Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) - Essay Example Its mission is, PDA has contributed and played a huge role in providing knowledge for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry. It has worked towards increasing the individual’s professional knowledge and abilities. PDA publishes the consensus document called PDA’s technical report on the issues where little or no technical guidance exist , its two major membership publications are; the PDA Journal of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology and the PDA Letter, it also publishes the PDA’s newest membership publication, International Pharmaceutical Quality (IPQ). (PDA Annual report 2007). Apart from this it regularly conducts seminars, conferences and workshops which are designed, developed and executed in the way that they provide ample information regarding professional knowledge and abilities. It holds conferences on topics related to pharmacy, microbiology, quality systems, management etc. In 2007 it published 3 of the technical reports as supplement to PDA journal; PDA has contributed many valuable books to the PDA/Davis health care (DHI) publishing library from where people could get access to them easily. The PDA journal has imposed two important students outreach programs; firstly the student research symposium at the PDA 2007 annual meeting and second being the doctoral program which provides funds for the partial support of four graduate students pursuing doctoral research at various universities. To provide a sound professional knowledge the PDA letter also has articles of many industry experts regarding different issues and topics like; â€Å"Articles of Interest to the Microbiologist: A Review of microbiology-related research published in volume 60 (2006) by Scott Sutton, PhD, Vectech Pharmaceutical Consultants, low energy electron beam applications in aseptic filling operations by Cilag and Ike Harper, Johnson & Johnson†(PDA 2007, 8). PDA has launched a number of student programs to promote learning and research

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION - Essay Example These are not only concerning financial dealings but also about the readiness of an individual to own up actions, learn from mistakes and strive for improvement. Here again, supervisor can give a value judgment. Format devised above relies substantially upon measurable parameters on the one hand and upon the assessment of supervisor which itself has a direct relationship with the measurable parameters, thus eliminating subjectivity to a large extent. Greater emphasis is laid on behavioral aspects of an employee compared to traits since the former has a direct and greater bearing upon the success of the individual and his team in achieving the performance targets. Based on the elements of evaluation, in association with the line supervisor concerned, I will develop format for periodical recording of performance. These records are to be maintained by the supervisor for on-going review and also overall review at the time of annual assessment. For annual assessment, I will devise a separate format (again based on the same elements of evaluation) which will be filled-in by the supervisor. This format will have not only the supervisor’s assessment but also a record of his interaction with the employee on the assessment itself and the employee’s own remarks. This will commit the employee for owning up his shortfalls (if any) and spur him to greater efforts in areas of deficiency. Thus, I will work towards an open and transparent system of appraisal, which will meet the due process of assessment. Team performance appraisals are not very relevant in the sales department of an auto company unless the sales persons are grouped as teams. Assuming that Luxurion Auto has teams of salesmen (divided on some basis like a territory or a market segment) and group targets are set for such teams, I will certainly create team performance appraisal

The Australia immigrant entrepreneurship Essay Example for Free

The Australia immigrant entrepreneurship Essay Australia, one of the most cosmopolitan of contemporary western societies, has a long history of immigrant entrepreneurship, with many ethnic groups significantly over-represented in entrepreneurial activities, particularly in the small business sector of the Australian economy. Immigrant enterprises, mainly small businesses, generate significant economic growth, employment opportunities and import export activity across a broad range of industries in Australia. The experiences of immigrant entrepreneurs in Australia vary considerably, with diversity in pathways to immigrant entrepreneurship in Australia evident for both male and female immigrant entrepreneurs. This means that `one size will not fit all, pointing to the need for a diverse, complex policy response to immigrant entrepreneurship in Australia today. In Australia, immigrants have a slightly higher rate of entrepreneurship (18.8%) than non immigrants (16.3%). However, some immigrant groups, such as the Koreans, have much higher rates of entrepreneurship compared to non-immigrants and other immigrant groups. In order to understand the dynamics of immigrant entrepreneurship (Waldinger et al., 2010), stressed the importance of understanding the interaction between the group characteristics of immigrant communities and the opportunity structure in their host country when they settled. This in turn helps explain the rates of entrepreneurship and the characteristics of immigrant enterprises. Light and Rosenstein (2009) developed the concept of group characteristics in more detail. Immigrants draw on ethnic resources, they argued, which include ‘ethnic ideologies, industrial paternalism, solidarity, social networks, ethnic institutions and social capital’. Immigrants also have access to class and other resources that they bring to entrepreneurship and to the ‘ethnic economy’ (Light and Gold 2010). Immigrant entrepreneurship continued to be a feature in Australia in the post-1945 period as Australia embarked on a large scale immigration program that delivered nearly 7 million immigrants, with immigrants a greater proportion of the Australian population than most other western nations (OECD 2011). The ethnic diversity of contemporary Australian society is reflected in the Australian small business sector. In Australia, as in other countries, restaurants, food and other retailing are areas of the economy with a strong immigrant presence (Collins and Low 2010). Australia is shaped by the intersection of a number of factors: ethnic resources and networks, class resources, regimes of regulation, inclusion/exclusion, opportunity, gender, radicalization and family. Collins and Low (2010) argued that while the international research rightly stressed the extent to which immigrant entrepreneurship is embedded in family relationships with immigrant women playing an important role in their husband’s businesses, it is important to recognize the many immigrant women themselves become entrepreneurs in their own right. One key fact that emerges from the Australian research is the increasing diversity of the paths to immigrant entrepreneurship (Collins 2009). Some immigrants arrive in Australia as successful business migrants with ample start-up capital. Other immigrants arrive with high professional and educational qualifications to enable them to fill labour shortages in the corporate sector, though minority immigrants often reach an ‘accent ceiling’ that constrains their promotion opportunities. Others tread the ‘traditional’ path from low-wage jobs to entrepreneurship. Finally, some immigrants see entrepreneurship as an alternative to unemployment and take advantage of federal government programs to assist the unemployed to establish business enterprise. The Australian research on immigrant entrepreneurship (Collins, 2009) shows that there is increasing diversity in the paths that new immigrants take to entrepreneurship: some were previously unemployed, while others were manual labourers before opening a small business. Some must attain university qualifications that are prerequisites for entering the professions (such as doctors, dentists, accountants and lawyers) and opening a private practice, others leave corporate jobs to become entrepreneurs, while still others, business migrants were already established as entrepreneurs before migrating to Australia. The Australian research also points to a diversity of class background among and between birthplace groups of immigrant entrepreneurs (Collins, 2011) and a great diversity in educational achievement. Australian immigrant enterprises are very diverse, and so policy is required to respond to that diversity. While many immigrant enterprises produce or sell ethnic products such as food, coffee or artifacts, many others do not. Immigrant entrepreneurs are spread across the economy, with businesses in the services sector of the economy, including retail, real estate, finance, media and tourism. Others are professionals such as doctors, dentists and architects who run their own private practices. The Federal Australian Government promotes immigrant entrepreneurship directly though it’s permanent and temporary immigration policy (Collins, 2011). Australia introduced an Entrepreneurial Migration Category in November 1976 to allow immigrant entrepreneurs with detailed business proposals and capital to enter Australia under the permanent migration programme as migrant settlers. Over the years this policy has been fine-tuned in the wake of the identification of anomalies in the programme. Evaluations of this programme suggest that it is largely successful. Today business owners, senior executives and investors can apply for a visa under the Business Skills category. The main problem appears to be in attracting a sufficient number of entrants under this category, with Australia facing strong competition from other Western countries, including Canada. In March 2003 three Business Skills Processing Centres were opened and a two-stage process was introduced, whereby business migrants are granted a Business Skills (Provisional) visa for four years. If they establish a business or maintain their legal investment over the four-year period they become eligible to apply for a Business Skills (Residence) visa, an entrepreneurial pathway to permanent residence in Australia. A direct permanent residence category is still available for high-calibre business migrants sponsored by State and Territory governments, known as the Business Talent visa. In addition to these immigration policy initiatives, a number of Federal Government agencies assist immigrant entrepreneurship, directly or indirectly. One Federal scheme, the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS), was designed to assist cash-poor unemployed people in entering the setting-up phase of a business enterprise, allowing them to take advantage of business training and draw on future unemployment benefits during the period in which the business enterprise is being established. The State governments play a key role in the regulation of enterprises in Australia, including those owned by immigrants. These regulations relate to issues such as health and safety requirements and employment conditions, including wages, impacting on immigrant and non-immigrant entrepreneurs. For example, a decision in the 1980s to permit outdoor dining in the State of New South Wales meant that al fresco eating became possible for the first time. Today many immigrant enterprises are concentrated in the food industry, with ethnic restaurants and cafes, most with outdoor tables, in evidence across metropolitan and regional Australia. Ethnic precincts are key spatial sites though, significantly, not the only sites of the ethnic economy in the city (Collins, 2011). In central or suburban parts of the city, ethnic precincts are essentially clusters of ethnic or immigrant entrepreneurs in areas of the city that are designated as ethnic precincts by place marketers and Government officials. They are characterized by the presence of a substantial number of immigrant or ethnic entrepreneurs who populate the streets of the precinct selling food, goods or services to co-ethnics and non-co ethnics alike. Ethnic precincts come in a number of forms. Often they tend to be associated with one ethnic group, as evinced by districts. Each of these ethnic precincts has been developed with the financial and marketing support of local government. Ethnic festivals become key moments in promoting the precinct to a broader clientele, including tourists. Promotion of ethnic festivals is a key element of any strategy to promote immigrant entrepreneurship. Policies designed to develop and promote ethnic precincts (Collins and Kunz, eds,2010), the ethnic economy and urban ethnic tourism(Rath, ed, 2010) will, in turn, help the immigrant entrepreneurs whose small businesses are located in clusters in particular. The important growth in female immigrant entrepreneurship in Australia, like other countries, also suggests a need for policies to be sensitive to matters related to intersection of ethnicity and gender. This area requires further research in Australia. Moreover, minorities face barriers in respect to language difficulties and racism and prejudice, issues that do not confront non-immigrant entrepreneurs. References Collins, J and Low. A. (2010)â€Å"Asian female immigrant entrepreneurs in Small and Mediumsized Businesses in Australia†, Entrepreneurship Regional Development, Volume 22 Issue 1, January 2010, pp 97-111. Collins, J. (2009), â€Å"Ethnic Diversity Down Under: Ethnic Precincts in Sydney†, International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations, no. 4, pp. 1043-53. Collins, J. and Kunz, P. (2010), â€Å"Ethnic entrepreneurs, ethnic precincts and tourism: The case of Sydney, Australia† in Richards, G. (ed.), Tourism Creativity and Development, London and New York: Routledge, pp. 201-14. Collins, J. (2011), â€Å"Ethnic Diversity Down Under: Ethnic Precincts in Sydney†, International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations, no. 4, pp. 1043-53. Collins, J. and Kunz, P. (2010), â€Å"Ethnic entrepreneurs, ethnic precincts and tourism: The case of Sydney, Australia† in Richards, G. (ed.), Tourism Creativity and Development, London and New York: Routledge, pp. 201-14. Light, I. and Rosenstein, C. (2009), Race, Ethnicity and Entrepreneurship in Urban America, Aidine de Gruyter, New York.Light, I. and Gold, S. J. (2010), Ethnic Economies, Academic Press, San Deigo.OECD (2010), Open for Business: Migrant Entrepreneurship in OECD Countries, OECD Publishing, Paris.OECD (2011), International Migration Outlook: SOPEMI 2011, OECD Publishing.http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/migr_outlook-2011-en Rath, J. (ed.) (2010), Tourism, Ethnic Diversity and the City, New York: Routledge. Stromback, T. and Malhotra, R. (1994), Socioeconomic Linkages of South Asian Immigrants with their Country of Origin, Canberra: Australian GovernmentPublishing Service. Rezaei (2011) Royal delicacies at peasant prices: cross-national differences, common grounds towards an empirically supported theory of the informal economic activities ofmigrants. World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 2011, vol. 7, issue 2, pages 109-154 Waldinger, R., Aldrich, H., Ward, R. and Associates (2010), Ethnic Entrepreneurs Immigrant Business in Industrial Societies, Sage, Newbury Park, London, New Delhi. Source document

Aviation and the environment: Virgin Atlantic

Aviation and the environment: Virgin Atlantic Introduction As the years go by and as technology advances the environment is becoming fragile. This is because of the continual pressure on the natural resources available to man. The adverse effects of human activities on the environment have become evident as there has been an increase in earthquakes, floods, landslides, melting of polar ice caps and the rise in sea level towards the end of the 21st century and start of the 22nd. It is due to this fact that the concept of responsible human activities was brought up by environmental conservationists. This concept proposes that the reduction of greenhouse gases can be achieved through the use of cleaner energy and/or through efficient use of energy. The transport industry produces a significant amount of greenhouse gases on a yearly basis; estimated at 15% of the total greenhouse production in the world. Data collected shows that 23% of all carbon dioxide released into the environment is from the transport industry (See, 2009). Carbon dioxide emissions have been seen to grow by half in a period of seventeen years between 1990 and 2007. Studies show that global greenhouse gas emissions are directly proportional to economic growth. The global financial crisis of 2007 resulted in a drop in greenhouse gas emissions as people were seen to travel less. This shows that the transport industry indeed has a significant effect on global greenhouse gas emissions and therefore measures are needed so as to reduce these emissions in an attempt to reduce the yearly global emissions (Banhart and Odoni, 2009). Air transport pollutes the environment by emitting harmful gases such as COx, NOx, SOx and particulate matter into the air. This mode of transport has also been criticized for noise pollution with the concord being an example of a noise pollutant. Pollution from air travel is a major concern for environmentalists as the yearly emissions from the industry are expected to increase in the future. This is due to the fact that air travel is still in its growth stages and as the world becomes a global village more air traffic will result. On the contrary, greenhouse gas emissions from road transport are expected to reduce in the future due to the advancement in technology and the use of more efficient engines i.e. turbocharged engines, computer controlled combustion sequences etc. Gasoline engines have evolved in the last twenty years from carburetor engines, to EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) to VVT-i (Valve Variable Timing with Intelligence). This evolution is expected to continue until emissions from road transport are reduced to the least possible (Balmer, 2010). There are different proposals on the measures that could be taken so as regulate air travel and reduce greenhouse emissions from the industry. These include increased taxation of the aviation industry, abolishment of incentives for air travel passengers and emissions trading schemes. Other factors such as a responsible corporate culture and have also been mentioned as possible ways through which emissions from air travel can be reduced. The harmful effects of aviation on the environment have often brought to question the morality of air travel with some critics claiming that air travel is not only immoral and unethical as it causes damage to the habitats of people without properly compensating them. Africa in particular is the greatest victim of global warming with the continent bearing the brunt of the commercial activities of the modern world. Global warming has been found to result in reduction in food production in Africa by 10%; 2 million people die in a year due to malnourishme nt (Cline, 2007). Some aircraft engineers think that the development of more efficient combustion engines and air frame designs have the potential of reducing the yearly greenhouse gas emissions from the industry. This comes at a time when airplane manufacturers are committed to increasing the fuel efficiency of commercial jets by making better designs. The use of alternative fuels for airplanes is also seen by some aviation engineers as a possible solution to the emissions problem. However, critics claim that as aircraft engines become more efficient there is a proportional increase in aircraft traffic thus offsetting the benefits of the new technology. They further claim that the useful life of an aircraft spans between 12 and 8 years and thus it would take long to replace old technology with new technology thus resulting in extensive damage to the environment. The Virgin Atlantic Airline is at the forefront of the fight against air pollution. This is evident by the numerous programs and ventures started by the company so as to reduce its annual greenhouse emissions. It is also the first aircraft company in the United States that reports its emissions to the climate registry. This study will focus on the Virgin Atlantic Airline company and will attempt to assess the impacts that the airline has to the environment and the measures that have been taken so as to reduce the annual emissions of the company. The study will also focus on the technical aspects of aircraft manufacture and operation that have an impact on greenhouse gas emissions (Virgin Atlantic, 2010). Data will be collected from a study carried out in the Virgin Atlantic airline. The data will be collected from technical personnel, engineers, directors, environmentalists and flight personnel so as to gain an understanding of the firms practices and how they affect the environment. The data will then be analysed and from the analysis discussions and suitable recommendations will be made. Research questions What impacts do airline operations have on the environment? What is the Virgin Airline companys policy towards the environment? Has a pro-environment policy in the company resulted in increased customer satisfaction and loyalty? What technical aspects of airplane design and construction have been changed so as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Which operational measures have been taken so as to reduce green house gas emissions? Are the measures taken by the company practical and realistic? Should other airline companies follow the Virgin Atlantic example? Literature review Exemplary leadership and sound company policies are seen to be the key ingredients in minimizing the effects of the transport industry to the environment. A vibrant leadership that is able to formulate sound policies and that can be able to put these practices into effect is desperately needed if the aviation industry is to go ‘green. The Virgin Atlantic chairman Sir Richard Branson is an example of effective leader who has seen sound company policies being transformed into practical solutions for his organisation. Many companies are yet to adopt similar policies even in an age when there is widespread information on the need to conserve the environment. Sir Branson has welcomed other major airlines and aircraft operators to form a common initiative that will work towards finding solutions for the industry. It is evident that a clear vision at top level management is the driver behind the implementation of environmentally friendly aviation practices (Virgin Atlantic, 2010). Another contributing factor that has enabled the Virgin Airline to reduce its annual carbon emissions is the fact that there exists a flexible and innovative culture within the organisation. According to the company, sustainability must be accompanied by change; staff have to be trained on how to cope with the challenges of the modern world. The companys staff have been educated on the effects of carbon emissions and have been encouraged to find ways in which they could reduce these emissions in their respective areas of work. Such a culture lacks in many aviation companies and is the reason why the Virgin Atlantic is a leader in sustainable aviation. (Virgin Atlantic, 2010). Virgin Atlantic has invested into a fleet of more efficient aircraft that are able to cut the greenhouse gas emissions by 27%. The company has liaised with its manufacture Boeing Commercial Airplanes who have been able to design a more efficient aircraft for the company; Dreamliner 787-9. This is in line with companys goals to have reduced its carbon emissions by 30% before the year 2020. This plane is built from composite materials that are lighter compared to the conventional aluminum alloys. The airplane also has an increased carrying capacity of 290 passengers. Due to modifications in its engines and aerodynamics the aircraft produces 60 percent less noise compared to the A series Boeing already in service. The company also intends to benefits the customer with this new technology through the reduction in air travel fares and the design of improved cabin environments. The company has established a fuel panel that has the responsibility of ensuring that the company saves up to 7000 tonnes of jet fuel in a year. This panel is made up of technical personnel, engineers and pilots who meet periodically and formulate ways of reducing fuel consumption. It is from these meetings that pilots are taught how to minimize fuel consumption when in cruise mode during takeoff and landing. An innovative piloting technique devised by Virgin Atlantic pilots is the continuous descent technique that involves a gradual descent by the pilot from much higher altitudes and thus resulting in reduced fuel burnt and consequently CO2 emissions. The company is also working on the concept of starting grids where the aircraft will be stored in bays close to the runways and then towed to the runways ten minutes before departure. This is expected to cut the amount pre take off fuel consumption by half (Virgin Atlantic, 2010). In a quest to reduce its emissions the company has been able to reduce the weight of its A series aircraft. This involves the substitution of materials inside the aircraft for lighter materials i.e. interior fittings, catering equipment. The company has substituted its metal oxygen tanks with carbon fibre ones, uses lighter paints for aircraft surfaces, replaced metal cargo bins with carbon fibre ones. Other measures such as the removal of used bottles and containers before the next flight have been taken so as to reduce the total takeoff weight of the aircraft. The company has also taken measures towards the implementation of sound air traffic management practices. The chairman Sir Branson is found to say that the efficiency of European airlines could be improved if a single airline management authority was put in place so as to replace the 35 that exist. He further notes that with better air traffic management this could result in better aircraft routes and therefore reduced emissions. The company has proposed the formation of a single sky; a single authority to man and regulate flight routes. This would however require the cooperation of local authorities and government; the company is working towards the achievement of this goal in the future (Virgin Atlantic, 2010). Other measures taken by the company include the reduction in energy used by its ground based sites. This is done through proper employee education, investment in cost effective electrical appliances, installation and the generation of electricity from solar panels. The company has also put measures in place so as to save water in all its processes and operations; cleaning operations, catering, clubhouses to aircraft maintenance. The company has also launched a waste management program that plans to recycle 50% of all the waste generated during active flight and from ground operations. This is aimed at reducing the burden on the environment due to the services and utilities offered to passengers by the airline. The company has even a gone a step further by providing mass transport services for its employees so as to reduce single occupant journeys. The reason for this is to reduce the carbon footprints resulting from services that support the airline but not directly related to it. The Virgin Atlantic airline has shown extraordinary commitment to the conservation of the environment. Not only has the company focused on air pollution but on other forms such as land and water pollution. The chairman of the company has pledged to reinvest the companys profits for the next ten years into the conservation of the environment. This commitment is unmatched by any other airline company and analysts claim that it could be a strategic move to align itself with a rapidly changing world that is becoming increasingly conscious of the threats posed to the environment by human activities (Virgin Atlantic, 2010). Methodology Participants The respondents for the study were selected from employees of the Virgin Atlantic airline in London. This was done so as to gain an understanding of the specific measures that the company has taken with respect to the environment. Respondents from the general public were also selected for the study so as to collect the opinions and feelings of the general public with respect to the aviation industry. These respondents were chosen from people living around airports. Top level management officials were also selected for the study; airline directors and chief officers. Structured and formal interviews Structured and formal interviews will be used in the data collection process. This method has been favoured as it offers several advantages; the researcher will have control of the process, allows the researcher to prioritize questions, prevents the researcher from deviating off the key aspects of the study and saves time by allowing the researcher to ask as many questions in the shortest time possible. The researcher recorded the responses received and then transcribed these responses so as to facilitate analysis of the data. A copy of the questions sheet has been attached at the appendices section (Appendix 1) Emails It was noted during the study that some respondents were not available for face to face interviews. This was mainly due to distance barriers and lack of convenience. Secondary sources Secondary sources such as journals, books, and news prints were compared with the primary data. These were accessed through physical libraries, online libraries and databases. Data analysis The audio records were transcribed to written data. The data was then coded so as to allow for qualitative analysis of the data using statistical software. The IBM V 18 spss statistical package was used to analyse the coded data and from these codes develop visual representations of the data. Benefits of this software include its ability to analyse and develop relationships between various sets of data thus proving useful for the study. Results The answers for each research question were assessed and then coded. These codes were then analyzed statistically and the results displayed visually using pie charts and bar graphs. What do you think is the most notable environmental impact of the aviation industry? Due to the recent increase in aviation related accidents do you think that the aviation industry is still as safe mode of transport? Does the aviation industry need to take necessary measures so as to make it environmentally friendly? Most airline companies are committed to conserving the environment and implementing sustainable practices in their operations. Does company policy have an effect on the approach of an airline company towards air and noise pollution? Do customers tend to prefer airlines that are environmentally conscious? Do you think that the Virgin Atlantic airline has taken genuine steps towards the conservation of the environment? Can changes in the design and engineering of aircraft reduce the impact that they have on the environment? Which aspects of aircraft design do you think are the most critical in the attempt to reduce the environmental impact of aviation? Do you believe that it is possible and practical for airline companies to be sustainiable in nature? Do you support the proposed emissions trading scheme that will have airlines pay for any excessive emissions that they produce? Do you think that the Virgin Atlantic airline provides a good example of environmental conscious business for other airline companies? Discussion Impacts of the aviation industry to the environment The respondents interviewed in the study were found to be well knowledgeable about the aviation industry and its potential impacts to environment. The first question that the researcher asked the respondents was aimed at gaining some insight on the opinions of different people on the effects aircraft operations to the environment. Most respondents claimed that aviation as an industry resulted in pollution to the environment. The three main types of pollution noted in the study include gaseous emissions, release of particles into the air and noise pollution. It was however noted that majority of the respondents claimed that gaseous emissions were the most serious type of pollution that airline companies need to control. It was also found that there is generally minimal knowledge on the existence of particle emissions from aircraft among residents who lived near airports Mainstream media has been found to have a great impact on the opinions of the general public towards pollution and the environment. Coincidentally gaseous emissions which include C0x, N0x and S0x compounds have been extensively covered by media and thus the increased interest/awareness in these issues. Particulate matter release on the other hand has not been well addressed by mainstream media and thus less concern for this type of pollution. In a paper by Person (2005) he claims that particulate matter though ignored by most engineers and environmentalists leads to the damage of the environment, deterioration of human health and has harmful impacts on the engine of the aircraft. In the paper he further addresses the need for engineers and designers to maintain low levels of particulate matter from aircraft engines in an attempt to increase engine lifetime and improve on combustion efficiency. The Transportation Research Board (2005) further explorers the need for a regulatory body t o ensure that all aircraft produce a certain amount of particulate matter so as to reduce environmental pollution. He further states that biofuels though are perceived to be beneficial to the environment could result in higher amounts of particulate matter release into the environment. This study was able to show that there is significant knowledge on the adverse effects of uncontrolled aviation. All respondents acknowledged the fact that the aviation industry places some unseen burden onto the natural environment. However, it was also found that there lacks an alternative source for cleaner, cheaper and readily available fuels. Safety of airline industry The second question was aimed at investigating on the level of trust and confidence of the respondents on the safety of aircrafts. It was found that 63% of all respondents interviewed had confidence in the aviation industry. These respondents claimed that they felt safe and at ease when using this means of transport or operating in the industry. Further probing shows that most respondents thought that aircraft accidents are inevitable and must occur at some point. It was also common belief among respondents that every type of transport has a certain level of risk with most respondents claiming that aviation has the lowest risk factor. Airline directors and airline employees were found to be more aware of the potent risks that exist in the aviation industry compared to environmentalists and residents. This is because these people through their experiences in the industry had come to realize that it is through the continuous checks and quality control processes that airline companies carry out that the accident rates are kept low. Engineers and technical staff were particularly found to be most aware of this fact as they were actively involved in the day to day maintenance of aircraft. One engineer was noted to say he tries his best to ensure that aircraft are 100% accurate but sometimes some things go unchecked and these could result in fatalities. He further claims that no human can ever be perfect including engineers and technical staff and therefore there is always some element of risk that exists when flying a plane. Twenty seven percent of the respondents claimed that the aviation industry was unsafe with most quoting aircraft accidents such as the Flight 93 of United Airlines and the 1977 Tenerife accident. It was also noted that some respondents chose this answer due to lack of sufficient knowledge on the aviation. This was evident among respondents chosen from people living in the vicinity of airports and who had minimal background knowledge on the aviation industry. However, this element of ignorance did not have an effect on the study as only a small proportion of respondents thought that aircrafts were unsafe; 23%. Need for change in aviation industry The third question was geared towards gaining an understanding on the general opinion of industry experts and the public on the need for change by the aviation industry. It was noted that 92% of all respondents acknowledged that there was an urgent need for change in the industry. It was found that almost all of the respondents were aware of the adverse effects that the industry had to the environment and to human life. These include the depletion of natural resources, air pollution, noise, and human health complications such as asthma and allergies. Despite the fact there is sufficient knowledge on the adverse effects of aviation, it was found that little change had been done by most airline companies. After being interviewed most engineers, technical and support staff were found to say that the decision for change had to be made at top levels of the organisation. These respondents claimed that despite the fact that most employees were aware of the need for change they did not have the ability to effect change. The airline directors claimed that most leaders were afraid of change as there was lack of an alternative technology that could be more efficient and cheaper. It was also evident that commitment towards change in the airline industry was lacking as most directors had the ‘impossible or ‘too difficult attitude. A director from the Virgin Atlantic was also found to say that share holders are more interested in profits and less in environmental conservation; thus profits had to be key priority and not environment alism. The year 2007 financial crisis and fuel energy crises were also quoted as factors that tend to slow down the change of aviation into ‘green aviation. Level of commitment in airline companies A survey was also carried out so as to investigate the level of commitment that aviation companies had to the conservation of the environment. The respondents were required to either give a positive or negative response to this question. In an attempt to avoid biases the respondents were divided into categories; establish any differences in opinion by virtue of category. All the environmentalists thought that airline companies lacked the required commitment towards the conservation of the environment and the development of alternative technology. Studies show that environmentalists are often unable to see the economic perspective of any situation and are often biased in their opinions. Goodstein (2010, pp. 9-12) is quoted to says that economists and environmental experts tend to have different opinions as each party is determined to achieve its goals at the expense of the other. From an economic perspective conservation must also have a price tag as the key goal of any business is to make profits. He further outlines the need for economists and environmentalists to agree and make compromises as each cannot exist without the other. Eighty three percent of residents who lived near airports thought that airline companies were not committed to the conservation of the environment. This together with responses from other questions shows that there is a poor opinion of airline companies especially among residents who lived in the proximity. This shows that there is need for public education and community projects so as to improve the relationships between airline and airport authorities with local residents. Most Virgin Atlantic airline employees and support staff claimed that airlines were committed to the conservation of the environment. This is due to the fact that these people have been are exposed to the numerous environmentalist programs within the Virgin Atlantic. However this cannot be meant to reflect all the opinions of employees from all airline companies. This commitment was felt more strongly among top level employees in the Virgin Atlantic; people at these levels have the most responsibility of implementing sustainable practices and due to the perceived burden that they have they tend to overestimate the level of commitment of their organisation. A smaller percentage, 50% of support staff, thought that their airline company was committed to conserving the environment and to sustainable practice. This exposes a trend whereby the further you move from the decision making organs of an organisation the lesser you see this commitment. It was therefore deduced that there is significant commitment among airline companies but not at the desired levels. It was also deduced that an insignificant level of bias exists among some of the respondents; cannot challenge the validity of the data collected. Environmental conservation and customer loyalty Results of data analysis show that there is a relationship between sustainable practices of an airline and customer loyalty/satisfaction. This is because of the environmental awareness that exists among consumers of goods and service. People want to support companies that give back to the society and to the environment within which they operate in. Most customers think that it is the moral responsibility of airlines to employ sustainable practices so as to not to damage the environment in exchange for profits. Customers now relate the neglect of the environment to corporate greed and moral decay. 64% of the respondents interviewed agreed that environmental conservation had an impact on customer preferences and loyalty. These included managers engineers and support staff in the Virgin Atlantic. Maignan and Ferrell (2004, pp. 3-7) expound on the ability of corporate social responsibility to result in an increase in customer loyalty and satisfaction. In the studies the authors were able to establish that these two factors were directly proportional to each other. In fact the authors state that sustainable practices can be used as a marketing strategy by companies and thus offer dual benefits for organisations. The Virgin Atlantic has gained much recognition in the main stream media for its conservational efforts which include sustainability projects, the Gold Standard scheme and the carbon footprint project. This is also the only company that submits data on its periodical emissions. Studies show that public opinion of the company has substantially improved due to this fact and this has brought with it increased customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. The Virgin Atlantic airline intends to be the most sustainable airline by the year 2020 and its strategy is to be able to gain control and influence over competitors in the industry by acquiring moral and ethical justification from sustainable practices. Engineering changes and environmental impact All the engineers and airline directors interviewed were confident that engineering practices and changes on aircraft would be able to reduce the impact of the industry to the environment. This is a positive aspect as it shows that commitment and a sense of belief in the part of top level management and of technical staff. A Virgin Atlantic director interviewed said that his company was committed towards the generation of engineering solution suited to the problems of the 22nd century and to the unique needs of this time. He also quoted the energy crisis that has been spurred by international conflicts with Middle East as the hot spot of the crises. This coupled with the fact that oil reserves are slowly being exhausted there is a need for the generation of alternative fuel sources. He however states that the development of an alternative fuel source that could replace jet fuel and that could also make economical sense would take a very long period of time. He therefore said that it would be prudent if the efficiency of aircraft engines could be improved before such a technology could be made possible. 100% of the engineers interviewed also claimed that they could improve the efficiency of aircraft so as to reduce the impacts that these aircraft had on the environment. The researcher asked some engineers to quantify the amount of time and resources that they would need to cut aircraft emissions by half. The engineers claimed that it would be impossible to quantify such factors as such a move would have to be preceded by intensive research and testing. Once these results are positive this would then give a go ahead for the engineers to put these measures into practice. The engineers further stated that some measures such as efficient engines and revolutionary airframe designs could not be implemented by the airline company itself but this had to be in liaison with the aircraft manufacture. An airline engineer was noted to say that â€Å"we as engineers at the Virgin Atlantic can only carry out basic changes on the aircraft. When want major changes to be made on the aircraft we have to relay this information to Boeing so that they could probably effect these changes in the next aircraft that they roll out.† An airline director was quoted to say that it takes a very long time to change aircraft technology. This is due to the fact that it takes long time to design, test, implement new designs and technology. The useful economic life of an airplane is around 10 years and thus it does not make economical sense to retire a plane that has not fully paid back its on its capital investment. This is a challenge that directors and engineers face when trying to reduce aircraft emissions as they are forced to work with outdated and comparatively inefficient aircraft as these aircraft have not yet reached their full work life. Riodan (1985, pp. 1461-1463) looks at the moral obligation of engineers and technical staff to conserve the environment. The author says that engineers have destructive and constructive abilities and further states that lack of regard for the environment leads to destructive engineering. The author also states that the environment provides a platform for all of us to stand

Management of Pupil Behaviour Essay -- Education School Behavior Stude

Management of Pupil Behaviour In this report I intend to focus on the different strategies of quieting down and calming the class. Managing the behaviour of the classroom has always been a problem for the class teacher. When given the responsibility of 30 children, all individual, all different, it is a hard task to try and also keep your class peaceful and co-operative. The Elton report stated that ‘Primary schools had to deal with many incidents of minor disruptive behaviour e.g. shouting out, pushing, running in school, name calling, defiance.’ (Elton Report 1989) Because of these incidentds of disruptive behaviour it is important that teachers have in place their own methods of calming the class, or in some cases of repremanding them. The different methods of claming or repremanding the class are often debated amongst theorists. Johnstone, M is of the opinion ‘A lost temper is often needed in order for the pupils to realise the consequence of their actions’(Johnstone1992) Johnstone believes that a teacher needs from time to time to loose his/her temper in order for the class to notice that when they are disruptive the teacher gets angry and unpleasent. Wilson and Cowell do not agree with this belief. ‘It is essential for teachers to remain in control of themselves at all times, so that they may be a source of security for the pupils. They can be excited or enthusiastic or funny, or all sorts of things, but they must feel secure.’ (Wilson & Cowell 1990) As we can s... Management of Pupil Behaviour Essay -- Education School Behavior Stude Management of Pupil Behaviour In this report I intend to focus on the different strategies of quieting down and calming the class. Managing the behaviour of the classroom has always been a problem for the class teacher. When given the responsibility of 30 children, all individual, all different, it is a hard task to try and also keep your class peaceful and co-operative. The Elton report stated that ‘Primary schools had to deal with many incidents of minor disruptive behaviour e.g. shouting out, pushing, running in school, name calling, defiance.’ (Elton Report 1989) Because of these incidentds of disruptive behaviour it is important that teachers have in place their own methods of calming the class, or in some cases of repremanding them. The different methods of claming or repremanding the class are often debated amongst theorists. Johnstone, M is of the opinion ‘A lost temper is often needed in order for the pupils to realise the consequence of their actions’(Johnstone1992) Johnstone believes that a teacher needs from time to time to loose his/her temper in order for the class to notice that when they are disruptive the teacher gets angry and unpleasent. Wilson and Cowell do not agree with this belief. ‘It is essential for teachers to remain in control of themselves at all times, so that they may be a source of security for the pupils. They can be excited or enthusiastic or funny, or all sorts of things, but they must feel secure.’ (Wilson & Cowell 1990) As we can s...

Mid-Term Break by Seamus Heaney. Essay -- English Literature

Mid-Term Break by Seamus Heaney. 'Mid-Term Break' by the poet Seamus Heaney is about a personal experience that he has encountered. It deals with the issues of life and death in a family and also how different people cope. The title at first suggests that the poem is going to be about a holiday, but as you get into the poem further, you realise that the title has a far deeper and darker meaning... In the first stanza, we learn that Seamus Heaney is in a college sick bay waiting to be picked up. You get suspicious when he is being picked up his neighbour, which could indicate that something serious has happened. Time is passing slowly, and Heaney uses alliteration to show this. "Counting bells knelling classes to a close." Already so early in the poem, we sense that something is wrong due to the poets word choice of 'knelling'. Knelling is when a church bell rings to signify a funeral. The clues become more apparent as you move through the stanzas, and are very effective in arousing your suspicions. When Seamus Heaney arrives home, he is greeted by his father crying on the porch. A stereotypical male would usually hold back his feelings and Heaney uses parenthesis to show this. "In the porch i met my father crying ---He had always taken funerals in his stride--- And Big Jim Evans saying it was a hard blow." Obviously something had caused him great pain, and parenthesis is effective in showing that normally Heaneys father would bottle up his feelings, and be strong for everyone else, taking things in his stride. Meanwhile in the next verse. "The baby cooed and laughed and rocked the pram" This extract shows that the baby is oblivious to its surroundings and to what is happen... ...ld, and was killed in a road traffic accident... "A four foot box, a foot for every year." The poet is emphasizing the fact that his brother was just an innocent child, and did not deserve to die at such an early stage in his life. He places this line separate from the rest of the stanzas and this draws your attention to it; making you think about how precious life is, and just when you think that you have it all figured out, something happens that makes you question the purpose of life again. We think that the natural order is for adults to die before children and that is why it is such a hard thing to come to terms with when a child dies in a family. A point i think that Heaney was trying to stress to the reader, is that no matter what tragedies happen in life, in the end we just have to move on and accept the past so we can move onto the future.

Skywest Cas

eSkyWest, Inc. case Analysis Written Case Analysis Table of Contents 1. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ pg. 2 2. External Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ pg. 3-10 3. Internal Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ pg. 10-14 4. Key Decisions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. pg. 14- 15 5. Alternatives†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ pg. 15 6. Recommended Decisions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ pg. 16 7. Appendices†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. pg. 17-19 1-SkyWest Airline IntroductionSkyWest, Inc. was found in 1972 by Raplph Atkins in St. George, Utah. Initially this was only a charter type of flight and was mostly used by businessman travelling between Salt Lake City and St. George, Utah. But with business partnerships and merging with companies like Western Airlines and later with Delta airlines partnerships the network of SkyWest airlines were much broad. Later in near future with more partnerships with United Airlines and Midwest Airlines helped the company to grow rapidly and in 2005 SkyWest acquired Atlantic Southeast Airlines.Currently SkyWest is operating in overseas too for instance Canada meanwhile it runs its operations in 34 states and nearly in 158 cities. Sky West case analysis report will help the reader to understand especially about the SkyWest Inc. and the general economic conditions of the reg ional airline industry of US at a micro environmental level along with some introductions of market size and market growth of the airline industry. The report is organized under the following main topics as follows.External analysis, internal analysis, Key decisions, alternatives and recommended decisions along with some charts and tables that helps the arguments for better understanding. Moving on when we consider the industry as a whole it had a decline due to the economic recession in 2009 that affected the growth rate of the airline industry and in terms of market size the revenue from passenger per mile decreased in 2008 compared to 2007 and this is an early effect of the economic recession, we shall discuss the threats and alternatives as we go along.In five year period from 2004 to 2008 the industry’s combined revenue has increased almost with a double effect from $4. 7 billion to $8. 4 billion (Please refer the epilogue table # 1). As part of the introduction let†™s identify the vision statement and the company strategy. Company strategy is low-cist strategy and its competitive advantage is achieved by lower cost than its competitors. Vision statement is â€Å"Atlantic Southeast Airlines is committed to connecting more people, more often; to the places they love, by becoming the world's first super regional airline. Moving on we would concentrate on the external analysis of this company. 2-External Analysis Economic Factors The external analysis assess the company’s external environment by looking at its Marco-environmental factors including the size of the market in terms of unit sale and sales volume as well as the market growth. It also examines the number and size of buyers and sellers in the environment, the pace of technological change or innovation, the economies of scale, geographic boundaries, the market supply and demand conditions, learning curve effects of the market and the differential products available.We will now e valuate SkyWest’s external environment by first looking at its economic factors. Size and Market Growth rate: The first economic factor addressed is the size of the company and its growth rate. SkyWest is the largest independently owned regional airline that is partnered with two of the major airlines; United and Delta. Alone SkyWest has more than 11,000 people representing their company none of which are unionized. Through the partnership with United and Delta, SkyWest was imited to the size of the aircraft through scope clauses limiting seating of 76 with Delta and 70 with United. This would limit the amount of business they could capture from their partners. In order to take advantages of their efficiencies SkyWest could have purchased larger aircraft to expand its business had there been no limitations. Throughout the five years SkyWest contracted to Delta and United ending in December of 2008, their annual growth rate had increased to a compounded 29. 6% with the number of flights increasing from 1,500 to 2,300.The size of the market in terms of unit sale and sales volume will be discussed in the next paragraph defining its size of buyers and sellers. Number and Size of buyers and sellers: The number of buyers in the company can be defined by the number of customers the company serves per year. SkyWest has the ability to serve over 100,000 customers per year due to the contract with Delta and United. The number of sellers in the company can be defined as the partnering airlines using their regional services to operate their connecting flights for a fixed cost.SkyWest is a regional airline that operates the connecting flights of its major partners Delta and United. The regional flight as well as the connecting flights through Delta and United has them serving 158 cities in 42 states and five Canadian provinces and Mexico. Their Hubs are located in Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Portland, Denver and Salt Lake City. In o rder to maintain these airlines they have maintenance based in Atlanta, Chicago, Colorado Springs, Denver, Fresno, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Palm Springs, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Tucson.Through their contract with Delta they have increased their customer base by operating about 430 connecting flights per day between Salt Lake City and designated outlaying destination which is about 59. 9% of the company’s capacity. The other 40. 10% of capacity goes to their contract with United that has them operating about 900 scheduled departures per day. In January of 2008 SkyWest took over Midwest allowing them to service 70 and 90 seating customers per flight.When they partnered with these major airlines there were a lot of changes that took place including technical changes. We will now discuss the pace of these technical changes and innovation. Pace of technological change or innovation: Most of the technological changes happened after the 9/11 attack on the World Tr ade Center and the Pentagon. One of the changes SkyWest had implemented was the Stetson Quality Suite. The Stetson Quality Suite is a mobile data collection and reporting software SkyWest used to ensure they were meeting or exceeding their safety quality standards.SkyWest used this particular software to keep up with the Safety and maintenance standards for the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration. Now that we have discussed the pace of technological changes or innovation we will now go on to discuss the economies of scale. Economies of Scale: The economies of scale are the cost advantages company’s can obtain due to size, with cost per unit of output decreasing with increasing scale as fixed costs are spread out over more units of output.SkyWest was able to capitalize on the economies of scale when it partnered with Delta and United which helped reduce the cost of providing the service over what others could do. Through these partnerships SkyW est was able to gain access to an established customer base that would help increase their business in size and also lower the costs through the contracts where the major airlines were responsible for all their jet fuel, ground handling and aircraft maintenance and ownership. Given the gained access to customers through the partnership made SkyWest heavily dependent on Delta and United.With the current recession causing a dramatic downfall in the economic condition put all airlines including the major ones like Delta and United at risk to airlines losses, bankruptcies and consolidations due to the decrease in operating revenues by 87% with a 64% drop in income, 77% drop in revenues and a 60% drop in operating income. Now that we have discussed the economies of scale in the industry we will go on to discuss the geographic boundaries. Geographic Boundaries: The geographic boundaries of an industry refer to the geographic boundary lines that are drawn whether they are local, regional, national or global.SkyWest’s geographic boundaries are regional representing only small cities and also servicing major airlines through connecting flights. The partnerships with Delta and United had allowed expansion to current and new routes as well and additional departures. SkyWest was looking to expand more and through the acquisition with ASA they were allowed to expand geographically allowing them access to the East Coast markets and comprehensive national coverage that greatly expanded their scope of operations by adding regional jets to their fleets and a $1 billion to operations.We will now move on to discuss the market supply and demand conditions. Market Supply/Demand Conditions: The market supply and demand conditions changed greatly with the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The 9/11 attack prevented people from flying due to the fear of crashing which translated into huge losses in the major airlines. People feared the larger airlines more than the smaller regional jets due to the fact that they felt the larger planes to be more susceptible to terrorist attacks.They assumed that smaller regional airlines would not be a target for terrorism but still saw them to be less safe than the larger airplanes. The second condition affecting the market demand was the recession starting in late 2007 that continued throughout 2009. The beginning of the recession had negative effects on participant’s income statements and balance sheets resulting in airlines losses, bankruptcies and consolidations. The recession continued into 2008 and 2009 causing a dramatic downturn in the company’s financial performance.This economic downfall of 2008 and 2009 caused a decrease in the number of scheduled flights, and passenger traffics by 3%, with cargo revenues dropping as well. The airline industry is highly sensitive to fluctuations in the economy because of the significant portion of business and leisure travelers . The recession had lowered the overall demand for airline services not only to the regional but all airlines in the United States. The most recent recession in 2009 had a strong impact on the credit markets preventing airlines from getting the needed credit to acquire new aircraft.Other things affecting the market supply/demand conditions were the seasonal fluctuations that increased travel during summer months and decreased travel during the winter due to flight cancelations and delays due to inclement weather. The weather related flight cancellations represented a loss to 2,850 of its flights with a decrease in pretax income of about $5. 2 million. Next we will discuss the learning curve effects in the industry. Learning/experience curve effects:The learning curve effects of the industry were outlined in the training offered to help pilots and maintenance personnel keep up to date on the new safety and maintenance regulations as well as their skills. The vast majority of training was at training facilities for both the company pilots and maintenance personnel through a six-week program. The six-week training program proved to be very comprehensive and respected that it attracted tuition paying Federal Aviation Administration personnel. Next we will discuss their differential products. Differential Products:The differential products discussed in this case were the Bombardier Regional Jets and the Embraer and ATR Turboprops. The Bombardier region jets were the main regional gets used in the industry. These were larger commercial jets used to service longer-haul flights to the destinations up to 1,200 miles away, which allowed regional carriers to operate new longer routes and run shorter routes more efficiently. The other product discussed was the Embraer and ATR Turboprop which seats 30 passengers. This jet was used for short- to medium-haul flights and was able to land on shorter runways.Several travelers were unsure of riding on the turboprops due to the p erception of them being loud and uncomfortable. To accommodate travelers that wanted to ride a smaller jet with a more comfortable ride they created the Bombardier Q series turboprop that was equipped with noise and vibration reduction devices to help reduce the noise and vibration levels to those of a regional jet. In the next section we will define the driving forces for change in the industry. Driving Forces The driving forces are the factors that are driving the industry to make changes.These changes within the industry will have impacts on globalization, product and marketing innovation, technological change, changes in long-term growth rates and new government regulations. To start off we will discuss the impact on globalization. Globalization: SkyWest decided to go international with their business and started working with regional carriers in Europe, Latin America and China. The push to go global was due to the increased interest in airline business from people in Brazil and China. The people from these two geographic areas had pursued SkyWest to help them build their own airline within their geographic region.SkyWest agreed to help them train people, and organize from a 10- to 20 aircraft operation to a major regional carrier in countries that really needed a major regional carrier. Through globalizing their company SkyWest would be able to increase their purchasing power and help buys things at a lower rate. However, through the limitations the foreign governments would place on U. S. carriers, the opportunities by the international joint ventures would be limited. Now that we discussed the globalization driving factor we will go on to discuss the product and marketing innovation. Product and marketing innovation:The first product and marketing innovation is the Bombardier Regional Jets. The Bombardier regional jets originally serviced flights with destinations of up to 1,200 miles away. The new innovated Bombardier Jet has the quietest commercial je t available with a range of up to 1,600 miles. This larger regional jet offers many amenities including flight attendant service, stand-up cabin, overhead and under-seat storage, lavatories, and in-flight snack and beverage service. These jets were able to operate at lower costs then a 120-seat or larger jet aircraft due to its smaller size and efficient design.The other product and marketing innovation is the Embraer and ATR Turboprop, many travelers were not very interested in these smaller jets due to their noise level and uncomfortable seating. The new Embraer and ATR Turboprop has a 30 seat 120 turboprop and a 74 seat ATR 72 turboprops that are able to operate more economically over short-haul routes than the larger jet aircrafts. These smaller jets had comfort features such as stand-up headroom, a lavatory, overhead baggage compartments and flight attendant services.The smaller jets were more economically feasible making it possible to provide high frequency service in markets with relatively low volumes of passenger traffic. We will now go on to discuss the technological changes. Technological Changes: The technological changes taking place are the implementation of Stetson Quality Suite for Safety used to ensure their standards were meeting or exceeding their safety quality standards. The changes to the Bombardier and Embraer Jet to increase the overall quality and service of the jets in reference to their range of flight and the services offered to the staff and the customers boarding the flight.Other technological changes taking place are the new ways of communicating creating less need for travel. With the economy still being in a vulnerable position people are very sensitive to the price of a flight and try to find other means of commuting to their destination or communicating to that particular party. These technological changes have caused a decrease in the airline market due to price sensitivity that even business travelers are looking to save m oney. Next we will discuss the changes in the long-term growth rate. Changes in the long-term growth rate:The changes in the long-term growth rate started to increase when SkyWest partnered with Delta and United Express. The partnership had increased their annual growth rate to a compounded 29. 6%. This partnership had increased the number of flights from 1,500 to 2,300, and increased their departures to 2,400 to 208 cities per day by adding connection flight through their major airlines that serviced the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. With the increased flights there were new government regulations that were applied. In the next paragraph we will discuss those regulations. New Government regulations:New Government regulations were in effect immediately after the 9/11 attack to ensure safety to the passengers by increasing the security regulations. The increased security also increased operational costs to the airline carriers due to the increased safety regulation s. The last increase that took place was the increased jet fuel cost, due to the economic recession in mid-2008. All these changes lead to a decrease in ticket sales due to fear of flying post 9/11 attack, and the incurred costs of flying in response to the threat of rising fuel costs. The next section will talk about the industry’s key success factors.Key Success factors: The key success factors are the competitive factors that most affect industry members’ ability to prosper in the marketplace. Different types of key success factors can be technology related, manufacturing related, distribution related, marketing related and skills and capability related. Technology related: The technology related key success factors that the SkyWest Inc. was defined by how they were able to acquire new aircraft. Regional airlines were required to find the needed capital and financing to increase the size of their fleets to service the longer routes being outsourced by the major airl ines.This had to be done without compromising their scope contracts with labor. SkyWest was able to overcome that by joining with ASA to acquire new aircraft. The next factors to success being discussed are the Manufacturing and Distribution related key success factors. Manufacturing/Distribution related: SkyWest’s manufacturing and or distribution related key success factors are defined by the ability to get their passengers to their destination on time. SkyWest was able to maximize their on-time arrivals by successfully getting all of their flyers to their sites on-time and making sure they did not miss their connecting flights as well.This gave them a good reputation with their customers in increasing satisfaction, naming them one of the highest rated regional carriers for on-time arrivals. Marketing-related The regional airline industry related its marketing key success factors to how they were able to maintain a strong safety image. In order to keep up with images of fly ing SkyWest increased safety standards and regulations to develop a much more safer image for those that were skeptical about flying smaller flights especially after the 9/11 attack.Passengers were unsure of the safety of the smaller jets preventing them from flying with the regional airlines, but after more safety had been implemented and other procedures had taken place to ensure everything was up to code they were able to maintain this strong image to passengers to ensure their safety when flying. Skills and capability-related SkyWest’s skills and capabilities were expressed in how they were able to maintain high levels of customer service. Typically regional airlines were not known for their customer service due to a large number of mishandled uggage that happened when transferring luggage from one plane to the next and an increased number of cancelled flights due to inclement weather. Most of these issues were not directly related to the regional due to their partnership s that handed all of their scheduling and majors taking priority in runways. SkyWest was able to maintain an average number of mishandled baggage, the second lowest number of involuntary denied boarding’s and the fourth in number of complaints per 100,00o passengers.This put them at the top to be named the Regional Airline Company of the Year for on-time arrivals by the Department of Transportation multiple times. Five Forces Model of Competition The five forces model evaluates the industries competition based on their level of Rivalry, threat of new entry, substitutes, bargaining power of buyers and bargaining power of suppliers to be either strong, moderate or weak. We will first discuss the first and most powerful of the five forces of competition; rivalry. Rivalry: Competition in the U. S. irline industry is very strong with their being a large number of competitors in the regional airlines. The success of low-cost carriers such as Southwest Airlines and JetBlue has incre ased the pressure on airlines to compete on price to attract sufficient numbers of passengers to keep flights full. In some regards, major airlines use contracts with regional carriers to keep costs and airfares low. Therefore, contracts for regional service are awarded by major carriers are to those having the lowest prices and reliable service. The overall rivalry in the airline industry is strong.Threat of new entry: The Threat of entry into the regional airline is define by the barriers to entry that include costs of acquiring a fleet of aircraft, acquiring contracts with major airline partners, and low industry profitability. Although the capital required to start up a modestly-sized small regional airline is fairly small, entering at a scale large enough to create a competitive threat requires substantial resources. The major threat of entry comes from major carriers which have the resources to start up their own regional airline. This threat is only moderate because the trend is for ajors airlines to sell off their regional airline operations and contract out service to regional carriers. Substitutes: Since regional airlines service short routes, passengers have more alternatives such as bus, automobile, or train travel than they do for long distance travel. This is particularly true when passengers are traveling only a few hundred miles. However, for major carriers that utilize regional carriers to execute hub and spoke strategies, there are few alternatives that they can use other than operating their own regional carrier.Substitutes are a weak to moderate force in the industry. Bargaining Power of Buyers: In the airline industry there are two types of customers; Leisure and business travelers. The business travelers tend to make up most of the market because they used the regional airlines to commute to and from locations that were considered too far to drive. They were also the most profitable because the larger customers purchased flights that were bought at a premium due to their short-notice or unexpected plan for flight.The Second type of buyers in the market were the leisure travelers that was a much smaller group of buyers because they traveled less often and were more price sensitive to the ticket sales. With their being several airline businesses in the industry all offering the same service, switching costs for tickets from airline to another tend to be very high. Airline industries have a fixed price on airline tickets preventing from buyers being able to bargain a lower price. Since most if not all customers search airline tickets based on price this makes the bargaining powers of buyers in the industry to be weak to moderate.Bargaining Power of Suppliers: In the regional airline industry there are two main types of suppliers Brazil’s Empresa Brasilerira de Aeronautica SA and Bombardier. With their only being two different types of suppliers in the regional airline industry that have two differentiated produc ts, makes the demand for them to be very high. Since these are the only two for the regional airlines it makes the bargaining power of suppliers to be very strong allowing them to change higher prices without losing their service to another manufacturer. 3-Internal AnalysisSWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis is an incredibly useful tool that helps review and analyzes the company’s current strategy. The SWOT analysis also identifies a potentially new direction for the company’s strategy to go. SWOT stands for strength, weakness, opportunities, and threats. Strength and weaknesses generally relate to factors that are internal to the organization, while opportunities and weakness in contrast often relates to factors that are external to the organization. We will now analyze SkyWest, Inc. using the SWOT analysis. Strengths:A company’s strength is something that the company is good at doing, or an attribute that enhances its competitiveness in the marketplace. SkyWest le ads the industry in safety and maintenance by being a pillar in the industry for seeking safety prevention, and leading by example and getting involved to help the community overall be safer. SkyWest also has good statistics for safety and for on-time arrivals along with other factors that affect customer satisfaction. For years 2004 through 2009 SkyWest had the highest percentage for scheduled flights arriving on time.They also were second for the least amount of involuntary denied boarding’s. SkyWest also has a high level of employee satisfaction due to its workforce being nonunion. SkyWest owns jets like the Bombardier regional jet or the Embraer and ATR turboprops that are more economical and cost-efficient but also have speed that is comparable to those of larger jets; and they even have many of the same features that larger jets offer. A significant strength is that SkyWest has experienced a compounded annual growth rate of 29. 6 percent from 2003 to 2008.A key strength for SkyWest’s success is its ability to secure partnerships that expand its geographic and customer base. Now that we have completed analyzing SkyWest’s strengths we can take move on to analyzing their weaknesses. Weaknesses: A weakness is something a company lacks or does poorly; in comparison to competitors or a condition that puts the company at a competitive disadvantage. One weakness is SkyWest’s poor relationship with Delta Airlines which was caused by their disagreement over their contract and whether or not Delta owed SkyWest $25 million dollars.This inhibits SkyWest’s ability to fully function within that partnership, and of course being short changed $25 million dollars is also a significant loss. Another factor that contributes to SkyWest’s weaknesses was once considered a strength; SkyWest’s partnership with Midwest. After partnering together for two years Midwest filed for bankruptcy leaving a messy wind-down process for both c ompanies, which undoubtedly will take a toll on SkyWest’s competitive advantage. Unfortunately that’s not where the mess ends; in 2009, Midwest was purchased by Republic, a larger company that is considered a direct competitor of SkyWest.Another strategic issue for SkyWest is the fact that because they partner with larger airlines and even though their own statistics for safety and for on-time arrivals along with other factors that affect customer satisfaction are either average or above average, from the customer’s point of view they are connected with the major carriers. Therefore the larger airlines statistics are intertwined with their own; which, results in customers perceiving a poor reputation for customer service; mishandling baggage, canceling flights, delayed flights for both carriers.Another weakness caused by customer’s perceptions is that customers typically perceive that the planes regional carriers use are small, uncomfortable, noisy, and a lso unsafe. Now that we have finished evaluating SkyWest’s weakness, we can now move on to analyze opportunities. Finally the last weakness we will go over is the scope clauses with United ; Delta Airlines. In the labor contracts with their pilots union it is spelled out the maximum size of airplane that an outside partner can operate. This limits the size of aircrafts to 70-seat and 76-seat aircrafts.This translates into a limited amount of ticket sales which means its limiting profits and market share and the number of flights a company could support. Now that we have evaluated the different factors that put SkyWest at a disadvantage we will take a look at the external factors; starting with opportunities. Opportunities: Opportunities are found within the external environment and arise when a company can take advantage of current circumstances or changes in the environment to gain a competitive advantage and become more profitable. Generally the best opportunities are the o nes that match with your company’s strategic goals.One opportunity for SkyWest is with more and more major carriers that start outsourcing a portion of their routes to regional airlines this creates an opportunity for SkyWest to build those relationships and eventually become partners with those major airlines, giving SkyWest a chance to expand and grab more market share. Another opportunity for SkyWest to expand its market share is with United ; Delta Airlines filing for chapter 11 this creates a short window of opportunity for SkyWest to serve those customers and to do it with great service and low prices building an expanded loyal customer base.Another opportunity that SkyWest needs to watch the horizon for is if the scope cause liberation were to be approved it would create an opportunity for SkyWest to increase the number of routes flown in contract with other airlines and the seat capacity of those routes. It would be a wise decision to spend time making plans that coul d be quickly executed should the scope cause liberation get approved. It’s important to keep an eye on the horizon watching for changing technology, government policies, or social trends that way the company can respond quickly and seize the opportunity to gain the competitive advantage.A changing external environment doesn’t only mean possible opportunities it also means possible threats. We will now examine SkyWest’s possible threats. Threats: Threats are factors in a company’s external environment that pose a threat to the company’s profitability and competitive well-being. The 2007 economic recession is an example of a threat that many people did not see, because of this many industries including the airline industry suffered.Some people believe that we still have not fully felt the aftershocks of the recession and because the airline Industry is highly sensitive to the economy as a significant portion of travel; both leisure and business trave lers, are discretionary, it is still a potential threat. Another threat to the airline industry is the increasing costs for jet fuel and its general availability. This can have a crippling effect on a company’s profitability and threatens their overall business operations. Fuel expenses already account for 35-50 percent of an airlines operation cost in 2009.Another external threat is if either new or changes are made to the ASA Regulation for either weather related factors or safety inspections. Both would increase costs and could threaten the success and the competitive advantage of SkyWest, which in turn could lead to decreased customer satisfaction and fewer sales. Since SkyWest is a regional carrier they need to keep a careful watch not only on how they are performing but also how their major carriers whom they have partnerships with are performing.If a major carrier were to file for bankruptcy it would most certainly threaten SkyWest with loss of customers and profits an d could lead them to follow suit and file for bankruptcy as well. Another threat that could affect regional carriers in the industry is if two major carriers merge the result would most likely be consolidating of routes and possibly completely shutting down smaller hubs, which as we have explained would also affect their regional partners. Financial assessment Ratios: Financial data is important to analyze as it provides the concrete results as for how the company’s strategy is performing.Ratio analysis is often used to determine a company’s financial position. Ratio analysis breaks down into 5 key subgroups; profitability ratios, liquidity ratios, leverage ratios, activity ratios, and finally share-holder ratios. We will break down each one of these types of ratios starting with profit ratio. It should be noted that analyzing the individual companies financial performance alone, is not a complete analysis. To have a complete analysis, the ratios should be compared aga inst the industry’s average; however, we will not be covering that in our assessment with SkyWest. Profitability ratios:Profitability ratios generally tell us how well the company is using their resources efficiently. One of the several profitability ratios is the Operating profit margin. This ratio tells us how much profit is earned on each dollar of sales before paying interest charges and income taxes. | 2004| 2005| 2006| 2007| 2008| Operating Income| 144776| 220408| 339160| 344524| 255231| Total Operating Revenue| 1156044| 1964048| 3114656| 3374332| 3496249| Operating Profit Margin| 0. 1252| 0. 1122| 0. 1089| 0. 1021| 0. 0730| Here we see that the operating profit margin has been declining, while the total operating revenue is increasing.This can be interpreted as less money is being made on each dollar of sale. When looking at the operating profit margin ratio higher is better and you want to see an upward trend, since we don’t see that it is cause for concern and should be looked into. Liquidity ratios: Now let’s look into the liquidity ratios. Liquidity ratios measure a company’s ability to pay off short-term obligations by using their liquid assets, one of these ratios is the current ratio. The current ratio tells us how much of the company’s short-term obligation can be covered by using and converting their liquid assets. 12/31/2008| 12/31/2007| Current Assets| 125,892| 122,802| Current Liabilities| 129,783| 118,202| Current Ratio:| 0. 9700| 1. 0389| SkyWest’s current ratio had a small decrease from 2007 to 2008. For 2007 their ratio was 1. 04, and for 2008 it decreased to . 97. The ratio should be higher than 1, however what an acceptable ratio is depends on the type of industry as it varies. The fact that their ratio is decreasing could suggest impending insolvency. However to accurately analyze we would need to compare the current ratio to other companies in the airline industry. Leverage ratios:Next we wil l move on to analyze leverage ratios. Leverage ratios are concerned with the balance between debt and equity. One of the leverage ratios is the debt-to asset ratio. The debt-to asset ratio measure the extent to which borrowed funds have been used to finance the firm’s operations and investments. | 2007| 2008| Total Debt| 3990525| 4014291| Total Assests| 3990525| 4014291| Debt-to assets ratio| 1| 1| Here we see that for both 2007 and 2008 the debt-to asset ratio equals 1; however this is a cause for concern. It would be better if the debt-to assets ratio were a low fraction.A low fraction would indicate that the firm less debt then assets and therefor does not have a high risk of bankruptcy occurring. Activity Ratios: Another area to analyze is how effectively a company is managing its assets this group is called activity ratios. An example of an activity ratio is the inventory turnover ratio; which takes the cost of goods sold divided by the inventory to determine the number of times the inventory is turned over and whether they are carrying excess stock. One example of an activity ratio is the average collection ratio. | 2007| 2008| Accounts receivables| 81216| 55458|Total Sales (Total Revenue)| 3374332| 3496249| Average collection period| 8. 7851| 5. 7897| This measurement indicates the average length of time it takes SkyWest to receive a cash payment after making the sale. The shorter amount of time is optimal. From 2007 to 2008 SkyWest shortened the amount of time by almost 3 days, bringing it to roughly 6 days. Other important measures of financial performance: The last category is kind of a miscellaneous category; however this category is sometimes referred to as the shareholder-return ratio because many of the ratios measure the return earned by shareholders from holding stock in the company.There are other measures as well like the internal cash flow measurement. This measures how much cash a company’s business is generating after paying operating expenses, interest, and taxes (often referred to as NIAT). Years| 2004| 2005| 2006| 2007| 2008| Net income| $81,952 | $112,267 | $145,806 | $159,192 | $112,929 | Depreciation| $76,817 | $115,275 | $189,885 | $208,944 | $220,195 | NIAT| $158,769 | $227,542 | $335,691 | $368,136 | $333,124 | – Key Decisions 1. One of the main points the case covers is the state of the global and national economy. As previously discussed the airline industry and its success is highly correlated with the state of the economy. 2. Another main point that SkyWest should be concerned with is their ability to attract and retain partnerships. Its already been established that SkyWest’s relationship with Delta has been changed to â€Å"it’s complicated† over the disagreement of 25 million dollars unpaid and not going after Delta in a lawsuit for the unpaid money for fear of losing their partnership and connected business.As Delta Airlines contributed 59. 9% of SkyWest†™s customer capacity. Also their previous partnership with Midwest Airlines which then filed for bankrupt and later was purchased by a direct competitor, which could become larger and more capable; threatening SkyWest’s future. 3. Another issue plaguing SkyWest is the impact of high fuel prices. It is estimated that 30-50% of total costs are from the costs of fuel. This in conjunction with the scope clauses that limit the size of planes SkyWest can operate increases the costs and amount of fuel needed. . The Last problem the case covers is the issue of government legislation and regulations and the effect it has on the airline industry. Safety regulations and labor contracts that limit the number of passenger’s pilots can fly. Along with the issue of planes being grounded to perform safety inspections or the proposals of new legislation like the regulation that was going to require they provide oxygen for passengers that would have added a significant amount of addit ional costs. 5- Alternatives 1.Economy: Clearly one cannot control the state of the economy, but if SkyWest continues to take advantage of their strengths and repair weakness that are due to partner companies’ poor customer service, human resources and low profits they are likely to be successful when the economy is doing better. While the economic recession continues SkyWest should attempt to renegotiate their agreements with their major carrier partners and cancel flights, when capacity is low, in order to reduce their costs.They need to make sure they maintain competitive prices and not just meet customer’s expectations but also exceed them, this will lead to a stronger customer loyalty hopefully keeping SkyWest out of the red. 2. Partnerships: SkyWest needs to continue to develop their partnerships with major carriers to further diversify the amount of major partners, which would ultimately reduce the risk of being dependent on Delta and United. Also combining effo rts would reduce the companies overhead. . Fuel costs: The rising costs and fluctuations in fuel price pose a significant risk as they are the largest chunk of operation costs for the airline industry. SkyWest should plan their routes to maximize their fuel efficiency along with again trying to renegotiate their agreements with their major carrier partners to permit flying larger size planes with more seating capacity; which would therefor create larger economies of scale. 4.Regulations: SkyWest needs to continue to pay close attention to union activity within the ASA Corporation and also continue to avoid labor unions and instead focus on employees through effective benefit packages and employee engagement. 6- Recommended Decisions 1. SkyWest airlines considerably has cash in had it could make a risky move by starting to serve in new countries since they are already exposed to some of the foreign destinations it would not be a bad idea but they must be prepared to face new competit ors.This would help the company to offer more international connecting flights and strengthen the operations that already exists for instance in Canada. 2. As we discussed before as a whole the industry is enjoying an accumulated revenue, so at this point making new partnerships may increase the revenue share of SkyWest Airlines and this would help the company to face the unknown future challenges and lessen its affect to SkyWest airlines since the economy is not steady. . Even though SkyWest is well known for being the best at safety of the services rendered it should invest more on researches with the other industry competitors so they could split the cost and enjoy the benefits (joint research agreements). This would help the SkyWest to keep up to the new regulations that is set by FAA, TSA and DOT. 4. In the first quarter of 2009 they had a SkyWest had a revenue loss of $7. million which was merely by ASA because of poor maintains and inefficiency of the flights. Management shou ld take initiatives to reduce these types of inefficiency and integrate a successful system for sustainable growth of the company. 5. SkyWest Inc. should be concerned with the route maps and they should look for opportunities that could potentially help them to expand route coverage with the existing partnerships or to get into new business agreements with new partners. . Management should work closely with the finance department to cut down fuel and maintains cost to earn more revenues in the volatile economy. For instance management should be working together with finance department on hedging for fuel, and they could get into partnerships with smaller companies in the industry to share maintains cost rather than a large air carrier where SkyWest’s needs wouldn’t be considered upon a larger company.