Southwest Internal Analysis

Southwest Airlines Internal Analysis Introduction This internal business analysis is on Southwest Airlines, which was founded in 1967 by Rollin King and Herb Kelleher. The main focus for Southwest Airlines was to provide low cost flights for their customers, and also have exceptional customer satisfaction. Southwest is a leading airline company that continues to do well in an industry that has been historically challenging. For instance, in the span of two years (2005-2007) five major airlines have filed for bankruptcy.The challenges are great in the airline industry, because competitors are trying to imitate the â€Å"low-cost† offering of Southwest. Many companies have tried to do what Southwest has done, and many have failed to stay in business. Surprisingly, many of those companies were started by ex-employees of Southwest. Southwest currently has a profitability record for the past thirty six years, which is spectacular in such a challenging industry. Herb Kelleher has be en replaced by Gary C. Kelly, as the president when he resigned in May of 2008.Southwest is in the process of expanding the locations they serve so that they can increase market share, and also find ways to cut costs without losing their quality. In order for southwest to continue their consecutive financial success there is a necessity for excellence in the execution process of their strategy. Business Level Strategy The business level strategy (BLS) that Southwest focuses on is Cost Leadership. They are the leading airline in the United States for providing low-cost fares to their broad customer base.Southwest has found innovative ways to reduce cost within their cost structure enabling them to offer lower fares than competitors and still maintain a profit. One way that has helped Southwest save time and money is their standardization of their airline fleet. This tactic is known as the â€Å"one-model-fleet† by the airline. Having a single airplane model in a fleet has allo wed Southwest to â€Å"lower inventory, record keeping and maintenance costs, and it minimizes the number of technical manuals, tools and spare parts. † Another methodology that has layed an important role in their thirty six years of profitability is their fuel hedging practices they’ve practiced since the late nineties. This tactic has saved the company millions of dollars, and in 2007 alone has saved the company 727 million dollars. Another cost saving measure that Southwest has implemented is the use of blended winglets on all of their 737-700’s models. This change is supposed to improve performance by extending the airplanes range, saving fuel, and lowering engine maintenance costs and reducing takeoff noise. More recently, Southwest began to use EcoPower engine wash services.This is going to allow Southwest to save an estimated $20 million dollars in fuel costs. All of these tactics by Southwest are designed to save on expenses that they incur doing busine ss. Many airlines cut cost by laying off employees, but Southwest has established a â€Å"no layoff policy† that is currently still in effect. This shows how committed the company is to their employees, and how they are an integral part of their business. Resources Southwest has plenty of resources that have contributed to their success as an airline company. Their intangible resources have created their competitive advantage in relation to their competitors.The reason for that is the simple fact that their tangible resources are not difficult to replicate. It’s the technique that Southwest uses to connect their resources that has enabled them to be successful in the airline industry. Their tangible and intangible resources are as follows: Tangible: The main tangible resources that Southwest has are its training center, employees, headquarter facility, acquisitions, partnerships, take off and landing spots, frequent flyer reward program, self-service check-in kiosks, a nd their fleet aircrafts.In 1986, Southwest opened a multi-million dollar training center for their flight crews. As all businesses, employees are necessary if you’re conducting business on a large scale. The connection between Southwest and its customers are their employees, which makes the employees role that much more important. Although, the employees are tangible, the culture of the employees is intangible aspect that has been difficult for competitors to imitate. The training center for their employees was an investment Southwest made early on knowing its importance to the long term success for the company.The headquarters for Southwest is another tangible resource, which is located in Dallas. The headquarter similar to many other companies allow top management to effectively communicate the organizational goals of the company. Acquisitions and partnerships that Southwest has completed throughout their duration allow the company to expand their services to more than 64 cities in the United States, and obtain more take-off and landing spots. The frequent flyer program is another tangible resource that Southwest possesses, but interestingly has not had a major impact on Southwest’s bottom line.With the help of IBM, Southwest was able to offer about 250 self-service check-in kiosks. The reason for having the kiosks for their customers was to reduce the amount of time the customers spend in line and to improve the airport experience. In the very beginning, Southwest only had 3 Boeings in their lineup but now they have more than 243 aircrafts in their lineup. Intangible: The main intangible resources that Southwest has are its brand, unique culture, and reputation. Southwest has a brand that is known widely when referencing the airplane industry.The brand that they represent is one that is reliable, convenient, employee centered, customer oriented, and at the same time providing a low cost alternative to their customers. This has helped dramatic ally in their formation of their culture, because even in the beginning their main focus has been on its employees. Southwest has a culture that is unmatched in the industry, and one of the main reasons they have been wildly successful in a challenging environment. Early on Southwest made the decision to sell one of their airplanes rather than laying off their employees to show their loyalty to its employees.All of these factors have enabled the company to maintain a reputation that is respected among the industry. The reputation that they have has enabled them to reap the benefits of being recognized as a leader in the industry. For example, Southwest has earned several Triple Crown awards, which is an award for having the best on-time record, best baggage handling, and fewest customer complaints. Outcomes from Combinations of the Criteria for Sustainable Competitive Advantage: Is the Resource of Capability Valuable? | Is the Resource or Capability Rare? | Is the Resource or Capabi lity Costly to imitate? Is the Resource or Capability Nonsubstitutable? | Competitive Consequences| Performance Implications| No| No| No| No| Competitive disadvantage| Below-average returns| Yes| No| No| Yes/No| Competitive parity| Average returns| Yes| Yes| No| Yes/No| Temporary competitive advantage| Average returns to above-average returns| Yes| Yes| Yes| Yes/No| Sustainable competitive advantage| Above-average returns| Result from the chart: Capabilities The capabilities of Southwest Airlines are the origin of the firm’s ability to create a competitive advantage over other airlines in industry.Southwest focuses on three main functional areas within the organization, which are management, human resources, and marketing. Management The management capabilities of Southwest Airlines are the main reason why the company has been so profitable, utilizing an effective low cost organizational structure throughout the entirety of the company. Using only one type of plane fleet, the Boeing 737 series, which allows minimizing inventory and resources needed for training, maintenance, parts, and is also a very reliable plane.This helps in the quick turnaround times at the gates, which keeps more planes in the air at any given point in time. In the 1990’s Southwest employed an aggressive fuel hedging tactic saving the company millions of dollars in hard times, while still being able to provide low ticket prices to consumers. Another important area management focuses on is the management of human resources that emphasis both employees and customer alike. Human Resources Focusing on customer service, Southwest Airlines opened a multi-million dollar training facility for its flight crews in 1986.The heart of this training facility is to promote human capitol and share knowledge throughout company. By focusing first on their own employees, southwest can ensure that the employees will then focus on the customer. Through motivation and empowerment in the training of its employees, Southwest can provide customers a comfortable experience while retaining employees and making it hard for competitors imitate. This is proven with its Triple Crown Award for best on-time record, best baggage handling, and least customer complaints. MarketingOne way to promote value and differentiate itself from competitors is Southwest’s humorous advertisements. Exercising the LUV ticker symbol, Southwest promotes its customer driven services and prices. While in the late 1980’s Southwest started a rewards program that has retained loyal customers, but has not been proven successful for leisure travelers. With the low cost abilities, timeliness flights, rewards, and focus on the customer, Southwest Airlines has carried out an exceptional marketing strategy. Core Competencies Employee LoyaltyWithin the first two years of operation Southwest suffered huge losses and had to make some major financial decisions. These decisions lead to the selling off an aircraft and keep all of the employees created the â€Å"no lay off policy†. Then in 1973 Southwest was one of the first companies to incorporate profit sharing where employees owned at least 8% of the company stock. This leads to higher employee satisfaction, retention rate, and increases the want for the company to do well, this way the employees focus more on creating value for the customer.Management Skills Southwest Airlines management has tailored numerous sets of activities around a low cost structure creating value for the customer. With short domestic, point-to-point flights, no additional in flight features and no seat reservations allows for a short turnaround time, which makes for less crowded airports and maximizes flight time. Along with fuel hedging and low maintenance costs, the design of these best-fit activities show that the excellent management skills are a core competency that creates a competitive advantage over other airlines.Conclusion Through the inte rtwining of its resources, Southwest Airlines has created a unique set of capabilities and competencies that has continuously allowed successful implementation of its business level strategy. With a focus on low-cost leadership and customer service, Southwest Airlines creates value with reliable on-time departures and a unique company culture. This provides a sustainable competitive advantage that is hard for competitors to imitate and provides a string foundation for Southwest Airlines’ future success.

Cinematography in Lawrence of Arabia Essay

Said to be one of the greatest films of all time, Lawrence of Arabia, a 222-minute movie directed by David Lean released in1962, achieved numerous accolades from popular award-giving bodies, among them the award for Best Cinematography. Through its cinematography, the desert was transformed into a character and major motivator of the film’s narrative, which was achieved through numerous ways. In the initial portions of the film, the desert was featured as calm, quiet, vast, mysterious and beautiful, which was why Lawrence expressed much excitement towards his assignment as an English army soldier. The extraordinary shots of the desert sunrise, and the extreme long shots of Lawrence (and his army) with the desert as its backdrop were breathtaking as they seemed like still photos from postcards. Pan shots from left to right denoted their journey, which were all skillfully captured on film. As the movie further unfolds, however, the desert assumes a different character as it shows its less appealing side – how it can be harsh, ruthless and merciless, without giving much preference to who or what it desires to take. This is shown during the times when Lawrence and the soldiers are having difficulties crossing the desert without water supply, and when one of Lawrence’s helpers is taken under a quicksand. Despite the bleakness of the circumstances, the sequences were still deftly shot and presented to the viewer. And then again, it changes further later on when it becomes the venue for bloodshed, as Lawrence stages wars and succeeds in conquering more territories. In some way, the desert seems like the love interest of the main character in the film because quite noticeably, there are no female characters in the film’s entirety. It was also expressed by Lawrence himself that he liked the desert because it was clean. Somehow, it seemed like Lawrence saw the desert as directly contrasting his character because although his actions may have been glorified by the Arabs, Lawrence knew that he was just a pawn in the power play of those who were in authority. The desert provided Lawrence a way to be a hero for others, which is the rationale for his decisions to go into battle.

Conflict in Syria Essay

Conflict in Syria Essay Conflict in Syria Essay Conflict in Syria In 2011, protests spread throughout the country of Syria to bring down the president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad and started a civil war. The U.S. is considering using force in Syria because Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against protesters, which is an international law to not use any chemical weapons, and killed more than one hundred-thousand Syrians. Should the U.S. get involved with Syria? The best option the U.S. should take towards Syria is to work with the International Community to end the civil war. This option is best because we are not putting ourselves in harm’s way, it is best to hear others’ options with this kind of situation instead of going ahead, and using more violence is definitely not the answer to stopping this conflict. Cooperating with the International Community would be the best way to end the war because we will not harm ourselves in any ways possible. We are in debt already so we would not be able to afford another war. We also do not want to lose any soldiers or hurt any innocent bystanders. The U.S. should try to compromise with other countries for a much better peaceful solution. Working with others is the best way to end this conflict is because we need a solution that best fits for everybody. The U.S. acting alone will lead not only resentment towards the country, but will hurt the ability to influence a diplomatic solution in Syria. The U.S. should wait until other countries authorize similar military action or, as said before, come up with a peaceful solution that fits for everybody. The U.S. should be a part of the solution, not the conflict. Using force on this matter will not help with anything but will harm not just ourselves but others also.

Love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw Essays

Love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw Essays Love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw Paper Love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw Paper There was only doom and gloom in Cathy and Heathcliffs relationship soon after Cathy returned from Thushcross Grange, things werent going too well. Catherine started spending much more time with Edgar and this was observable from Heathcliffs calendar in which he marked off the days Cathy spent with him and also the days she spent with Edgar, the ration would have been 5:25, five days she had spent with Heathcliff and twenty-five with Edgar. One stormy night, Catherine had just come back from the grange, she seemed very happy but the storm was a sign that something disastrous had to arise. She asked Nelly if she would keep a secret for her, the secret was Edgar had proposed to Cathy and she had accepted the proposal. Nelly saw someone approaching in the corridor and realised it was Heathcliff who was listening to their conversation in the dark, Catherine on the contrary had no clue whatsoever about his arrival. Nelly then asked Cathy why she wants to marry Edgar; she said she loves everything about him, and that she would be the finest and richest woman in the area. Nelly acknowledged that all these reasons werent good enough and that Heathcliff would friend, love, and all that he has. Cathy remembered her dream in which she was miserable in heaven and wanted to return to the heights, and realises Ive no more business to marry Edgar Linton than I have to be in heaven. Right after that Cathy says It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now. Heathcliff leaves right after listening to this. She goes on comparing Heathcliff to Edgar without knowing Heathcliff had gone forever by saying, Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same, and Lintons is as different as moonbeam from lightning or frost from fire. Social class plays a huge role in this separation, Cathy said it would degrade her to marry Heathcliff because he was a servant and they werent on the same level, this also links back to Hindleys revenge as he was the one who made Heathcliff a servant. Family and destiny also play a major role as Nelly knew Heathcliff was eavesdropping but never told Cathy, also Heathcliff only heard Cathy talking about the degradation not staying to hear her say, I am Heathcliff. This is where faith interwines in their love. Catherine becomes very ill after losing her love and waits for Heathcliff for another two and a half years, but with no luck she finally marries Edgar, destiny also plays a role here as Heathcliff returns after three years, 3 months after Cathy gets married to Edgar. Cathy was flabbergasted when she saw Heathcliff on the door of the grange and invited him in, she also told Edgar to be friends with him as he was now a fine rich gentleman, Edgar wasnt half as happy as Cathy was upon Heathcliffs arrival. Cathy discovered Heathcliff was now the owner of Wuthering Heights as Hindley had no money after gambling continuously. Cathy was starting to become selfish as she wanted Heathcliff to be her friend and Edgar to be her husband at the same time, something which neither of the two wanted. Between all this Heathcliff turned into Isabellas crush, and Isabella soon started to love Heathcliff. He took advantage of this and got his revenge with Edgar by marrying his sister even though Cathy had told her how cruel and wicked Heathcliff is. Isabella soon realised this when Heathcliff said your wealth is now mine and you are going to wish you never married me. This separation was due to Heathcliff wanting to get revenge on Edgar. Cathy was soon seriously ill, and in the 1800s a minor cold could result in a persons death. After a few days in bed Cathys condition worsened, Heathcliff arrived at the grange right after he received the news that Cathy is ill, they were both in tears and angry with each other, but they both forgave each other, Heathcliff had to go out when Edgar arrived but told Cathy I will see you again. He didnt know this was their last meeting, Cathy died a few hours after giving birth to a baby girl, Catherine Linton. This was their final separation, a physical one. Destiny, family, hatred, revenge, social class and death were a few of the main reasons for the soul mates separation along with many people mainly from the family. Wuthering Heights was an amazing story told by Emile Bronte, the two lovers Catherine and Heathcliff finally got together after Heathcilff died in her memories. Alas.

Reinforcement of Dental Composites by Electrospun Nanofibers Research Proposal

Reinforcement of Dental Composites by Electrospun Nanofibers - Research Proposal Example Our work draws support from the background researches concerned with the application of nanoscaled reinforcing materials and organic-inorganic hybrid nanocomposites synthesized by conventional soft chemistry procedures on various innovative industrial products. The principal look out of the following investigation is also based on the previous studies conducted to understand the intricate mechanisms behind the phenomenon of dissipation of energy that is hypothesized to be one of the definitive factors for hiking the index of fracture toughness in solid composites. (Composites Science and Technology, 2008) Past researches show that this energy dissipating phenomenon implicating increase in the fracture toughness is far more definitive and effect enticing for nanocomposites compared to ordinary composites having micron scaled fibers. In the following investigation we attempt to understand and interpret the reasons associated with mimicking such kind of mechanical strength and structure d toughness after reinforcing the resinous polyacrylate matrices of the dental composites with hyperbranched polymeric nanofibers. ... (Saudi Dental Journal, 2006) Though such research is always critical and is undoubtedly clouded by several other unaccountable factors, like, the inherent clinical design of the prosthesis, deformations of the dental base, climatic wear and tear of the metal supports, conditions leading to accidental damages along with the gender, age and total span of usage of the wearer; the plausible causes arising from the discrepancies in the mechanical index of the denture material itself, was the only object of our interest for pursuing further investigations along relevant lines. Therefore, it is undoubtedly clear that the primary objective of this research is to record and understand the effects of the covalently bonded nanoscaled organic reinforcements on the performance and durability index of the recently used dental composites. By designing composites of polyacrylate resin matrices modified with commercial dendritic polymers, like polyesteramide and polyester, we need to create a variati on from the previous investigations by incorporating electrospun polyamide nanofibers into the system and test their effect on the overall mechanical strength of these composites. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The nanofibers will be synthesized by electrospinning three different polymers that are Poly Vinyl Alcohol (PVOH), Poly-L-Lactide Acid (PLLA) and Nylon 6 (Polycaprolactam or Polyamide or PA6) and they are to be used with the Hybrane modified acrylate resin matrix of the composites at different weight percents and particle diameters. The compressive strength, diametric tensile strength, linear shrinkage index and flexural strength will be measured at different concentrations and diameters. The morphology of the

A Raisin in the Sun Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A Raisin in the Sun - Essay Example This causes disagreements between the family members as everyone has different ideas on how the money should be used. They rent a house particularly in a white neighborhood, but they are not very welcome. This is evident by the way Karl Lindner the white neighborhood’s representative asks to buy them out with a very generous offer. At the end of the play, the family leaves with their pride of being black and refuse the money offered by the white people. This paper therefore seeks to analyze the play A raisin in the sun and show how racism was deeply rooted back in the 1950’s and the manner in which blacks always wanted to pursue the American dream where they would hope to have â€Å"life, liberty as well as the pursuit of happiness†. Looking at the social climate of the 1950s and 1960’s as displayed by the play, it is easy to see that black people lived in poor conditions as compared to white people. In this era, most of the public buildings in the white n eighborhood were full of racial segregation. White people did not mingle or live together with black people as they were thought to be of an inferior class. Many whites were also of the belief that by having black people in a white neighborhood, the value of their property would go down1. ... given in the year 1952 by the Women’s committee to end discrimination in the medical services, it was seen that there was a high connection between high death rates in black people and hospital segregation2. Still in the schools black children attended sub-standard schools as compared the white children. In most of the public schools together with colleges, racial segregation was rampant and blacks attained marginal education as compared to white children. Despite the fact that the Supreme Court in the year 1954 made a ruling using the Brown v. Board Education, that school segregation was not constitutional, it took quite a number of years for it to be implemented. In terms of the economic climate that the blacks faced during the 1950s, there was a lot of racial discrimination, which led to blacks getting very low paying jobs. After the Second World War, black veterans went back home so as to share their victory and live the American Dream. This however was not to be a reality for them as they were prohibited from settling in the upcoming suburbs. This is similar to the raisin in the sun play where Mama and her family are being asked to leave particularly because it is a white neighborhood. In the 1950’s black Americans have no choice but to live in cramped areas whereby even finding good jobs is equally hard. Unfortunately, candidates who are educated and are highly qualified for good jobs are not also lucky and they also face racial discrimination when the hiring process is on; for this reason, they have to settle for odd jobs. Black American population between 1940 and 1970 had drastically increased from 50 percent all the way to 80 percent. In the south, many black Americans lost both mining and share cropping jobs particularly due to the government investing

Edit the paper for the final draft submission Essay

Edit the paper for the final draft submission - Essay Example According to Aristotle, happiness is the highest good that a man can obtain and is achieved by action (Ostwald 59). Aristotle agrees that there are many good things apart from happiness. What makes happiness stand out as the highest good is that it is pursued for its own sake. It is itself an end given that it is sufficient and cannot be utilized beyond itself. For example, you cannot seek happiness so that you get a job. Other good things are pursed for the sake of other things or as a means of obtaining something else. For example, pursuing a job so as to be economically stable or get a nice social class. Hence this job must be utilized so as to obtain the economic stability desired. Aristotle’s theory is based on the reason that each man is aiming at some end. It is this desire that initiates every of their actions. Therefore, living an active virtuous life is the only way to get closer to this desired end. However, these actions are not the ones that will bring happiness. They are just a means of striving towards it. According to him, happiness is some good in which ethical life is centered around hence no one action brings happiness as it also differs for each person. For example, for a poor man, their view of happiness is in riches. As for the rich or when the poor man becomes rich, the focus shifts to honor or power. Therefore, the circle is viscous but finally reaches an end as noted by Ostwald (259). Aristotle differentiates happiness and pleasure. A pleasurable life cannot be equated to a happy life. This is because happiness is acquired by virtuous acts. To support this, he argues that human beings are rational compared to animals hence they can differentiate between pleasure and happiness. In other words, Aristotle argues that happiness is achieved by acting out of virtue. One’s moral actions should lie between the two moral extremes. Men are also supposed to seek truth through contemplation and philosophy. They can