Free Essays on Hemingway And A Clean Well LIghted Place

Hemingway and his Infinite Sadness â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place† embodies all aspects of Hemingway’s melancholic writing style. Several things that make up the story including the characters, the setting, and Hemingway’s own beliefs help to define the importance of Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place†, in today’s literature. Hemingway’s melancholy in â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place† is often likened to that of darkness in well-lit world. Ernest Hemingway’s main characters in â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place† include the deaf, old man and the two restaurant waiters. When carefully reading the story, the reader is aware of the old man’s natural disablility of deafness. In comparison to Hemingway’s story’s inate darkness, writer, Elizabeth Sterling finds that â€Å"Even his ears bring him a sort of darkness as they hold out the sounds of the world.† (Wall) The old man’s solitude is defined by nature and the only thing that can fully cure is illness is the permanent death although the old man tries incesently to do drown himself in whiskey. The two young waiters watch as the old man apparently runs his course night after night. All three share the disease of insomnia, another depiction of darkness in Hemingway’s writing. One waiter bears the idea of a normal lifestyle while the other sympathizes with the old man’s depressive nightlife. Another place, we can see Hemingway’s melancholic state is in his choice of setting. He writes of a small bar in what appears to be Spain by the currency but could just as easily have taken place elsewhere on a lone summer night. His setting gives us the impression that there are other such towns and communities where old men linger until they find a faster way to death. (Willms) The well-lit bodega represents a temporary and incomplete peace in the world. It is a place in which the old man can only reside for a few hours until his daily death, slee... Free Essays on Hemingway And A Clean Well LIghted Place Free Essays on Hemingway And A Clean Well LIghted Place Hemingway and his Infinite Sadness â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place† embodies all aspects of Hemingway’s melancholic writing style. Several things that make up the story including the characters, the setting, and Hemingway’s own beliefs help to define the importance of Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place†, in today’s literature. Hemingway’s melancholy in â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place† is often likened to that of darkness in well-lit world. Ernest Hemingway’s main characters in â€Å"A Clean, Well-Lighted Place† include the deaf, old man and the two restaurant waiters. When carefully reading the story, the reader is aware of the old man’s natural disablility of deafness. In comparison to Hemingway’s story’s inate darkness, writer, Elizabeth Sterling finds that â€Å"Even his ears bring him a sort of darkness as they hold out the sounds of the world.† (Wall) The old man’s solitude is defined by nature and the only thing that can fully cure is illness is the permanent death although the old man tries incesently to do drown himself in whiskey. The two young waiters watch as the old man apparently runs his course night after night. All three share the disease of insomnia, another depiction of darkness in Hemingway’s writing. One waiter bears the idea of a normal lifestyle while the other sympathizes with the old man’s depressive nightlife. Another place, we can see Hemingway’s melancholic state is in his choice of setting. He writes of a small bar in what appears to be Spain by the currency but could just as easily have taken place elsewhere on a lone summer night. His setting gives us the impression that there are other such towns and communities where old men linger until they find a faster way to death. (Willms) The well-lit bodega represents a temporary and incomplete peace in the world. It is a place in which the old man can only reside for a few hours until his daily death, slee...

Scanners Essays - Image Scanners, Computer Hardware, Free Essays

Scanners Essays - Image Scanners, Computer Hardware, Free Essays Scanners Scanners Over the years the prices of scanners have dropped drastically both in the home and office. With as little as $89.00 dollars anybody can own a scanner. Although a scanner that is purchased for $89.00 may not have all the features or functions that a $1000.00 scanner may have, for home use it will be more than sufficient. Unless you are a graphic artist or a photographer who having the added features and functions, could determine getting your job done, a cheaper scanner will do just fine. With a less expensive scanner you may only be able to scan documents and photographs, while with a more expensive scanner you will be able to scan transparencies, 35 mm film and slides.(http://findarticles.com) Also with a more expensive scanner the speed at which the scanner processes the scanned information is much faster than that of a less inexpensive scanner. Ultimately it is up to you the consumer to decide which scanner is best for you and how much money you are willing or able to spend. I visited a few web sites and look at an inexpensive scanner compared to an expensive scanner, here are the results. Although this next scanner is not your typical scanner I thought it was worth mentioning because it is new and quite unique. The IS-22 Scanner (color image cartridge) is manufactured by Canon. This scanner cartridge is currently priced at $90.77. It is not your typical scanner. When you think of a scanner the typical flatbed scanner or hand-held scanners is what the consumer thinks of in a scanner. This scanner cartridge works with a Canon BJC-4300 Series printers. You will receive a color image scanner cartridge which transforms your printer into a color sheetfed scanner. You can scan mostly everything that a normal inexpensive scanner will scan. It will scan in color, black and white photos, magazine articles, documents and more. This scanner cartridge will save you space and money. To operate the scanner software associated with the BJC-4300 Series printers is quite simple. After loading the scanner cartridge software you are ready to scan. You simply put whatever documents you want to scan in your printer and tell the scanning software what you want to scan. It is that simple. The UMAX PowerLook lll Professional Scanner is a flatbed scanner. The current price for this scanner is $1099.99, it is manufactured by UMAX Computer Corp. The quality of this scanner is impeccable. You will get very realistic images from this scanner. Besides scanning documents and photographs, it will also scan slides, transparencies, negatives, and reflective originals. You can also crop and scan up to 12, 35mm slides. You can scan 35 mm film and the largest document you can scan is 8.5 x 11.7. It also captures fine details in shadow areas. This type of scanner works similar to a copy machine. You simply place whatever information you want to scan onto the bed of the scanner, close the lid and chose to scan the image. Just as with any other type of scanner you can choose to print, save to file or disk, or both.(http://wwwjandr.com) With both scanners you want to make sure that you load the scanning software into your hard drive. A dialog screen will pop up that will help you with the installation of the software. Your scanning equipment will come with directions on how to operate your particular scanner. How to troubleshoot. Numbers to call if you should need technical support.

How children from a divorced family are effected Essay

How children from a divorced family are effected - Essay Example The specific dialogues are taken from the hit sitcom show two and a half men declared as the biggest comedy hit of the last decade by The New York Times. The sitcom is based on the life of Harper brothers; Charlie and Alan Harper and Alan’s son Jake, who is referred to as a half man in the title of the sitcom. After the divorce Alan and Jake move to Charlie’s place forming unique relationships amongst themselves with changing circumstances and behaviors exhibited by these three characters. Alan is a dim wit and weak personality with childhood issues of his own, lives with his brother but has no say in the household matters. He has a tendency to be obnoxious, exhibits vindictive behavior towards her mother and sees his alcoholic sex addicted brother as an inspiration. Jake is a lethargic child with low self esteem and no real ambitions, after his parent’s divorce he spends time with his mother and father but is more influenced by his father and uncle. He has low i ntelligence and no concern for personal hygiene but is aware of the norms prevalent in the house; norms set by Charlie. Charlie Harper is an alcoholic and sex addict on a self destructive pattern, a confident and self righteous person but in a wrong way. He has no respect for the opposite sex and has no desire for a real relationship. In the episode ‘The big pink things with coconut’, Jake is stretched away from his grandmother by Alan as he does not want her to damage the self esteem of Jake something she did to her own children, Alan and Charlie. This shows that the Harper brothers have childhood issues of their own and treat their own mother poorly. In the same episode ‘The big pink things with coconut’, Charlie curses her mother for faking illness and wishes her to die, an extremely disturbing behavior from a son and represents a total breakdown in the relationship. The personality of Charlie Harper is a significant influence on Jake and Alan, who has n o respect for the opposite sex, no concern for his health or the affects he is having on the child due to his abysmal behavior. Jake’s lazy attitude and direction less life is due to his unsuccessful father who married and divorced two women. Using the scenarios in the sitcom the essay investigates and defines the affects single parenting has no children and how they view different relationships. Working Thesis: The sitcom is packed with instances where the child exhibits an unusual behavior towards life, relationships and marriage. Being influenced by the nature and attitudes of accompanying elders the child has a lackluster personality with no goals in life, no respect towards elders and no real want for a healthy relationship. During the past two decades the American family system has experienced significant change from the ideal of nuclear family, the common families seen in America today are single parent families. These single parent families due to one reason or the ot her are headed by either mother or the father and in some cases by grandparents (Coontz). There are many elements that result in to single parenting but dissolution of marriage or divorce is the most common and leaves many psychological effects on the growing child. The life of a single parent and accompanying child can be difficult, besides the obvious economic hardships there are many emotional effects resulting in depression and behavioral instability. According to Stephaine Coontz (1992), children undergoing a parental divorce try to cope up with the mental stress by finding refuge

Causes of Vietnam War Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Causes of Vietnam War - Research Paper Example The aforementioned events included the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Berlin Blockade  from 1948 to 1949, the  Korean War that lasted for more than three years, the  Berlin Crisis in the year 1961, the  Vietnam War that continued for almost twenty five years, the  Cuban Missile Crisis, the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet forces  (1979–1989), and the  Able Archer  NATO exercises in November 1983† (Major Events of the Cold War n.d.)3. In the early 10th Century A.D, during the Tang Dynasty in ancient China, the dynasty’s economy and military’s gradient started to fall and over the time it weakened to such an extent that the Vietnamese population of the Red River Delta, an area invaded by the Chinese back in 100 BC, rebelled against their Chinese rulers and set up a traditional, native dynasty in the northern conurbation of Hanoi. Later in 1462, the emperor Le Loi got rid of all the remaining Chinese warlords in the region. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Mekong River delta got populated as the aforementioned Vietnamese population moved southwards. ... ld, as it was â€Å"close to the South China Sea and countries such as India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and southern China† (Meehan n.d.)4. Taking advantage of the vital geographically strategic position of Vietnam, the Portuguese made their entry into the country in the 16th century, followed by the French and the Dutch, however, after continuous fights over power and control, the French established Vietnam as their colony and gained control of the country. The French ruled Vietnam from the year 1887 to 1954. Vietnam was considered a major addition to the French Indochina Empire, however, the sixty seven year old rule of the French over Vietnam was considered as one of the harshest and the crudest times in the history. The French governance dripped of nepotism, discrimination – of all sorts and Vietnam was considered as a personal golden egg laying hen for the French, which was exploited for personal gains and benefits but was not paid back and credited, what it deserved. The production and sale of alcohol and salt was put under the statutory control of the government, which meant that it could not be sold or produced privately. This resulted in an economic outrage amongst the trader fraternity, which continued for years. Rice was exported from the French-owned plantations only, while many Vietnamese locals did not have enough to eat. The French imposed strict sanctions on the labor as well. The labor rights were violated and workers were imprisoned if they attempted at leaving their jobs. The majority of the laborers imprisoned were either mine workers or the ones who worked as farmers in the rubber plantations. Under the subject of economics, the government took no measures to control the inflation, yet multiplied the taxes. The

Step by step instructions to Write a Great Profile Essay Essay Example for Free

Step by step instructions to Write a Great Profile Essay Essay Composing a great exposition on your web dating profile can significantly expand your shots of being recognized and getting messages. It obliges thought, time and exertion ProPapersWriting.Com Buy Essay Online:Yes, that implies that it isnt possible in under a moment. Compose Short Paragraphs Writing short passages empowers your dating profile to seem clean and decipherable. ProPapersWriting On the off chance that a part discovers your dating profile and is promptly immersed with a thick woodland of apparently ceaseless words, they are no doubt going to skip it. Pick your words shrewdly and keep your sections short. Quickly Describe Your Personality On numerous web dating profiles, individuals continue forever about the kind of individual they are. Yes, it is your profile, yet that doesnt mean you ought to continue forever about how incredible of an individual you are. A couple of short sentences portraying your identity is sufficient. This is compelling in light of the fact that it gives different parts a concise outline of your identity without leaving the feeling that you have all the earmarks of being loaded with yourself. Buy Essay Online Give Examples Or Short Anecdotes Often, basically saying that you love to travel or recharge vintage autos is insufficient. Giving a concise record of where you went to and how that encounter was or a short record about the vehicle you as of late renewed works a considerable measure better. This empowers an alternate part who may have the same hobbies an open door to imagine and be there as soon as humanly possible you would say. Be Positive Having a general attitude of energy on your profile is extremely essential. You need parts who take a gander at your profile to like what they are perusing. Being certain basically implies that you abstain from depicting pitiful occasions or utilizing a negative tone. Occasions like specifying the late misfortune of an occupation or whining about how you are so disappointed with the entire dating diversion debilitates the advance of your profile.

Breastfeeding Essay -- Health, Nutrition

Through the years there has been a debate about whether babies should be fed exclusively on breastfeeding or not. One of the most difficult decisions for new mothers is to decide which diet to follow with her babies. Decisions include relying on the natural choices of breastfeeding or following the advice given by relatives, doctors, pediatricians and infant formula manufacturers. Controversies continue over the years. As many more mothers now want to nurse their babies, formula advocates claim that formula is equivalent to the real thing. Furthermore, supporters of supplemented infant formulas claim their products include the same elements present in mother’s milk plus and even will improve babies’ vision and cognitive behavior. This review aims to expose the benefits of breast milk over formula even for babies with special nutritional requirements. The World Health Organization (WHO) (2011a) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) (2008) recommends that breastfeeding continue throughout the first year of life a recommends mothers to of developed and undeveloped countries to exclusively breastfeed infants for the child's first six months. Their recommendation seeks to achieve optimal growth, development and health for babies. After six months of age, the WHO recommends to complement breastfeeding with nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods for up to two years of age or more. As well, the American Academy of Family Physicians (2008) promotes the promotion of breastfeeding among their members independently of their specialization. Moreover, the American Academy of Pediatrics (2005) acknowledged the health and developmental benefits for the child and the mother, advising the mothers to continue breastfeedi... ...is more, Freudenheim (1994) reported that women who were breastfed as infants (even for short time), showed an approximate 25% lower risk of developing premenopausal or postmenopausal breast cancer, compared to women who were bottle-fed as an infant. In order to take advantage of all the benefits of breastfeeding babies for longer periods of time, women should become educated of the advantages of breastfeeding. As well a good education about lactation will warrantee baby and mother will enjoy a longer and healthier breastfeeding period. Lately the World Health Organization (2011) concludes exclusive breastfeeding from birth is possible except for a few medical conditions, and unrestricted exclusive breastfeeding results in ample milk production. As well benefits for the breastfed infant continue even though lactation period is longer than the time recommended.

Native Americans in the United States Essay

Based on the ethnic groups (Table 1: Appendix), several beneficial values that helped to shape the United States lifestyle can be described (Holland, 2006). In particular, the brief summaries have given the clear picture of Multiculturalism in the United States in relation to the origin. The United States, for that matter, is captured as a multicultural society that is open to all people with different backgrounds. From an early time, several groups started moving into the region due to various reasons, which allowed for the development of a culturally diverse society. Hence, the United States substantially benefited from the cultural diversity as improved workforce was available for the various work scenarios. Despite the obvious benefits of multiculturalism in the society, some negative forms such as racism, stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination flourished over several years (Holland, 2006). In the recent past, for example, several ethnic groups such as the African American, Hispanic, and Indian Americans have continually suffered racism, discrimination, and being depicted in certain stereotypes. Firstly, segregation between the Whites and Blacks was a key characteristic of the population before the rise of the civil rights during the 1950s and over (Holland, 2006). Workplaces, schools, commuter busses, and residential areas were segregated between the two groups until in 1954 when segregation in schools was banned. As a result, people started integrating on a multicultural perspective, which led to the realization of better performances and solutions for the workplaces. Besides the significant leap ahead, other factors such as prejudice and stereotyping still exist at the current date. For instance, the African American and Hispanic groups have been stereotyped in the villainous characters such as gangsters, robbers and the like for several decades (Holland, 2006). Such beliefs have existed for several years and are even a common occurrence in media the same way. Hand in hand, prejudice has also resulted from the occurrences. Therefore, prejudice and stereotypes are a normal situation in the culturally diverse environment of the United States. However, the multicultural nature of the country’s population resulted in some positive factors such as creation of a multicultural workforce that can meet the requirements of the target population in an effective manner (Kenyon, 2005). In connection to that, all the ethnic groups in the American landscape are subject to some positive, as well as, negative aspects of the cultural diversity. As a result, prejudice, stereotypes, racism, and discrimination that were once extremely high have considerably low effects on the modern and socially active populations. In conclusion, the United States still leads with regards to the benefits of cultural diversity among its people. Table 1: Multicultural Matrix and Analysis Worksheet. Part I: Matrix What is the group’s history in the United States? What is the group’s population in the United States? What are some attitudes and customs people of this group may practice? What is something you admire about this group’s people, lifestyle, or society? 1. The African American Several African American people are linked to a history of slavery since their ancestors were brought in the United States as slaves. This happened first during the 1600s-1700s, and where they assisted English colonialists to get American independence. Later, prominent leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. helped to change discrimination against Blacks. As a result, a breakthrough into the rampant segregation between the whites and blacks reduced. The African American has an approximate population of about 37 million forming about 13 percent of the total population of the United States. The African Americans are characterized by the practice of several cultural activities depicted in their music, art, and lifestyle. As such, they form a significant part of the USA as their culture substantially influenced the American culture. I appreciate the African American lifestyle and their music such as Hip-hop and reggae music. Additionally, I love their celebrations such as the Black history celebrations in which they remember their historic past. 2. The Hispanic and Latino American The Spanish became among the first settlers, before Europeans, to settle in some areas of America such as Florida and California. Several people of this group speak the English language only and have adopted the European-American Culture. On average, the Latino and Hispanic population in the United States is approximately 16 percent of the whole population. This accounts to almost 50 million people. The Hispanics are depicted as religious people who believe in helping one another. Families may be nuclear or extended, and the father is the final decision maker in the family setting, while the mother is the home care taker. However, all family members are expected to assist in the effective functioning of the setting. I love Hispanic music and their musicians such as Ricky Martin and Jenifer Lopez. Additionally, their Mexican foods are an excellent appetizer that I always cannot ignore. 3. The Indian American The Indian American officially became legal citizen in the United States in 1946. The Indians immigrated into the United States via other countries such as Jamaica, South Africa, and United Kingdom among other countries. The Indian population in America is reasonably low at approximately 0. 89 percent of the whole population. As such, this reflects to about 2. 5 million people. The Indian Americans have a strict cultural background and adhere to strict rule on religion, culture, and food among several other practices. Their religions are diverse and may include Hinduism, Islamism, Christianity, and Buddhism. I value the cultural practices of Indians especially those practicing Hinduism as they have fascinating ideas. One example is the caste system, where once in a low or high case system; one is destined to remain right there. 4. The American Asian Asians of the Chinese background came into the United States due to mainly conflicts from their countries. One situation was the Vietnam War, which led to massive migration of the affected into the USA. In the 1970s and 1980s, therefore, was time for the largest Asian migration into the United States. The Americans Asian account for about 5 percent of the United States’ population. As a result of cultural diversity, the American Asians are exposed to several challenges. I admire the Chinese way of life that comprises of fun in the form of art and craft. Additionally, I find pleasure watching some of their movies and appreciate the Yoga. 5. The Native Americans The Native Americans were the original settlers of the United States of America. Relevant sources indicate that they enabled undetectable communication during the World War II using their native language. As pertains to name, the Native Americans are recognized as the first settlers of the United States. However, they account for a small population percentage of about 1 percent. The Native Americans culture show dissimilar practices in all other nations. In particular, those living on reservations show dissimilar cultures from the ones not living on reservations; however, some similarities may exist in their heritage and traditions. The Native Americans fascinate me with their incredible lifestyle such as them living in tepees and their spiritualism. 6. The Bahamian American The Bahamian American migrated into the United States from the Caribbean during the late 19th century in search for job offers in the agricultural sector. The Bahamian American has an extremely low population of about 40,000 people. Hence, it accounts for approximately 0.01 percent of the whole population. Bahamian Americans preserved their cultural heritage; hence, have a distinguished way of living and culture. The Bahamian way of living and cultural heritage provides an excellent measure of modern living from historical setting. Their cultural practices are engaging. Part II: Analysis Basing on the above listed ethnic groups, several beneficial values that helped to shape the United States lifestyle can be described. In particular, the brief summaries have given the clear picture of Multiculturalism in the United States in relation to the origin. The United States, for that matter, is captured as a multicultural society that is open to all people with different backgrounds. From an early time, several groups started moving into the region due to various reasons, which allowed for the development of a culturally diverse society. Hence, the United States substantially benefited from the cultural diversity as improved workforce was available for the various work scenarios. Despite the obvious benefits of multiculturalism in the society, some negative forms such as racism, stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination flourished over several years. In the recent past, for example, several ethnic groups such as the African American, Hispanic, and Indian Americans have continually suffered racism, discrimination, and being depicted in certain stereotypes. Firstly, segregation between the Whites and Blacks was a key characteristic of the population before the rise of the civil rights during the 1950s and over. Workplaces, schools, commuter busses, and residential areas were segregated between the two groups until in 1954 when segregation in schools was banned. As a result, people started integrating on a multicultural perspective, which led to the realization of better performances and solutions for the workplaces. Besides the significant leap ahead, other factors such as prejudice and stereotyping still exist at the current date. For instance, the African American and Hispanic groups have been stereotyped in the villainous characters such as gangsters, robbers and the like for several decades. Such beliefs have existed for several years and are even a common occurrence in media the same way. Hand in hand, prejudice has also resulted from the occurrences. Therefore, prejudice and stereotypes are a normal situation in the culturally diverse environment of the United States. However, the multicultural nature of the country’s population resulted in some positive factors such as creation of a multicultural workforce that can meet the requirements of the target population in an effective manner. In connection to that, all the ethnic groups in the American landscape are subject to some positive, as well as, negative aspects of the cultural diversity. As a result, prejudice, stereotypes, racism, and discrimination that were once extremely high have considerably low effects on the modern and socially active populations. In conclusion, the United States still leads with regards to the benefits of cultural diversity among its people. Part III: Sources Holland, C. (2006). Ethnic and Religious Diversity in Central America: An Historical Perspective. Retrieved November 12, 2011 from the Prolades Website: http://www. prolades. com/Ethnic_Religious_Diversity_CAM-Holland. pdf Kenyon, A. (2005). The Importance of Diversity in the Workplace. Retrieved November 11, 2011 from the Leading Today Website: http://www. leading today. org/Onmag/2005%20Archives/may05/ak-may05. html Reference List Holland, C. (2006). Ethnic and Religious Diversity in Central America: An Historical Perspective Retrieved November 12, 2011 from the Prolades Website: http://www. prolades. com/Ethnic_Religious_Diversity_CAM-Holland. pdf Kenyon, A. (2005). The Importance of Diversity in the Workplace Retrieved November 11, 2011 from the Leading Today Website: http://www. leading today. org/Onmag/2005%20Archives/may05/ak-may05. html.

Mapp v. Ohio and Miranda v. Arizona: An analysis

The case of Mapp vs. Ohio [367 U.S. 643 (1961)] was brought to the Supreme Court on account of Mapp’sconviction due to a transgression of an Ohio statute. Mapp was said to have violated the statue for possessing and keeping in her house various materials which are obscene in nature. The obscene materials were found in her house after a search conducted by police officers in her house. Mapp appealed her conviction before the Supreme Court, arguing that the search conducted by the police should be struck down as invalid as the same was conducted without the benefit of a warrant. In Miranda vs. Arizona [384 U.S. 436 (1966)], Miranda was convicted of rape and kidnapping. His conviction was decided by the lower court on account of his confession before police officers. He confessed to having committed the offense when he was investigated upon after being arrested by the police. Miranda appealed his conviction before the Supreme Court, contending that the confession cannot be considered as proper basis for his conviction due to the fact that he was without the assistance of counsel during the interrogation in which the confession was made by him. Section 2 In Mapp vs. Ohio, the Supreme Court set aside the conviction, holding that the search could not validly produce the conviction for the same was conducted without a warrant being issued for the same. The Court, citing Weeks vs. United States [232 U.S. 383 (1914)], supported its decision by saying, â€Å"conviction by means of unlawful seizures and enforced confessions should find no sanction in the judgments of the courts†. In the opinion of the Court, to convict a person based on an invalid search is a denial of the Constitutional rights of the citizens, and hence cannot be permitted by the Courts. The conviction in Miranda vs. Arizona was likewise held invalid by the Supreme Court. In this case, the Court relied on the coercive nature of interrogations conducted by police for saying that one conducted without the presence of counsel to assist the accused is a denial of the constitutional rights of the latter. Hence, any confession made under any un-counseled interrogation cannot be sanctioned as valid evidence against the accused. The Court, in its decision, made clear that â€Å"the person in custody must, prior to interrogation, be clearly informed that he has the right to remain silent, and that anything he says will be used against him in court; he must be clearly informed that he has the right to consult with a lawyer and to have the lawyer with him during interrogation, and that, if he is indigent, a lawyer will be appointed to represent him†. Section 3 It is believed that the decisions rendered in both cases do not handcuff the police so as to restrict them from performing their duties. In fact, it is advanced that the decisions in Mapp and Arizona even seeks to limit, if not to eradicate, the abuse sometimes perpetrated by the police in the course of arrests or investigations. It cannot be said that the doctrines laid down by the courts handcuffs the police for law and jurisprudence provides for valid exceptions to the applications of the doctrines. At most, the decisions only seek to prevent the police from having unbridled discretion in gathering evidence against suspected violators and in obtaining confessions through violation and coercion. Section 4 After an analysis of the case, it becomes apparent that the abuses perpetrated by police officers in the conduct of their duties are the same reasons why the Court has rendered a decision which effectively limits the discretion of the police in conducting interrogations and gathering evidence against suspected violators of the law. In the same way, the cases also gave hope that after the rendition of the cases, the police would no longer be abusive for purposes of prosecuting an offender; that convictions will only be produced by evidence obtained through legally permissible means. Section 5 References Cited: Mapp v. Ohio. 367 U.S. 643 (1961) Miranda v. Arizona. 384 U.S. 436 (1966) Weeks v. United States. 232 U.S. 383 (1914)

Qantas Airways Limited Analysis

Qantas Airways Limited Analysis Executive Summary Market analysis is a vital concept for any business organisations to be able to assess the market needs and based on what is at hand, respond to the needs. Before making a market analysis, it is good to look at a company’s background in order to ascertain how current operations were motivated by past records. Three main tools have been used to analyse the airline industry using the case of Qantas.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Qantas Airways Limited Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These are Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats, (SWOT), Porter’s Five Forces, and Political, Economic, Socio-cultural, Technological, Legal, and Environmental (PESTLE) factors. At the end of the discussion, it can be noted that Qantas remains a major player in the airline industry at local and international levels amid the stiff competition from other carriers. Introduction Qantas Airway s Ltd. is an Australian firm that operates in the airline industry at local and international capacities. The ideal to start the organisation was hatched by two individuals back in 1922. Fergus McMaster was convinced to look for interested investors after McGinness and Fysh sold the idea to him. The history of Australian civil aviation is mainly about the history of Qantas that started from a humble beginning to what defines the future of Australian airspace. The corporation began with a two-passenger plane to the recent Airbus A380 series with carriage capacity of 450 passengers to far destinations. The Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Ltd, (QANTAS) hard to pass through hurdles to develop its market share with a pull of dedicated staff members backed by very loyal customers. The key pillars of Qantas development are the stakeholders who created it, the workforce, and the customers. The vertical rise in the company’s growth has made Qantas one of the worldâ⠂¬â„¢s best long distance international brands and one of the best service providers in Australia. The outstanding growth of Qantas defines the course of international aviation industry (Qantas, 2012a). In order to critically analyse a firm’s business operations, there are tools that are employed to ascertain the strength and position of a firm. SWOT, PESTLE, and use of Porter’s Five Forces are recommended tools that can achieve this feat. The tools involve evaluation of a firm’s strength by looking at a number of factors that overly defines a successful business organisation.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More By taking the case study of Qantas Airways Ltd, this paper vividly explores market parameters that make Qantas outstanding among other world airline brands. From review of the company’s business activities, one concludes whether the firm stands strong and whether sustainability of business activities will be achieved in both short and long terms. Quantas Airways Background Description of the Organization Fergus McMaster was convinced to look for interested investors after McGinness and Fysh gave him a detailed plan for setting up an air service. Fysh and McGinness with the help of flight sergeant Arthur Baird took a trip to Mascot Aerodrome in Sydney to inquire for delivery of 2 Avro planes. An agreement was reached and the Western Queensland Auto Aero Service Ltd was registered. A rebranding took place later to form the abbreviation, (Qantas, 2012b). The formal establishment of Qantas was in 1920 following registration with chairmanship of Fergus McMaster. There were then a series of air test and joy rides by the founders who experienced technical and physical difficulties while airborne. The machines were remodelled to suit the needs at that time and the aircrafts could make 54,000km carrying a total of 871 p assengers by the biplanes without damage (Qantas, 2012a). As time passed by, more planes were required in airmail services between Cloncury and Charleville in 1922. Two years later, the first Australian Prime Minister flies Qantas on an official government duty. The marched achievement seemed to bring new hope for the company and in 1926, Qantas started building its own machines at the Longreach base. The following chronology of events summarises the succeeding history of Qantas: 1927: The firm recruits the first traineeAdvertising We will write a custom essay sample on Qantas Airways Limited Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More 1928: The launch of the Flying Doctors Service with Qantas offering the air travel services. 1929: Outback network arrives in Brisbane 1931: Trial airmail delivery is made from Brisbane to Darwin 1934: The firm changes its name to Qantas Empire Airways Ltd. 1935: The Qantas DH86 flies overseas, Darwin to Singapore. The flight is to deliver airmail to the UK in liaison with Imperial Airways that was later named BOAC. 1938: The airline to the United Kingdom receives Short C Class airplanes to make trips to Singapore. Imperial Airline obtains the responsibility of the route. 1939-1945: A fully set base takes operation of mechanical works at mascot base known today as Sydney Airport. Qantas gets involved in the WWII as its planes are used to transfer the foot soldiers from the threat of advancing Japanese fighters to New Guinea.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They airplanes also supply foodstuff to soldiers at the battle fields. Qantas also makes history for being the first to make more than 30-hours flight over Perch and Sri Lanka airs to make important links with Allied Forces. The kangaroo logo becomes symbol of Qantas in 1944. 1946: air transport in Australia-UK route recommence and this time the British Airways in a partnership programme. DC3 service is initiated to New Guinea as the flight network reaches new Indian and Pacific Islands destinations. In the same year, Australian regime launches new airline known as Trans-Australia Airlines, TAA in the domestic market with Lester Brain (formerly of Qantas) as the general manager 1947: Government of Australia buys all shares in Qantas, Constellation aircraft sets in, and the first flight is made to Japan 1949: TAA replaces Qantas in the Flying Doctors Service and the Queensland and Northern Territory routes 1953: Along the Kangaroo route to UK, a tourist economy class is introduced 19 54: The Super Constellations flies to San Francisco, USA and Vancouver, Canada for the first time 1956: For the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Qantas carries the Olympic flame from Athens to Melbourne 1958: The Qantas’s Super Constellations make a round the world flight 1959: Qantas introduces Boeing 707 series as the first non-American airline. This gain reduces flight times by half for trans-Pacific flights 1960: TAA in charge of operations in the Papua New Guinea from Qantas 1964: TAA launches its first jet by purchasing Boeing 727 series; high performing machines that stimulate the Australian airline industry with their mechanical superiority, speed, and comfort. This results to massive growth of the industry. 1966: The retirement of Qantas Co-founder and Chairperson, Sir Hudson Fysh 1967: Qantas rebrands to Qantas Airways Ltd. TAA launches DC9 that proves to be mechanically sound for going 495 different revenue flights without delay on mechanical breakdown 1971: The introdu ction of the Jumbo jet; Boeing 747 1974: Qantas evacuates 673 survivors on one flight from the devastation of Cyclone Tracy from Darwin to set new world record 1979: Phasing out of the 707 series and venturing into an all-747 airline. In the same year, the firm rolls out the first Business Class travel experience to customers. 1985: The launch of Boeing 767s. James Strong goes to TAA in order to revitalise the TAA when the government was advancing to stronger deregulation and competition 1986: TAA becomes Australian Airline 1988: Australian airline is incorporated to a public company 1989: Australian Airline in trouble due to pilot’s strike followed by resignation. The government agrees to a deal to make a proposal that would bring together the Australian Airline and Qantas. 1989: Qantas Airways Ltd buys the Boeing 747-400 that the first nonstop flight of 18,001km in accompany jet. The first experience take place in the London-Sydney route. 1990: One John Schaap quits the fir m as an executive member to join Australian Airways as its general manager. The departure took only ten months before deregulation of local airline industry in Australia. 1992: Government agrees to sell the stakes of Australian Airline to Qantas valued at $400 million. 1993: The government regime offloads 25% stake to make British Airways have ownership of Qantas Airline in a privatisation strategy. Australian Airline merges with Qantas to form Qantas Airways Ltd. with James Strong as the CEO 1994: A new cabin design launches to update service provision 1995: Qantas offloads the remaining 75% shares to the public in the ASX. Qantas becomes one of the world leading service providers in the aviation industry with an operation capability of airlifting 14 million passengers per annum using over 130 aircrafts 1997: Qantas marks the year of the golden jubilee along the Kangaroo network from Australia to the United Kingdom and Japan 2002: The launch of subsidiary airline to operate at inte rnational level. The name of the firm is Australian Airlines 2004: Introduction of a new and cheap carrier in the domestic flight known as Jetstar 2006: Australian Airlines stops its services 2008: The A380 series are added to Qantas fleet while second biggest order to be done by any airline corporation is in the pipeline. A380 aircraft is inaugurated to fly from Melbourne to Los Angeles, the technology is of high standards as the Required Navigation Performance finds usage in managing flight. This makes the firm to reduce its carbon emission by significant figures. Installation of Qantas General Electric CF6-80C2 engine to enhance the performance of the B747-400 aircrafts 2010: new check-in system 2012: The arrival of B787 aircraft considered as next generation fleet 2020: Centenary of Qantas, Qantas (2012a). Location of Organization The initial location of the Qantas operations was in Longreach, Queensland to Brisbane In 1930, the company’s headquarter was moved from Longr each, Queensland to Brisbane In 1938, the company’s headquarters was moved from Brisbane to Sydney as operation base. In 1957, a new corporate headquarter was set up along Hunter Street, Sydney Stakeholders of the Organization From the chronology of events that have shaped Qantas Group, the company was a private entity when it was founded back in 1922. The growth track led to instant recognition and at some point the government of Australia took over the firm. Afterwards the government privatised the firm. In a bid to make the firm have an international appeal, British Airways was took a 25% stake at Qantas after the government agreed terms with British Airways in 1993. In 1995, Qantas offloaded the remaining 75% shares to the public in the ASX (Qantas (2012a). Today Qantas is a public owned company and it is listed in the ASX as QAN. This gives opportunity to anyone who would wish to own the firm a chance by simply buying the stock. Any individual who owns the QAN is a Qant as owner; hence, stakeholder . The management team spearheaded by the Nominations Committee is free to nominate a new member to the Board of Directors and every stakeholder has the right to approve such nominations during the company’s AGM. Just like other listed companies, only a stakeholder with 51% ownership of the firm can have a direct say on how the firm should run with regard to management and who should be in the Board. Organizational Structure The Qantas’ Board is dominated by independent Non-executive Directors who work hand in hand with Executive Directors to carry out Qantas capital intensive programmes. The Board has responsibility of upholding accountability and freedom in a bid to maximise the profit for goodwill of all stakeholders. The Board of Directors Source: Qantas (2012b) The Executive Arm of Qantas Other than the Board of Directors, Qantas also has the Executive Team that comprises of the following personalities: Alan Joyce; The firm’s CEO Gareth Evans; CFO Lesley Grant; CEO of Qantas Loyalty Simon Hickey; CEO of Qantas International Jayne Hrdlicka; the CEO of Jetstar Group Brett Johnson; the firm’s General Counsel Jon Scriven; Group Executive People Lyell Strambi; CEO of Qantas Domestic Board Committees Audit Committee Nominations Committee Remuneration Committee Safety, Health, Environment and Security Committee Board Committee Charters The Board Charter was adopted by the Board in September 1, 2003. The Committees have the duty of giving comprehensive analysis of all issues affecting the company to the Board for approval. In addition, the Board approved charters for its Committees as: Audit Committee Charter Nominations Committee Charter Remuneration Committee Charter Safety, Health, Environment and Security Charter, Qantas (2012b). Service Analysis The main Qantas’ service line is passenger transportation and air freight services. These are the services that have seen the company grow in th e last decades. The fleet size has increased, the planes have been modernised, and expectations are still high is the fleet renewal plans. This means that customers will continue to experience superior services at least in the near future. Other than the main services, Qantas owns a number of subsidiary firms as it takes service experiences a notch higher. QantasLink This subsidiary, firm has more than 2000 flights per week in 56 destinations spread in metropolis, regions, and across borders (Papua New Guinea). Q Catering This is the firm’s group that offers catering services to the travellers and is fully owned by Qantas. It has two main branches: the Q Catering spread across Qantas’ 6 ports in Australia and Snap Fresh that is a modern facility in Queensland specialised in meal production. The meals are supplied to non-aviation destinations. Qantas Freight This is Qantas’ subsidiary that manages all the freight issues in the international level for Jetstar, Jes tar Asia, and Qantas. In addition, it handles freight in domestic market that is marketed by Australian air Express. Qantas Freight Enterprise runs specialised logistics businesses across the borders done by: Express Freighters Australia (EFA), Jets Transport Express, and Qantas Courier employing 800 workers. Express Ground Handling This is Qantas’ subsidiary is fully owned by Qantas Airways and works in liaison with Qantas Airports and Qantas Catering Group. It provides ground handling facilities regional airlines and Jetstar. Qantas Holidays This is Qantas’ subsidiary forming union with the Jetset Travelworld Group to offer travel wholesale services. The services cover all the Qantas destinations outreach not only by Qantas itself but also in alliance with other airlines. There have been mergers of Qantas Holidays with other firms to offer a range of travel agency at retail prices. Qantas Jetstar This is a low cost airline working in Singapore and Australia since 200 4. Whereas the Jetstar Australia is wholly owned by Qantas, â€Å"Jetstar Asia is a Singapore-based partnership between Qantas (49%) and Singapore company Westbrook Investments (51%) with the hub based in Singapore† (Qantas 2012c). Qantas Defence Services Qantas Defence Services offers flight services to the defence force of Australia in at both local and international levels. This began in the WWII and since then, the government of Australia is in liaison with Qantas to offer air flights. There are warplanes in the Qantas Defence Service docket to suit these needs. Technology The Dreamliner’s arrival Qantas has, since its inception tried to remain one of the best performing airlines not only in Australia but also in the international airline industry. This has been made possible given the firm’s drive to purchase high performing machines in the airline industry. Backed by sound financial background, Qantas embraces any technology that can add value to the passe nger transportation and freight services. Technology must improve if the world is to attain global climatic challenges resulting from the emission of carbon into the atmosphere. In the airline industry, one way of using technology to cut on carbon emission is the adoption of efficient cars. Qantas has made the Boeing 787 as the foundation of its fleet renewal programme at both the domestic and international services. The firm has placed an order of 50 Boeing 787 cars and the Dreamliner would be delivered around June 2013. The Boeing 787 series are a high technology machines that will make Qantas to be able to fly to far destinations without flight connection. This will boost point-point travels across the globe. The aircraft’s body is made if composite and light materials and due to light weight, the aircraft travels faster than ordinary aircraft of similar size. It is fuel efficient and able to reach further destinations on full load and is easy and cheap to maintain. The in vestment in Boeing 787 series is in line with Qantas belief of providing air transport safely, high quality services, and innovative business ideas that have been the company’s ethos since 1922 (Qantas, 2012k). To maintain the high level of technology of the Boeing 787 series, Qantas has chosen GE GEnx Engines to maintain the fleet. GEnx meets the requirements to maintain the cars at low cost while paying keen attention to environmental safety standards. Boeing 787 has the ability to increase fuel efficiency by 20%, make a 20% carbon emission cut, 40% nitrous oxide emission cut, and reduce noise footprint by 50% at airports. This table below shows the technical specifications of Boeing 787: B787-8 B787-9 Seating 210 250* 250 – 290* Configuration Twin Aisle Twin Aisle Length 57 metres (186 ft) 63 metres (206 ft) Height 17 metres (56 ft) 17 metres (56 ft) External Fuselage width 574 centimetres (226 inches) 574 centimetres (226 inches) Wind Span 60 metres (197 ft) 60 metres (197 ft) Cruise Speed Mach 0.85 Mach 0.85 Maximum Take-off Weight 228 tonnes 247 tonnes Source: Qantas, (2012d) World’s first technology entertainment The Qantas’ Q Streaming pilot and its passenger were among the first in the world to experience WIFI entertainment technology. In addition, passengers using the technology entertainment car within the airlines of Australia are first to practically try the In-Flight Entertainment technique, (IFE). Travellers will also be allowed to use WIFI enabled gadgets like laptops. As of February this year, Qantas passengers travelling can now download Q Streaming app available from the iTunes database while passengers who own laptops can easily download the MS Silverlight before plane takes off. The new technology entertainments are making customers to really appreciate services at Qantas. Great choice is offered for to the customers and their feedback so far has been amazing. As a result, the company will continue to develop its Q Streaming utilities by taking advantage of the new emerging edge wireless technology. According to Qantas (2012e) â€Å"Qantas will continue to enable customers access the Q Streaming content via their own WIFI enabled devices on the dedicated B767-300 whilst finalising plans to extend its application to wider fleet.† Internal Economic Environment International corporations like Qantas should undertake SWOT analysis to establish its internal position as an organisation against the external environment. This is critical as it makes it possible to adjust to environment needs of business; for instance, opportunity created through open borders that make it easy to access overseas market, (Hitt, Ireland, Hoskisson 2008). It allows managers to review the internal and external business environment with the aim of setting up obligatory roles of a company geared towards company’s mission and vision statements. SWOT analysis helps to restore the glory of an underperforming business to new economic heights. A firm’s strength is fundamental in maintaining competitiveness, which consumers value most. Competitiveness makes products imitation by other industrial players difficult. Belk and Sherry (2007) note that value is creation is motivated by the satisfying the needs of both producers and consumers according to co-production assessment. Leveraging in short refers to the harmonisation of internal strength against external opportunities. Planning in management should expect operation constraints when internal weaknesses prevail as it is likely to limit a company’s competitive advantages and opportunities. On the other hand, internal weaknesses are a threat to organizational strengths as they make a firm susceptible to the external economic environment. Strengths A business organisation can have a number of possible strengths to boost performance these may include: a pull of skilled manpower, sound book values or finan cial health, brand name like Qantas that is popular across the globe and adjustment in equipment purchase or installation, inadequate competition, and own premises among. A pull of a skilled manpower helps in the cutting training cost; hence, reduced annual overheads. A good financial position means that an organisation can service its financial commitment and access more funds like loans. Own premises reduces the amount of recurrent costs. All these strengths can lead to cost reduction that may be needed to adjust to a short term market need; for instance, sudden rise in jet fuel prices that will automatically affect normal running of the business. Strength therefore can be used to sustain competitiveness. Product diversity The core business line of Qantas Airline Ltd is passenger transport and air freight. To this effect, the firm has delivered top quality even in the most trying economic times. Product diversity is equally important to boost critical operations when the main busi ness is faced with fiscal challenges or any other challenges. As such, Qantas runs a series of subsidiaries listed below: QantasLink Q Catering Qantas Freight Express Ground Handling Qantas Holidays JetStar Qantas Defence Services The Qantas Freight operates the freight services with its own fleet that of cars of the Boeing 747-400F and B767-300F. The subsidiary also carries ground handling services in 7 locations in Australia and abroad for its own airlines and other carriers. The Qantas Defence Service supports the Australian and this began in the WWII era. The subsidiary offers services to the defence forces in Australia and due to the superiority of Qantas the expected level of services needed can be met by the firm’s strength (Qantas 2012c). By operating subsidiary firms Qantas is in a position to strengthen its asset and revenue base to meet its fleet expansion and renewal programmes. In addition, this strategy is helpful in reducing the dependence level of Qantas pas sengers’ services that can be affected by political tensions when diplomatic hitches or sanctions occur. The ground handling services that Qantas Freight offers to even other carriers in far destination like Los Angeles helps the firm in building inter-organisational relations and diplomatic relationship with Australia and America and others. Number of fleet and types of fleet The airline since its inception in 1922 has seemed tremendous growth in the domestic and international level. To boost the upward trend, Qantas has been in the forefront to set a number of world records in the airline industry due to its preference for high performance machines. Qantas is the largest airline operator in Australia and this is achieved by fleet development to carry passengers to various destinations across the world. In the next decade, Qantas has a short term plan of capital investment in the tune of US$23 billion to buy more and high performing aircrafts of the next generation. The flee t capital investment would see the firm buy the more of the Airbus A380s and the most talked about Airbus A320 neo and Boeing 787 Dreamliner (Qantas, 2012f). The significant point about fleet renewal at Qantas is to facilitate efficient use of fuel in the long run as fuel is a global problem when supply dwindles. Renewal replaces older and more energy intensive machines with low fuel consuming ones. The current fleet of aircrafts at Qantas is Australia’s biggest in domestic aviation industry and one of the world’s best in international airlines. Qantas won the World Airline Awards for the Best Premium Economy Class. The Trans-Tasman line has a new B737-800 series, superior services of new 747 series that delivers the best Business Class worldwide, among other superior services offered by Qantas. The much talked about Dreamliner is expected to be delivered to Qantas in 2013 and other brand new 50 B787-900 series to arrive by 2016 (Qantas, 2012f). This kind of fleet supe riority in the domestic and global airline industries places Qantas in a strategic position to continue dominating the industry even in the years to come. The company’s prospectus runs for the next 4 years in terms of new airline arrivals only. These kinds of realignments and strategies will ensure that the Qantas remains a strong brand. Strong corporate governance structure Corporate governance may be a great strength if properly structured in an organization in order to improve accountability in running activities of the firm. Corporate governance builds formidable relationship between shareholders and business managers. Turner, 2009 observes that’ corporate governance â€Å"is used to describe a range of issues relating to the ways in which companies may be directed and controlled† (p. 5). A broader definition of good governance takes cognizance of the social and business environment, to enhance social functions of a firm in the society. Stakeholders’ roles are critical in the maintenance of competitiveness and long term sustainability of an organisation’s activities (Calder, 2008). Corporate governance should outline operations with respect to policy structure, its implementation, and other amicable strategies to withhold stakeholders’ preferences. Qantas in line with the requirements of corporate governance has an elaborate corporate governance structure for its full functionality. The Board of Directors is given the responsibility of ensuring Qantas corporate governance is created or updated, protected, to enhance shareholders’ value. The Board follows the provisions of Australian Securities Exchange Corporate Governance Council’s principles. Qantas publicly discloses all their policies relating the corporate governance, which builds stakeholders’ trust. Qantas Board of Directors maintains high level corporate governance ethics that are constantly being reviewed to comply with the latest issu es that affect the structure. To help in this regard, the Board works on corporate governance structure directed by the following sub-sections: The Qantas Constitution Corporate Governance Statement Qantas’ Executive Remuneration Philosophy The Qantas Board Board Committee members Board Committee Charters Qantas Group Business Practices Document Qantas Diversity Statement (Qantas, 2012b). The elaborate nature of Qantas corporate governance and its transparency conforms to all the requirements of corporate governance outlined above. Therefore, the firm’s shareholders and all other stakeholders see accountability of the highest level. They in turn trust the company’s ideals, which is an endorsement to its operations for the sustainability of Qantas. Weaknesses It is important to recognise a company’s weaknesses in order to minimise them in future. Weaknesses can be; rented premises, unskilled or semi-skilled workforce, heavy debts, stock imbalance, and un productive or inefficient machines. Even though Qantas owns a number of subsidiaries, the subsidiary firms depend on mainstream Qantas services (passenger transportation) and freight. This means that if the mainstream services are affected, there will be a ripple effect that will trickle down to the subsidiary firms. Therefore the firms should invest in different lines and industries. According to Reuters (2012) Qantas still faces the challenge of fuel costs and the immediate response at times of high fuel costs is to hike fares. This is a weakness because it can lead to lose of customers. External Economic Environment Threats Existence of strikes Industrial strike poses a great threat to the company performance. During strikes the airline operations are grounded and that leads to reduction of revenue and subsequently gaining by the company’s rivals such as Virgin Australia. For instance, Qantas first quarter profit of the year 2012 reduced by 52% (CAPA Centre for Aviation, 2 012). The main contributing factor to the reduction of the mentioned profit margin is industrial strikes. The company estimate of the revenue loss as result of strike is AUD 95 million. Competition from other airways companies The existence of the competition from other airline also is a great threat to Qantas airways market share. Virgin Australia offers stiff competition to destinations which were earlier seen as Qantas airways natural markets. The completion has made Qantas airways to cut off some of the international routes so as concentrate to the domestic market. Global economic crises The effects of global economic crisis in 2008 challenged many global business organizations. The aviation industry was also hard hit because the number of tours reduced as travelling became a lesser priority. Currently, the Euro zone crisis continues to affect member countries in Europe. The global economic crises are a threat to the airline and frantic efforts must be made to minimize their eff ects. The end result of global economic crisis is that it increases operation cost, reduces business opportunities which in turn leads to loss of revenue to a company. Fuel prices The stability of fuel prices in the global market directly affects the operations of airlines. The stability depends on a number of issues; one being political standoff between one or more countries. To stabilize the fuel prices, Qantas ahs a well developed hedging strategy that intends to cushion the effect of unstable fuel prices. Under the Capital Management and Treasury, Qantas reserves cash revenue of $3.3 billion to facilitate debt problems. Fuel costs, operating foreign exchange, and aircraft capital expenditure are all hedged to respond the incoming challenges. Of the three hedged funds, fuels cost takes 86% with an effective hedge price of US$116.05/barrel. According to Qantas (2012g), â€Å"Hedging approach mitigates risk whilst maintaining upside potential,† (p. 13). Opportunities Product diversity Needs extension to non-airline services The Oneworld Alliance Oneworld Alliance offers great opportunity for Qantas to extend its services to further destinations. Through the alliance, it is possible to integrate critical airline operations with the Qantas’ operations. Porters Five Forces Porter’s Five Forces model was initiated by the renowned economic and business strategist Michael E. Porter. Porter identified five pillars that mainly influence organisation and planning of businesses. This model is relevant in modern day given the phase of internet use in business processes that has led to globalization. The five forces are illustrated below: Source: Porter, (1985) Bargaining power of Buyers Customers with substantial bargaining are likely to have a massive take on what should inform a business strategy. The advances in technology and the use of internet ahs significantly increased such of information and for customers. As a result, customers can make f are comparison for the various airlines before booking. The information is available online; for instance, Qantas has its own page for online booking. Choice is made depending on the desired pack and price for a flight. High bargaining power of customers increases rivalry in the airline industry. Qantas has specialised in the delivery of quality economy and business classes that serve the interest of various categories of customers. In fact, Qantas has won awards in the provision of superb services. As mentioned earlier, Qantas won the World Airline Awards for the Best Premium Economy Class. Bargaining power of Suppliers The number of suppliers who are able to deliver a company’s fleets or any other equipment needed affect suppliers’ bargaining power. In case of supply dominance by one or few entities, the bargaining power of the supplier(s) will be increased as increase in demand for equipment increases. On the other hand, if there are many suppliers are in an industr y, their bargaining power will be diminished leading to low costs of machinery and other equipment. In the fleet development industry, there are limited manufacturers that can deliver state of the art aircrafts to meet Qantas market needs. For instance, Boeing 787 Dreamliner is s superior kind of aircraft that not every manufacturer has the ability to make in the short run. To this effect, the manufacturer enjoys the bargaining power and Qantas has to give in to any demands given by Boeing. Threat of New Entrants New entrants are firms that are not currently in market completion in a given industry; but they have the ability to do so if they decide. In international airline industry, it is absolutely unavoidable to eliminate the threat of a new entrant and alleviate any threat of their market share. Many corporations invest in Research and Development, (RD) to improve services. However, threat of a new market entrant relies on a number of factors. First, economies of scale enjoyed b y a leading company may act as a barrier to a new entrant that is yet to start service delivery in a given market. According to Hill and Jones, (2009), â€Å"Economies of scale arise when unit costs fall as a firm expands its output. Sources of economies of scale include, cost of reductions gained through mass-producing a standardized output and discounts on purchase of raw materials in bulk.† Another barrier to entry is absolute cost advantages. When initial resource investment is high for an existing company compared to a potential entrant, there would be very hard scenario for a new entrant to get into market. Government policies may also favour market dominance for some companies; for example, if incentives are given to new entrants, barrier to entry would be significantly reduced for a business organisation. The forth factor that influences this force paradigm is the cost of consumer switching from one service or product to another. If the cost of switching is relatively low, a new entrant captures some part of the market share whereas if the costs are high, dominant firm would are the beneficiaries. Consumer loyalty on a given brand can be a hurdle for a new firm to enter market. Threats of substitutes If market situation allows for substitutability of goods and services from other competitor, then the management needs to find alternative measures to limit the threat. This can be done through finding new markets, adopting competitive fares and low cost product, among other measures that will make the company maintain its market share. If the degree of substitutability of goods and services is low, threat of market share will be low. Qantas prides itself as a trend setter with the new fleet of cars expected in the future. The firm has the financial ground to support all the ambitious plans in the offing. In May 2012, Qantas withdrew services in the Auckland-Los Angeles and Singapore-Mumbai routes in a aircraft renewal plan. The plan was to set free 4 of the A330 cars that were in turn taken to the Sydney-Bangkok route. The A330s were to replace the 2 Boeing 747-400 series. This was a reduction in international flight in favour of domestic trunk network. According the CEO of Qantas the strategy is to ensure that Qantas maintains a minimum of 65% of the domestic market (CAPA Centre for Aviation, 2012). The plan meant that the trans-continental market was limited in service. As such, Virgin Australia saw an opportunity and planned for a three to four year strategy to roll into the market with A330. Virgin Australia followed the launch into the route with yet another target of the Sydney-Perth route with A330s and A330 flights from Melbourne-Perth twice in a day. These market entries by Virgin Australia offers substitute services to customers in the aforementioned routes, which is a threat to Qantas. Rivalry among competitors All the other forces lead to increased rivalry among firms in a given industry. The airline industry has a number of established airline operators that and new entrants who create stiff competition and rivalry. Depending on the type of brand that an organisation creates to the consumers, popularity will come from product pricing, design, and dedicated funds for advertising. There is a relationship between price of a commodity and costs involved in production and when prices are low and costs are high, the profit margins are decreased. On the other hand, when competition is low profit margins shoot up. Cost is lowered, prices rise, and profit increases. In a nutshell, Hill and Jones (2009) point out at four factors that affect level of rivalry, â€Å"The intensity of rivalry among established companies within an industry is largely a function of four factors: industry competitive structure; demand conditions; cost conditions; the height of exit barriers in the industry.† Industry analysts carry out research to determine the number of firms in a given industry. Industrial struct ures vary and each segment ought to determine the rivalry levels at its own capacity. For instance, in a progressive industry would behave in a particular manner. According to McGahan, (2004), â€Å"Under progressive change, the industry’s stability arises from the links between activities rather than from any single proprietary activity.† The demands of a given industry also influence the intensity of rivalry and for an increase in demand for services and products there will be reduced rivalry between firms. Alternatively, when there is low demand the rivalry between firms increase and the profit margins reduce. This is due to the cost factor. Reduced demand implies that firms must review prices to have competitive fares. While this happens, there are costs that must be met, for instance, recurrent costs must be taken care of despite the gains made in the sales department. Qantas has responded to alleviate insignificant rivalry within the airline industry by forming t he Oneworld Alliance. The alliance brings together top 12 most successful airlines at the international level to coordinate the running of more than 700 destinations in over 130 countries. The other airlines in the alliance are: Air Berlin, American Airline, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Royal Jordian, and S7 Airlines. The intent of the alliance is to bring on board airline firms and make them share the resources they have to boost customer experience; for instance, the 500 airport departure lounges that the alliance members can access across the world (Qantas, 2012h). Pestle Analysis Political The Qantas Group enjoys cordial relationship with the government of Australia since its assistance in the government engagement in the WWII. The firm assisted in airlifting soldiers from the threat of advancing Japanese forces while at the same time dropping foodstuff in tree-tops. Since then, the Qantas firm continues to serve the defence force by for ming the subsidiary, Qantas Defence Service that airlifts soldiers to their destinations with defence jets. Fleet development in the Qantas Defence Services is convincing and hopefully, the relationship with the government will continue to build in the future. In addition, Qantas is the biggest airline firm in Australia in both domestic and international flights. As such, it is a source of revenue for the government through taxation as a fully tax complaint firm. The government must therefore build policies that favour the firms for the good relationship to continue. Political engagements between government and Qantas employees are guided by policies. It promotes collaborative relationship with the Australian regime and complies with all legislations that promote corporate ethical standards. For instance, Qantas does not allow its employees to make political donations in money value or in-kind to any political officer, political parties or officials. When any worker attends a politi cal party meeting, then the firm states that such activities should be seen as personal and not sponsored. Economic Qantas group economic performance between 2010 and 2011 are as indicated below: Qantas Group Segment Performance Summary: 2010-2011 Source: CAPA Centre for Aviation, (2012) Economic indicators of Qantas financial position are mainly positive. For instance, there has been a steady growth of ancillary revenue since 2010 for Jetstar. In addition, the unit cost performance show that Qantas has succeed in reducing the cost as from 2010 to 2012 going by the first quarter results. These two scenarios are shown in the charts below: Jetstar Ancillary Revenue and Unit Cost Performance: 1H2011-1H2012 Source: Qantas, (2012g) Qantas had to retrench 500 engineers at Victoria base in response to economic needs of the firm. After the announcement of the job cuts, it again announced that it would separate its international operations from domestic ones. Moreover, each business is to have its own CEO and report its own financial results. This move can be interpreted that Qantas wants to streamline individual sectors by reducing losses and increasing profits where necessary. According to Bamber (2011), â€Å"Qantas’ domestic airline made an underlying profit before tax of $552 million in 2010/2011FY, while the international business lost $216 million.† By separating the two, each sector can concentrate on addressing its own issues. In addition, bureaucracy will be made easy as they work as separate entities. Socio-cultural Factors CSR policies are important in building the socio-cultural relationship between a firm and the community around it. A good CSR structure addresses both the external and internal affairs of a business organization. External CSR policies focus on the social contract between an organization and the society. Qantas has programmes that enhance harmony between its operations and the community. For instance, the high technology pl anes will reduce noise level to people living around airports. Customer reward schemes also build social relationship with customers. Qantas has sponsorship programmes for qualified students who want to pursue further education. There are other socio-cultural programmes that are outlined under the firm’s CSR port. Technological The use of technology has been elaborated in the paper before. The main technologies that Qantas has adopted of late are the use of technology in entertainment and flight renewal plans that will bring modern planes to its fleet. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a high technology car that has significant impacts on economic, environment, and customer experience. Legal As said earlier, Qantas in line with the requirements of corporate governance has an elaborate corporate governance structure operations. The Board of Directors is given the responsibility of ensuring Qantas corporate governance is created or updated, protected, to enhance shareholders’ value. The company complies with all guidelines that are provided by the ASX Corporate Governance Council’s principles. Qantas publicly discloses all their policies relating the corporate governance. Qantas Board of Directors maintains high level corporate governance ethics that are constantly being reviewed to comply with the latest issues. Most importantly, the Board has its own Constitution that directs all ethics issues and governance structure. Environmental Qantas is committed to environmental sustainability other than the economic and social commitments. The firm’s objective is to be top in environmental performance through the implementation of required environment policies geared towards the protection of the current and future generations. Environmental engagements Qantas engage all stakeholders in ensuring the community has a variety of environmental programmes that run year in year out. Some of the plans include the firm’s Green Team, which is a gro up of volunteers who raise environmental awareness campaigns. In addition, through the Great Barrier Reef Foundation ZooX Ambassadors, Qantas informs its employees on the relationship between climatic changes, the coral reefs, and how these two have an impact in the sustainability of the firm’s operations. The other engagement is eXcel Environment Ward, which awards the most focused employee in the implementation of environmental projects in the Qantas businesses. The climate challenge Since global climatic changes are a concern to the whole global community, Qantas prides itself in the development of programmes that cut down on emissions address climate issues. Qantas has set its own emission targets in a bid to reduce the effects of climatic challenges. As the company core business is airline transport, 95% of Qantas global carbon emissions are due to jet fuel use. A possible avenue of reducing the emission is through use of efficient machines that will cut on the consumpti on. The figure below illustrates the set goals in reducing emissions at Qantas: Source: Qantas (2012i) Reducing aircraft noise Qantas has the plan of reducing aircraft noise among the communities that live close to the airport by considering the purchase of aircrafts with that ability. The fleets on order including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner have the ability to reduce the noise. This is why Qantas (2012j) makes firm statement, â€Å"Seeking better ways of managing aircraft noise is one of the many ways we continue to develop strong relationships with our communities. We believe that the best solutions emerge through collaboration.† There are also many other strategies put in place to reduce the environmental impact of the firm’s operations. Impact Of External Environment On Qantas A firm’s external environment is a three-piece component: the industry, the business and operation environment, and its remote. The three components of external environment can change and affect the operations at international and local levels. The PESTLE analysis above helps in the definition of remote environment. The industry on the other hand is defined by the Porter’s five forces. The two models of analysis therefore help in the identification of the external business environment and its impact on Qantas. International travels are characterised by regulatory impediments, which prevent carriers from inflowing to a new destination. Barrier to entry into a new destination is an obstacle to expansion programmes of a carrier. Network alliances open avenues for expansion and gives right to enter into a restricted territory. Network alliance also opens base for resource sharing. Limited runways for take offs and landings may be a challenge to individual carriers. Finally, network alliances eases competition pressures, leading to a reduction in pricing and can earn supernormal profits. Alliance members should be weary of threat of new entrants and formulate s tringent measures to counter the threats. One way of achieving this is through imposition of regulatory restrictions and initiating frequent flyer programmes. External business environment is also defined by the entry of other airlines into the market. Incumbency in the airline industry is a great barrier to entry into the industry. However, disruptive technology is a threat to this barrier and an opportunity for a new entrant. Foster supported by Christensen as quoted by Vlaar et al., (2005) assert that, â€Å"disruptive technological change brings about new value propositions and strategic options that may have a devastating effect on established firms and industry structure.† (p. 155). Incumbents are unable to establish radical technological inventions due to protocol issues and conventional organisation structures that take long time to make critical decisions. Since new entrants face operation difficulties through service imitation and high investment costs in RD, disrup tive technology is a scope towards market breakthrough. Emirates Airline is a new entrant into the market that defied the odds to break into airline industry with great success after short period of time. According to Shikoh (2005), research by Skytrax in 2005, Emirates was third after Cathay Pacific and Qantas Airways and in front of global brands like British Airways and Singapore Airlines. As mentioned, Emirates instilled a sense of ‘business unusual’ in the industry with more operation strategies that appealed to majority. The airline industry is a multi billion investment venture that is mainly funded by national governments. Due to this, there is expansion rigidity brought about by legal restriction on routes usage. Network alliances, therefore, involve both liberal bilateral agreements between two government and agreement between partners. The geopolitics of airline industry is main source of barrier to entry by a new firm and the cause of incumbency by national carriers. This paper has established that other than privatisation, network alliance is one of the ways, through which industry players can expand their operations to new destination. However, the case of Emirates Airline is unique as the firm defied the barriers to enter into the industry and become a global brand. Disruptive technologies and organisational rigidity are a challenge to the incumbent but give rare opportunities to new entrants. Structural rigidity can also be eliminated by privatisation. In the airline industry, customer service is important as there is a direct relationship between customers and the employees. Before the management thinks of any effort to improve customer services, there is need of focussing on employee issues for them to respond with exemplary services to customers. In an airline where staffs are discontented, they are likely to replicate poor services to the customers. Eventually there could be lost business as customers will seek better services elsewhere because there are options. Southwest Airline is among the world leaders in customer service at relatively low price. The firm considers its staff as the selling point. Southwest airline pays remunerates its workforce well and but remains a profit making organisation that has never retrenched its staffs (Bamber, 2011). Virgin too is following in the footsteps of Southwest airline and in the same line; Qantas should take some strategies from Southwest airline to rejuvenate its economic hitches and the 500 retrenchment of workers in its Victoria base. According to Bamber (2011) lesson from Southwest airline should be favoured instead of the bid to resorting to private equity funds to purchase Stakes at Qantas. Since the attempt, the share price has steadily fallen. Impact Of Qantas On External Economic Environment Qantas being one of the Oneworld Alliance means that the firm is a major player in Australian domestic and international airline industries. Its operations affect t hose of other carriers. The interrelationship among the world carriers tells the nature of the airline industry. The airline industry is very dynamic and sources of economic rent are diversified. Due to heavy investment needed in the airline industry, the industry operates either as government owned ventures or by a particular entity. However, global wave of privatization and private business entities entered the industry in the mid 1990s, revolutionising the sector. There are limited cases of merger of firms in the airline industry due to rigid international air agreements that domestic firms adhere to. Strategic alliances; and alliances between carriers is now the norm in the industry. Alliances between big network carriers are common if compared with those between low cost carrier (LLC), and charter airlines. According to Forsyth et al., (2011), â€Å"This type of airline differ in that the first operate integrated route networks centred around one or multiple hubs, offering pas sengers a dense network of flight connections, while low cost and charter airlines typically focus on point-to-point networks.† (p. 49). This paper discusses how various airline operations and activities affect economic rent of firms, engaged in the industry at the global, regional, and domestic level. Consolidation of the industry is a major source of economic rent as it presents rationales, upon which networks integration would yield benefits. To begin with, working together brings in economies of scale for individual firms to improve technical efficiency. This is because firms in an alliance can share codes, which increases passenger flight rates. According to risk diversification theory, creating many routes manages adverse effects of depending on a single airline destination. Another reason to form network alliance is that it reduces transaction costs that are passed on to customers. Forsyth et al., (2011) pose that, â€Å"Airlines that offer connecting services to passe ngers and flight forwarders may increase profits by joint marketing of their services on the basis of one stop shopping.† Shopping at one point saves on transaction costs as passengers don’t need to connect flights but instead buy products and services from a partner in an alliance. In order to make this a reality, firms in an alliance should carry out joint branding and tender seamless travel plans to passengers. Network alliances is the commonest practice in the world and as Ramà ³n-Rodriguez et al., (2010) posit, â€Å"The success of this strategy has led to the creation of one world, Sky-Team and Star Alliance that are now responsible for about 75% of global passengers and 90% of long-haul flights.† (p. 111). Network alliances eliminate market imperfections, which majorly affect airline operations. Airlines do serve a particular route, and when there is an alliance, interests of passengers who demand flight connection and complementary services will be serve d. Individual carriers face market imperfection due to uncoordinated price-setting mechanism because of numerous price mark-ups, set by individual carriers. This reduces marginal costs (MC), leading to decrease in profit margins. Network alliance minimises price mark-ups due to coordination of a joint pricing model that offers complementary services to travellers. Customer also benefit from low prices, set by network alliances. Reference List Bamber, G 2011, Saving Qantas in a matter of trust. National Times, Viewed on smh.com.au/opinion/politics/saving-qantas-is-a-matter-of-trust-20111107-1n3rx.html Belk, R. W. Sherry, J. F., 2007, Consumer culture theory: volume 11 of research in consumer behaviour, Emerald Group Publishing, Melbourne. Calder, A., 2008, corporate governance: a practical guide to the legal frameworks and international codes of practice, Kogan Page Publishers, London. CAPA Centre for Aviation, 2012, Qantas cuts international services to grow profitable domestic ma rket as Jetstar grows all around, viewed on http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/qantas-cuts-international-services-to-grow-profitable-domestic-market-as-jetstar-grows-all-around-68423 Forsyth, P. Niemeier, H. Wolf, H., 2011, Airport alliances and mergers – Structural change in the airport industry? Journal of Air Transport Management, vol.17, no.1, pp. 49-56. Hitt, M., Ireland, R. Hoskisson, R., 2008, Strategic management: competitiveness and globalization: concepts cases. 8th ed, Cengage Learning, London. Jones, H. Jones, G., 2009, Strategic management theory: An integrated approach, 9th ed, Cengage Learning, Melbourne. McGahan, A. M., 2004, How industries evolve: principles for achieving and sustaining superior performance. London: Harvard Business Press. Porter, M. E., 1985, Competitive Advantage: Techniques for analyzing industries and competitors, The Free Press, New York. Qantas, 2012a. The Qantas story. Viewed on qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/history/global/en. Q antas, 2012b. Corporate governance, Viewed on qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/governance-structure/global/en Qantas, 2012c. Subsidiary companies, Viewed on qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/subsidiaries/global/en Qantas, 2012d, Boeing 787 Dreamliner: Flying into the future, Viewed on qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/aircraft-boeing-787/global/en Qantas, 2012e, Qantas customers experience world first entertainment technology. Viewed on qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/media-releases/feb-2012/5358/global/en Qantas, 2012f, Fleet developments Viewed on qantas.com.au/fleet-developments/global/en Qantas, 2012g, Qantas Airways Limited: 1H12 Results Viewed onqantas.com.au/infodetail/about/investors/2011InvestorPresentation.pdf Qantas, 2012h, One World Alliance, Viewed on qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/oneworld/global/en Qantas, 2012i. Climate change, Viewed on qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/climate-change/global/en Qantas, 2012j, Noise Management, our commitment, Viewed on qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/ community-commitment/global/en Qantas, 2012k, Small beginnings Viewed on qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/history-beginning/global/en Ramà ³n-Rodrà ­guez, A. B., Moreno-Izquierdo, L. Perles-Ribes, J. F., 2011, ‘Growth and internationalisation strategies in the airline industry’, Journal of Air Transport Management. 17(2) pp. 110-115. Reuters, 2012, Qantas raising fares to tackle high fuel cost, Viewed on reuters.com/article/2012/03/30/uk-qantas-fares-idUSLNE82T00Q20120330 Shikoh, R., 2005. Global branding the Emirates way. Viewed on http://dinarstandard.com/marketing/global-branding-the-emirates-way/ Turner, C., 2009, corporate governance: A practical guide for accountants, Butterworth-Heinemann, New York. Vlaar, P., Vries, P. D. Willenborg, M., 2005. ‘Why incumbents struggle to extract value from new strategic options: Case of the European airline industry’, European Management Journal, 23(2), pp. 154-169.

What Is the IB Program, and What Are IB Classes

What Is the IB Program, and What Are IB Classes SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips One factor some students consider when choosing a high school is whether it has an International Baccalaureate program. Sometimes compared with the Advanced Placement (AP) program, the IB program allows students to take college-level courses while in high school. So what is International Baccalaureate? What is the IB Program and an IB Diploma, and why are IB classes worth taking?In this article, we introduce all things IB, including the diploma requirements and features of the exam. We also tell you whether you have to get an IB diploma in order to earn college credit for your IB classes. What Is IB? An Overview The International Baccalaureate (IB) program was designed in Switzerland in the 1960s. Its purpose was to give students around the world a chance to earn a rigorous, internationally recognized diploma, which they could then use for entry into universities. (You can read more about the history and philosophy of the IB program on the official IB website. ) To earn an IB diploma, you have to go to an IB-approved school and meet the requirements, including taking classes in the six subject groups, passing the IB exams, and completing three additional core requirements. But what if you don’t want to do the diploma? It's also possible to take a few IB classes without doing the full-blown diploma program, though each high school has its own policy on this. How Does College Credit Work for IB? IB exams are recognized for college credit in a way similar to how AP exams are used. You don’t have to earn the IB diploma to get credit for individual classes, as colleges give credit course by course. For example, check outStanford’s chart for IB credit. IB classes come in two forms: "higher level" and "standard level" (we will discuss this in more detail below). Some colleges only give credit for the higher-level classes (as Stanford does). Also,some colleges will completely waive general education requirements for students who have completed the full IB diploma.See the University of Utah’s policy here as an example. This means that a student with an IB diploma could totally skip gen ed classes and jump right into their major. This would obviously save a ton of time and money,and shows why getting the IB diploma can be a huge advantage. To find a school’s policy on IB credit, search for "[School Name] IB credit policy." Most universities have a dedicated web page for explaining their IB credit policy. What Are the Benefits of the IB Program? One of the chief benefits of the IB program is that it provides academic preparation for college. IB courses are known for being interdisciplinary, requiring a good deal of independent thinking, and assigning oral presentations and original research- all characteristics of college courses. Spoiler alert: college-level research involves a bit more work than just Googling something. Especially if you earn the full IB diploma, your IB courses will be a great way of showing that you have taken tough courses in a range of subjects,from math to English to history to science, and are able to manage college-level coursework. As we discussed before, colleges want to see that you've taken the most advanced classes available to you.And taking IB is a great way to do just that. In addition to getting preparation for college, you can get credit for college classes by passing IB exams. Again, you don’t need to complete the full IB diploma in order to earn credit, so if you don’t think you can fit the IB diploma into your schedule, it might still benefit you to take a few individual IB classes. Unfortunately, taking an IB exam isn’t cheap. There's a $172 registration fee as well as a $119 fee per exam. While this is a lot of money, it is much less than the tuition you would pay for the same intro-level college course. Many schools also have their own financial aid programs for IB. Learn more about IB costs here. What Are the 6Core Courses in the IB Program? To earn the full IB diploma, you have to take courses from six subjects, one each from groups 1-5, and either one from group 6 or a substitute from one of the other groups: Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature (most likely an English literature course if you’re an American student) Group 2: Language Acquisition (a foreign language course) Group 3: Individuals and Societies (history, economics, geography, other social sciences) Group 4: Experimental Sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, other sciences) Group 5: Mathematics Group 6: The Arts (dance, theater, visual arts, etc.) Between three and four subjects must be taken at the â€Å"higher level† (HL) and the rest at the â€Å"standard level† (SL) in order to earn the diploma. Higher-level courses are more challenging- IB recommends a minimum of 240 hours of instructional time for HL courses, and 150 hours for SL courses. Some schools handle the higher-level requirements by having students take the SL or AP version of a course first, and the HL version second, thereby forming a two-year sequence. For example, you might take AP English Literature as a junior, and then Higher-Level IB English as a senior. Also, note thatmany high schools with IB programs have recommended four-year plans to help students fit in all the requirements,since there's a lot to keep track of. Therefore, you won't necessarily have to do a bunch of schedule-planning on your own. If your school or a school you're interested in has an IB program, get in touch with the guidance counseling office to find out whether they have recommended IB class sequences. This can help you if you're deciding which high school to attend, or if you can’t decide whether you want to take IB classes or not. What Are IB Exams? For each of those six core classes, you also have to take an IB exam. IB exams are given in May (or November for southern hemisphere schools). They have two parts: an external assessment and internal assessment. The external assessment is the more traditional exam portion, and consists of two or three "papers," usually done on the same day or a few days in a row. A paper is essentially an exam section, and they usually have a combination of multiple-choice, short-answer, extended-response, and data- or case-analysis questions. You won't spend much time bubbling in answers on an IB exam. The papers are graded by independent examiners- similar to how AP exams are graded by certified AP graders. The internal assessments are done by the teacher. These can include oral presentations, practical work (such as a written lab report), or other written work. 5% or more of the internal assessments will also be graded by a moderator appointed by IB- and based on this moderation, the grading curve of that subject at the school will be set. IB exams are graded from 1 to 7, with 6 and 7 considered an A, and anything 4 and up generally considered a passingscore (though IB doesn’t set official passing grades). Most colleges give IB credit for scores of 5 and higher. To earn the IB diploma, you need to score an average of 4 on each exam to get the minimum 24 needed points. You canlearn more about IB examson the IB website. What Are the 3Core Requirements in the IB Program? In addition to IB classes and exams, there are three more core requirements students must complete to earn an IB diploma. Read about them below: #1: The Extended Essay This is an independent research essay of up to 4,000 words that's graded externally by IB. It has to be focused on one academic subjectand written on a topic that's been approved by IB. Students are awarded points toward their diploma based on how well they do on the essay. #2: Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Class This class teaches the nature of knowledge and builds skills in critical thinking. Students have to complete a presentation (graded by the teacher) and a 1,600-word essay (graded externally) to pass this course. #3: Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) Lastly, students are required to participate in anactivity outside of class, either community service, athletics, or creative activities.For most students, their regular extracurricular activities and sports count for these hours, meaning that they don't need to add anything to their schedules in order to fulfill this requirement. IB vs AP: Key Similarities and Differences We have a complete rundown of AP vs IB in this post, which includes a guide to deciding between the two programs. That being said, here are some of the key similarities and differences between the two. What’s the Same? Both the AP and IB programs allow you to take a challenging course followed by an exam that you can earn college credit for. In some schools, they're even the same course (e.g. AP/IB French, AP/IB Biology, etc.). AP and IB are generally the most challenging courses available to high school students. Unless you're able to sign up for local college courses or do advanced independent projects and research, AB and IB are likely the best (and most convenient) way for you to begin preparing for college. What’s Different? Although both programs offer challenging courses for high school students, there are a lot of differences in how they do so. Popularity Advanced Placement is by far the more popular program.In 20142.3 million students took AP tests, and in 2017 this number rose to more than 2.7 million. By contrast,only about 160,000 students took IB exams in 2017. The diploma pass rate was 78.4%. Some families opt for the IB program over the AP program as it's rarer and can help set students apart in the admissions process. Diploma IB was designed as a diploma program (although, as we discussed above, it is possible to take just a few IB classes for college credit). Meanwhile,the AP program was designed around advanced classes- not a diploma. (That said, the AP has created a competitor to IB via the AP International Diploma, whichyou can read about here.) Class Curricula IB curricula are stricter for teachers. IB has certain required assignments your teacher has to grade, such as oral presentations, as part of the internal assessment. In contrast, AP teachers have a bit more freedom in how they may teach an AP course, just so long as they're effectively preparing students for the exam. Difficulty IB Higher Level courses are often considered more difficult than APs, whereas IB Standard Level courses are considered the same as or easier than APs. Keep in mind that how difficult a class is to pass at your school will vary depending on the teacher and his or her curriculum. Exam Content IB exams contain more writing and application of ideas, whereas APs are more about proving what you know. This is why AP exams have more multiple choice, while the IB exams feature more short-response questions, essays, and case studies. Cost IB exams are more expensive than AP tests since there's a registration fee and a fee per exam. For AP exams, you just pay for the exam, which is $94. Remember that these fees are much lower than college tuition for the same classes! College Credit Getting AP credit can be more straightforward since more US colleges are familiar with it and the College Board officially sets a passing grade (3 out of 5) while IB does not. Furthermore, because AP courses only come in one difficulty level, it can be easier for colleges to set credit policies for AP exams. For IB, colleges have to decide how they'll handle Standard Level and Higher Level courses. However, for both IB and AP, the higher your passing score is, the more likely you are to get credit for college. For example, an AP exam score of 5 nearly always earns credit, the same as an IB score of 7 does. Don't forget this when you're studying! What’s Next? You know a lot about IB- but what about AP? See our guide to what AP classes are and why you should take them. Also studying for the SAT or ACT? Figure out which exam you're more likely to do the best on! Get a timeline for studying for the SAT/ACT. Planning ahead will give you the opportunity to get a higher score on test day! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: