper is due by 13 June 09 @ 10;45 A.M. Here's the sa...mple copy. Abstract statement has a minimum 120 word statement.

Running head: PSYCHOLOGY 105 RESEARCH PAPER








Psychology 105 Research Paper
Jane Doe
Strayer University





Abstract

Here is where you would include your abstract. The abstract is not indented and no longer than 120 words. The abstract summarizes the contents of your paper. However, your paper for this class does not need an abstract. This is merely an introduction.
Psychology 105 Research Paper
Note that this paper is being written in APA format so you will have a visual. The title page is properly set with spacing and/or margins. The default setting in most word-processing software is in. from the top of the page, which is acceptable. The page number is at least 1 in. from the right-hand edge of the page, in the space between the top edge of the paper and the first line of the text. However, I will focus more on reviewing how and when to cite sources in the body of your paper or, as APA says, in-text.
Citing Sources
When citing sources you have to give credit to the author for his/her ideas. This means EVEN if you put the authors ideas in your own words you still have to give credit. It seems many students think you should cite only when quoting directly. You need to cite even if you are paraphrasing which means you are putting the authors ideas in your own words.
The way to cite sources in APA is to cite the authors last name and date of the publication in the body of the paper or, in-text. For example, According to Smith (1999), United Airlines maintains an employee-friendly culture. In this sentence, I gave credit to Smith for an article he wrote in 1999 for the idea that United Airlines is a good place to work. I didnt use the authors words exactly, but I did use his idea so I gave him credit by citing his last name and the date of publication. Every book has a publication page with a copyright date. This is where you find the date for your in-text citation as well as for your reference page.
If I quoted the author directly that is, took the authors words word-for-word from a book or from an article I would still cite the authors last name and date, but I would also add the page number to the citation. For example, According to Smith (1999), United Airlines is focused on a positive employee related atmosphere, (p. 45). Here I used the authors actual words rather than putting his words into my own as I did in the previous example. Try to avoid using too many quotes and paraphrase instead, remembering to ALWAYS give the author credit.
Another way to include in-text citations is to put the authors name and date behind the paraphrase. For example, United Airlines is a great place to work, creating a natural flow of positive energy for their customers as well as for their staff (Smith, 1999). Smith (1999) also noted that his fifteen-year experience has been a rewarding experience. Note the different uses of in-text citation. If you were using a book which has two authors you would cite it in the following format: According to Blake and Morel (1999), air traffic conditions are safer than driving. Or: Air traffic conditions are safer than driving (Blake & Morel, 1999).
In papers of significant length, it is best to break the paper into headings. Most student papers will require level one and level three headings. Level one headings are major headings. Level three headings are in upper/lower case letters in italics at the left-hand margin, which are used as subheadings when discussing various topics under one heading.
Spacing
Double space all papers, including the reference page. Many students make the mistake of single spacing the reference page. Always double space the reference page. In addition, double space between paragraphs.
The Reference Page
List the sources you used to write your paper in alphabetical order on a separate page headed References. The reference page follows the final page of the text (Johnson, 1999). I used an example of another in-text citation in addition to the ones already used so that when I include it under the reference page you will get a visual of what the reference pages should look like. On the other hand, you will have to format each source in your reference list differently, depending on the type of source it is (book, journal article, etc.)

Conclusion
Notice that I centered the word conclusion. That is because it is another major topic and not a subheading. Let me know if you have any questions about anything discussed here. This is an introduction to APA format. The basic principle that I want you to learn is to cite in-text citations as well as references appropriately. For your information, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 5th ed. Can be found at almost any store. It is a great reference tool to use when writing research papers in APA format. It is very important to integrate APA format, especially with the consequences of plagiarism being crucial at any learning institution.


References

Blake, J. P. R., Jr., & Morel, B. (1960). The myths about flying. New York: Harper and Row.

Johnson, J. (2003). References in basic forms. Harvard Review, 81, 97-106.
Smith, B. (1990). Smiths handbook on the airline industry: Basic principles and procedures
(pp. 43-45). New York: The Free Press.  more

Dear Writer,

As you know, Beiong delivered its first 777 to United Airlines on the day agreed in the contract which was signed nearly four years earlier. However, in complete contrast..., the 787 programme is currently running three years behind schedule.

I want you to focus the essay on the reasons (you should tell why) why the 787 programme so far behind schedule giving a comparison with the construction processes and work sharing used on both 777 and 787 programmes which may help to explain the problems with 787.

This could be an argumentative essay and please include in details the manufacturing problems and the parts of the world where parts are being bought by boeing company and the transportation of parts and just highlight on every aspect of the manufacturing project.

In short, focus on the project management and technological factors in your essay.

I think the video on manufacturing of 777 on google video would be useful for you. It explains manufacturing process in all the aspects.

Remember that this is not an essay to explain the manufacturing process of both 777 and 787 but this is an essay where you have to compare both the programmes in contrast with the manufactuing process and say why 787 programmes is running behind the schedule where 777 had been so on time.

Please be kind enough to include info as much as possible and make it a good one. Also, as English is my second language, please be kind enough not to make it so rich in vocabulary. and please put your maximum effort to make it an informative one.

Thank you  more

The description of United Airlines? short range Station Manpower Planning System, provides an indication of the importance of having appropriate computer systems to support such efforts. Altho...ugh the United systems forecasting range is on the short term end of the spectrum, it?s computerized system has an obviously important financial impact in cost savings. While some human resource forecasting approaches are qualitative rather than quantitative and therefore require minimal computer support, many others require sophisticated software. As indicated because business organizations? human resources are utilized more frequently today as sources of competitive advantage, human resource planning inputs will become more critical in the strategy formulation process. As a result, both human resource executives and other senior managers will need timely information on the future availability of critical human resources. Similarly, they will need timely information of the staffing requirements of a particular strategic alternative. Interestingly, even in the most traditional area of human resources ? labor relations ? computerized systems are already being used in contract negotiations to provide on the spot cost evaluations of proposals and counterproposals.

Fortunately, a number of computer software packages are available for strategic human resource applications. For example, specialized software can be obtained for succession planning, human resource forecasting, and modeling human resource flows. In managing the software acquisition and implementation process, there are several factors to be considered. One suggestion is that the software evaluation team should include representatives from end-user groups, information technology (IT), and any other support groups. Because of the greater decentralization of human resource planning in many organizations users? perception of the user friendliness and usefulness of software should be even more critical. As line managers take on more responsibility for succession planning, human resource planning, and forecasting, there will be increased need for systems they can use with out great difficulty. Along this line, efforts to educate line managers on the use of these software packages should enhance the ultimate success of the company?s human resource planning and forecasting efforts. While adequate representation from these groups is critical, the evaluation team should be small enough to perform its tasks in a timely manner. A second suggestion is that the evaluation team should develop a set of initial screening procedures for use in narrowing down the list of packages to a smaller set for in ? depth evaluation. Potential screening procedures include checking the software?s functionality against a requirements list, checking with human resource contacts in other companies using the software, viewing vendor presentations, and obtaining recommendations from industry associations.

A third suggestion pertains to the in ? depth examination phase. The assessment in this phase should assign highest priority to the mandatory requirements. Beyond whether the software performs the required functions, other components of this phase include an assessment of the technical compatibility of the software with the organizations other software systems; the software?s functionality or types of operations it performs; the adequacy of documentation; ease of enhancing the software as future requirements and business conditions change; ease of maintenance, the level of training that will be needed for users; and an assessment of the vendor?s staying power, and the likelihood of satisfactory service in the future.

Although there is growing availability of human resource planning and software, managers should remember that user dissatisfaction is still a problem with various software packages. Such dissatisfaction often results because the complexity of software has been underestimated and insufficient resources have been allocated to its implementation.


What are the factors that could prevent a company from realizing the benefits of an investment in human resource planning software? Explain how each factor affects the return on investment.?  more

You have heard that many companies use Operations Management (OM) tools. You asked your supervisor what he thought about this. Your supervisor requested that you research the idea and present it at th...e afternoon manager's meeting to see if it is something valuable to use. He had asked that you make sure to find examples of other companies that benefitted from their use.

Research your course materials, the Cybrary and the Internet for at least one companies that relies heavily on OM tools. Some possible examples are: United Airlines, American, Federal Express, General Electric, Ford, GM, the Department of Defense (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Mars, Inc., Pugeot - Citroen, Schindler Elevator, Syngenta (seed corn supplier), Jan de Wit Company (floral distributor), NBC television network, Jeppesen (aviation tools and publications), Air New Zealand, Fingerhut, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and Samsung Electronics. Investigate what operations management tools they have developed over time to help them gain a competitive advantage over their competitors. Where appropriate, identify the general type of tools which they are using. Your findings should include at least the following:

1.Name of the organization
2.Location of the headquarters
3.The source of your information (articles/websites/pages)
4.One or more significant operations management initiatives
5.What benefits are already being realized?  more