Ethical Dilemmas In Information Systems Project - Free Essay Example

Ethical dilemmas in Information Systems Project In projects, especially big information systems projects risks are high. There is a lot of pressure on the team members and the project managers to get the job done on time, within budget and conforming to the scope. Not surprisingly, there are many situations during the lifetime of the project that ethical dilemmas arise. These ethical dilemmas are situations which require people to make a choice between options. In situations like these project managers should take corrective actions and their actions can set the tone of ethics in the project. In this article we will see two ethical dilemmas that arise in IT projects, their implications and suggestive actions for project managers. One of the examples of ethical dilemmas that arise in projects is the failure in reporting the exact picture to all the stakeholders. A project has many stakeholders, like clients, project managers, team members, customers etc. These stakeholders have the right to know the exact picture of the project at all the required times. It is the duty of everyone involved in a project to make sure everyone else is aware of the correct status because their actions can hamper others work. For example, sometime in situations like a project falling behind the deadline or a project exceeding budget, it becomes an ethical dilemma for the project managers whether or not to tell the clients or customers about this delay or over budgeting. He/She faces dilemmas like how much of the truth should be revealed. There are many implications if there is a failure in reporting the exact picture to all the stakeholders. If the delay caused in a project is not conveyed to lets say Client, they will be under the impression that project is moving in accordance to the desired timeline and will keep on expecting the delivery on time and many times due to this pressure of delivering on time the quality of the product is compromised to a large extent. This compromises the reputation of the company, of the project manager as a professional leading to low market value. It is the duty of the PM to make sure exact picture is reported to all the stakeholders. This can be done in many ways, for example by establishing a reporting standard and the team know in advance. PM can conduct regular meetings every week to closely monitor the progress of the project. They should maintain a backlog for issues and modules that are not completed in time. PMs should try to be as accurate as possible in their reporting. If they are using any approximations, they should be conveyed beforehand. PMs are the liaison between the team and all other stakeholders; obviously they are under a lot of pressure and may sometimes end up falsifying the reports. They should try to not succumb to such pressure and should try to maintain transparency. Another example of ethical dilemma project managers face is when to call a project quits. There are many situations when a project needs to be shut down. Situations like when there are changes in the business requirements in middle of the project and the new requirements dont align with the goals of the company, project managers then decide whether to go on with a project or not. PMs being a connection between the company and stakeholders, they clearly know whether the business requirements map clearly with the goals of the project. It becomes an ethical dilemma for the project managers whether or not to call it quits. Over budgeting is also a major reason why projects get called off. In case of over budgeting, PM should take a call whether or not to continue with the project. There are many implications if a project doesnt get called off at the right time. A project that is dragged unnecessarily results in wastage of company resources like people working on a project, budget allotte d and time involved. If a project manager decides to call a project off at the right time because of issues mentioned above, all the resources working on the project can work for something else instead of a non-yielding project. When a project is large and involves a lot of people, this wastage can scale up to millions of dollars. Decision of calling off a project at the right time thus becomes very crucial in order to save time and money. As mentioned before, the Project managers should decide when to continue with a project and when to call it off. PMs can address these situations via variety of ways. Combination of budget and strategic conditions are main criteria project managers should consider while deciding whether to use resources on a project or not. They can conduct initial meetings with all the involved stakeholders and can come up with criteria to be considered while evaluating the future of the project. The established criteria should be clearly stated in the Project charter by the PM at the start of the project and the project should be regularly evaluated against the charter in order to have a clear understanding of the health of the project. Thus, we can say that a project can never be devoid of ethical dilemmas. As seen in the article, project managers should try and resolve these ethical dilemmas in a way that everyone is benefitted at the end and the focus of the project is not compromised.

Ethical Dilemmas In Information Systems Project - Free Essay Example

Ethical dilemmas in Information Systems Project In projects, especially big information systems projects risks are high. There is a lot of pressure on the team members and the project managers to get the job done on time, within budget and conforming to the scope. Not surprisingly, there are many situations during the lifetime of the project that ethical dilemmas arise. These ethical dilemmas are situations which require people to make a choice between options. In situations like these project managers should take corrective actions and their actions can set the tone of ethics in the project. In this article we will see two ethical dilemmas that arise in IT projects, their implications and suggestive actions for project managers. One of the examples of ethical dilemmas that arise in projects is the failure in reporting the exact picture to all the stakeholders. A project has many stakeholders, like clients, project managers, team members, customers etc. These stakeholders have the right to know the exact picture of the project at all the required times. It is the duty of everyone involved in a project to make sure everyone else is aware of the correct status because their actions can hamper others work. For example, sometime in situations like a project falling behind the deadline or a project exceeding budget, it becomes an ethical dilemma for the project managers whether or not to tell the clients or customers about this delay or over budgeting. He/She faces dilemmas like how much of the truth should be revealed. There are many implications if there is a failure in reporting the exact picture to all the stakeholders. If the delay caused in a project is not conveyed to lets say Client, they will be under the impression that project is moving in accordance to the desired timeline and will keep on expecting the delivery on time and many times due to this pressure of delivering on time the quality of the product is compromised to a large extent. This compromises the reputation of the company, of the project manager as a professional leading to low market value. It is the duty of the PM to make sure exact picture is reported to all the stakeholders. This can be done in many ways, for example by establishing a reporting standard and the team know in advance. PM can conduct regular meetings every week to closely monitor the progress of the project. They should maintain a backlog for issues and modules that are not completed in time. PMs should try to be as accurate as possible in their reporting. If they are using any approximations, they should be conveyed beforehand. PMs are the liaison between the team and all other stakeholders; obviously they are under a lot of pressure and may sometimes end up falsifying the reports. They should try to not succumb to such pressure and should try to maintain transparency. Another example of ethical dilemma project managers face is when to call a project quits. There are many situations when a project needs to be shut down. Situations like when there are changes in the business requirements in middle of the project and the new requirements dont align with the goals of the company, project managers then decide whether to go on with a project or not. PMs being a connection between the company and stakeholders, they clearly know whether the business requirements map clearly with the goals of the project. It becomes an ethical dilemma for the project managers whether or not to call it quits. Over budgeting is also a major reason why projects get called off. In case of over budgeting, PM should take a call whether or not to continue with the project. There are many implications if a project doesnt get called off at the right time. A project that is dragged unnecessarily results in wastage of company resources like people working on a project, budget allotte d and time involved. If a project manager decides to call a project off at the right time because of issues mentioned above, all the resources working on the project can work for something else instead of a non-yielding project. When a project is large and involves a lot of people, this wastage can scale up to millions of dollars. Decision of calling off a project at the right time thus becomes very crucial in order to save time and money. As mentioned before, the Project managers should decide when to continue with a project and when to call it off. PMs can address these situations via variety of ways. Combination of budget and strategic conditions are main criteria project managers should consider while deciding whether to use resources on a project or not. They can conduct initial meetings with all the involved stakeholders and can come up with criteria to be considered while evaluating the future of the project. The established criteria should be clearly stated in the Project charter by the PM at the start of the project and the project should be regularly evaluated against the charter in order to have a clear understanding of the health of the project. Thus, we can say that a project can never be devoid of ethical dilemmas. As seen in the article, project managers should try and resolve these ethical dilemmas in a way that everyone is benefitted at the end and the focus of the project is not compromised.

Ethical Dilemmas In Information Systems Project - Free Essay Example

Ethical dilemmas in Information Systems Project In projects, especially big information systems projects risks are high. There is a lot of pressure on the team members and the project managers to get the job done on time, within budget and conforming to the scope. Not surprisingly, there are many situations during the lifetime of the project that ethical dilemmas arise. These ethical dilemmas are situations which require people to make a choice between options. In situations like these project managers should take corrective actions and their actions can set the tone of ethics in the project. In this article we will see two ethical dilemmas that arise in IT projects, their implications and suggestive actions for project managers. One of the examples of ethical dilemmas that arise in projects is the failure in reporting the exact picture to all the stakeholders. A project has many stakeholders, like clients, project managers, team members, customers etc. These stakeholders have the right to know the exact picture of the project at all the required times. It is the duty of everyone involved in a project to make sure everyone else is aware of the correct status because their actions can hamper others work. For example, sometime in situations like a project falling behind the deadline or a project exceeding budget, it becomes an ethical dilemma for the project managers whether or not to tell the clients or customers about this delay or over budgeting. He/She faces dilemmas like how much of the truth should be revealed. There are many implications if there is a failure in reporting the exact picture to all the stakeholders. If the delay caused in a project is not conveyed to lets say Client, they will be under the impression that project is moving in accordance to the desired timeline and will keep on expecting the delivery on time and many times due to this pressure of delivering on time the quality of the product is compromised to a large extent. This compromises the reputation of the company, of the project manager as a professional leading to low market value. It is the duty of the PM to make sure exact picture is reported to all the stakeholders. This can be done in many ways, for example by establishing a reporting standard and the team know in advance. PM can conduct regular meetings every week to closely monitor the progress of the project. They should maintain a backlog for issues and modules that are not completed in time. PMs should try to be as accurate as possible in their reporting. If they are using any approximations, they should be conveyed beforehand. PMs are the liaison between the team and all other stakeholders; obviously they are under a lot of pressure and may sometimes end up falsifying the reports. They should try to not succumb to such pressure and should try to maintain transparency. Another example of ethical dilemma project managers face is when to call a project quits. There are many situations when a project needs to be shut down. Situations like when there are changes in the business requirements in middle of the project and the new requirements dont align with the goals of the company, project managers then decide whether to go on with a project or not. PMs being a connection between the company and stakeholders, they clearly know whether the business requirements map clearly with the goals of the project. It becomes an ethical dilemma for the project managers whether or not to call it quits. Over budgeting is also a major reason why projects get called off. In case of over budgeting, PM should take a call whether or not to continue with the project. There are many implications if a project doesnt get called off at the right time. A project that is dragged unnecessarily results in wastage of company resources like people working on a project, budget allotte d and time involved. If a project manager decides to call a project off at the right time because of issues mentioned above, all the resources working on the project can work for something else instead of a non-yielding project. When a project is large and involves a lot of people, this wastage can scale up to millions of dollars. Decision of calling off a project at the right time thus becomes very crucial in order to save time and money. As mentioned before, the Project managers should decide when to continue with a project and when to call it off. PMs can address these situations via variety of ways. Combination of budget and strategic conditions are main criteria project managers should consider while deciding whether to use resources on a project or not. They can conduct initial meetings with all the involved stakeholders and can come up with criteria to be considered while evaluating the future of the project. The established criteria should be clearly stated in the Project charter by the PM at the start of the project and the project should be regularly evaluated against the charter in order to have a clear understanding of the health of the project. Thus, we can say that a project can never be devoid of ethical dilemmas. As seen in the article, project managers should try and resolve these ethical dilemmas in a way that everyone is benefitted at the end and the focus of the project is not compromised.

Ethical Dilemmas In Information Systems Project - Free Essay Example

Ethical dilemmas in Information Systems Project In projects, especially big information systems projects risks are high. There is a lot of pressure on the team members and the project managers to get the job done on time, within budget and conforming to the scope. Not surprisingly, there are many situations during the lifetime of the project that ethical dilemmas arise. These ethical dilemmas are situations which require people to make a choice between options. In situations like these project managers should take corrective actions and their actions can set the tone of ethics in the project. In this article we will see two ethical dilemmas that arise in IT projects, their implications and suggestive actions for project managers. One of the examples of ethical dilemmas that arise in projects is the failure in reporting the exact picture to all the stakeholders. A project has many stakeholders, like clients, project managers, team members, customers etc. These stakeholders have the right to know the exact picture of the project at all the required times. It is the duty of everyone involved in a project to make sure everyone else is aware of the correct status because their actions can hamper others work. For example, sometime in situations like a project falling behind the deadline or a project exceeding budget, it becomes an ethical dilemma for the project managers whether or not to tell the clients or customers about this delay or over budgeting. He/She faces dilemmas like how much of the truth should be revealed. There are many implications if there is a failure in reporting the exact picture to all the stakeholders. If the delay caused in a project is not conveyed to lets say Client, they will be under the impression that project is moving in accordance to the desired timeline and will keep on expecting the delivery on time and many times due to this pressure of delivering on time the quality of the product is compromised to a large extent. This compromises the reputation of the company, of the project manager as a professional leading to low market value. It is the duty of the PM to make sure exact picture is reported to all the stakeholders. This can be done in many ways, for example by establishing a reporting standard and the team know in advance. PM can conduct regular meetings every week to closely monitor the progress of the project. They should maintain a backlog for issues and modules that are not completed in time. PMs should try to be as accurate as possible in their reporting. If they are using any approximations, they should be conveyed beforehand. PMs are the liaison between the team and all other stakeholders; obviously they are under a lot of pressure and may sometimes end up falsifying the reports. They should try to not succumb to such pressure and should try to maintain transparency. Another example of ethical dilemma project managers face is when to call a project quits. There are many situations when a project needs to be shut down. Situations like when there are changes in the business requirements in middle of the project and the new requirements dont align with the goals of the company, project managers then decide whether to go on with a project or not. PMs being a connection between the company and stakeholders, they clearly know whether the business requirements map clearly with the goals of the project. It becomes an ethical dilemma for the project managers whether or not to call it quits. Over budgeting is also a major reason why projects get called off. In case of over budgeting, PM should take a call whether or not to continue with the project. There are many implications if a project doesnt get called off at the right time. A project that is dragged unnecessarily results in wastage of company resources like people working on a project, budget allotte d and time involved. If a project manager decides to call a project off at the right time because of issues mentioned above, all the resources working on the project can work for something else instead of a non-yielding project. When a project is large and involves a lot of people, this wastage can scale up to millions of dollars. Decision of calling off a project at the right time thus becomes very crucial in order to save time and money. As mentioned before, the Project managers should decide when to continue with a project and when to call it off. PMs can address these situations via variety of ways. Combination of budget and strategic conditions are main criteria project managers should consider while deciding whether to use resources on a project or not. They can conduct initial meetings with all the involved stakeholders and can come up with criteria to be considered while evaluating the future of the project. The established criteria should be clearly stated in the Project charter by the PM at the start of the project and the project should be regularly evaluated against the charter in order to have a clear understanding of the health of the project. Thus, we can say that a project can never be devoid of ethical dilemmas. As seen in the article, project managers should try and resolve these ethical dilemmas in a way that everyone is benefitted at the end and the focus of the project is not compromised.

Ethical Dilemmas In Information Systems Project - Free Essay Example

Ethical dilemmas in Information Systems Project In projects, especially big information systems projects risks are high. There is a lot of pressure on the team members and the project managers to get the job done on time, within budget and conforming to the scope. Not surprisingly, there are many situations during the lifetime of the project that ethical dilemmas arise. These ethical dilemmas are situations which require people to make a choice between options. In situations like these project managers should take corrective actions and their actions can set the tone of ethics in the project. In this article we will see two ethical dilemmas that arise in IT projects, their implications and suggestive actions for project managers. One of the examples of ethical dilemmas that arise in projects is the failure in reporting the exact picture to all the stakeholders. A project has many stakeholders, like clients, project managers, team members, customers etc. These stakeholders have the right to know the exact picture of the project at all the required times. It is the duty of everyone involved in a project to make sure everyone else is aware of the correct status because their actions can hamper others work. For example, sometime in situations like a project falling behind the deadline or a project exceeding budget, it becomes an ethical dilemma for the project managers whether or not to tell the clients or customers about this delay or over budgeting. He/She faces dilemmas like how much of the truth should be revealed. There are many implications if there is a failure in reporting the exact picture to all the stakeholders. If the delay caused in a project is not conveyed to lets say Client, they will be under the impression that project is moving in accordance to the desired timeline and will keep on expecting the delivery on time and many times due to this pressure of delivering on time the quality of the product is compromised to a large extent. This compromises the reputation of the company, of the project manager as a professional leading to low market value. It is the duty of the PM to make sure exact picture is reported to all the stakeholders. This can be done in many ways, for example by establishing a reporting standard and the team know in advance. PM can conduct regular meetings every week to closely monitor the progress of the project. They should maintain a backlog for issues and modules that are not completed in time. PMs should try to be as accurate as possible in their reporting. If they are using any approximations, they should be conveyed beforehand. PMs are the liaison between the team and all other stakeholders; obviously they are under a lot of pressure and may sometimes end up falsifying the reports. They should try to not succumb to such pressure and should try to maintain transparency. Another example of ethical dilemma project managers face is when to call a project quits. There are many situations when a project needs to be shut down. Situations like when there are changes in the business requirements in middle of the project and the new requirements dont align with the goals of the company, project managers then decide whether to go on with a project or not. PMs being a connection between the company and stakeholders, they clearly know whether the business requirements map clearly with the goals of the project. It becomes an ethical dilemma for the project managers whether or not to call it quits. Over budgeting is also a major reason why projects get called off. In case of over budgeting, PM should take a call whether or not to continue with the project. There are many implications if a project doesnt get called off at the right time. A project that is dragged unnecessarily results in wastage of company resources like people working on a project, budget allotte d and time involved. If a project manager decides to call a project off at the right time because of issues mentioned above, all the resources working on the project can work for something else instead of a non-yielding project. When a project is large and involves a lot of people, this wastage can scale up to millions of dollars. Decision of calling off a project at the right time thus becomes very crucial in order to save time and money. As mentioned before, the Project managers should decide when to continue with a project and when to call it off. PMs can address these situations via variety of ways. Combination of budget and strategic conditions are main criteria project managers should consider while deciding whether to use resources on a project or not. They can conduct initial meetings with all the involved stakeholders and can come up with criteria to be considered while evaluating the future of the project. The established criteria should be clearly stated in the Project charter by the PM at the start of the project and the project should be regularly evaluated against the charter in order to have a clear understanding of the health of the project. Thus, we can say that a project can never be devoid of ethical dilemmas. As seen in the article, project managers should try and resolve these ethical dilemmas in a way that everyone is benefitted at the end and the focus of the project is not compromised.

Huy Jet Blue Essay - 720 Words

Case 3: Jet Blue 1. What are key forces in the general and industry environments that affect JetBlue’s choice of strategy? Key forces that affect JetBlues choice are, for the low-cost airline industry, new entrants with more commercial experience might be the central issue. Sometimes, global forces are driving the way competitiveness is established in the low-cost airline industry such as the rising oil prices which are forcing some of the airlines to increase their charges. Understanding and being in touch with the environment of any organization is critical to being able to function as an ever-changing organization. Many of the forces for change an organization experiences arise in the external environment. These come from†¦show more content†¦3. What are the components of JetBlue’s competitive advantage, and what are the merits and demerits of these components? The value chain analysis has been widely used as a means of describing the activities within and around an organization, and relating them to an assessment of the competitive strength of an organization. The two basic steps of identifying separate activities and assessing the value added from each were linked to an analysis of an organization’s competitive advantage. Their components include the change in aircraft, flexibility in price, going public, and improving customer services. Their merits are they have increase in sales, assets. Jetblue has also expanded their organization. They are also very well know for quality service. Their are many customers want to go back because of customer services. JetBlue made some dramatic approaches which defined customer service to a new level. The use of â€Å"above humane† strategies has helped the company add value to their marketing efforts and has also made it easier for them to attract new customers and retain others. The use of technology and the Internet has provided new avenues for reducing marketing and sales costs. Their demerits are, the reservation system was not expanded enough to meet the extreme customer call volume. Customers sometimes did not have the option of using airport kiosks to rebookShow MoreRelatedInnovators Dna84615 Words   |  339 Pageslearn something entirely new. David Neeleman, founder of both JetBlue and Azul airlines, detected and developed key ideas for JetBlue, such as satellite TV technology at every seat, at-home reservationists, and the hundred-seat JetBlue Embraer jet, through networking at conferences and elsewhere. Says Neeleman: â€Å"I always had this gnawing thought in my mind that ‘I’ve got to do something in the seat-back pocket of each plane seat.’ So I talked to a lot of people at a lot of companies about differentRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesestate investments. However, these are not your average properties. Kurz often flies to exotic locations such as Costa Rica and Hawaii to woo prospective clients. He travels more than 300,000 miles per year, often sleeping on planes and coping with jet lag. Kurz is not the only one he knows with such a hectic work schedule. His girlfriend, Avery Baker, logs around 400,000 miles a year as the senior vice president of marketing for Tommy Hilfiger. â€Å"It’s not easy to maintain a relationship like thisRead MoreManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 PagesAnimal League, Greenpeace and the National Organization for Women. More broadly, EBS reï ¬â€šects the explosive growth of jobs in which workers perform low-wage and limited tasks in white-collar settings. This has transformed towns like Hagerstown—a blue-collar community hit hard by industrial layoffs in the 1970s—into sites for thousands of jobs in factory-sized ofï ¬ ces. Many of these jobs, though, are part time and most pay far less than the manufacturing occupations they replaced. Some workers at

An In-Depth Analysis Of Utilitarianism - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 10 Words: 3050 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2019/08/08 Category Ethics Essay Level High school Tags: Utilitarianism Essay Did you like this example? Utilitarianism is a well-known and influential moral theory that considers a choice to be the most ethical when it produces the greatest good for most people. This maximization of happiness is the determining factor in whether an action should be considered ethical. Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism: that the right action is understood entirely by consequences produced (Driver, 2014). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "An In-Depth Analysis Of Utilitarianism" essay for you Create order Morality isnt judged by set of ethical standards; There are no innate rights and wrongs (Jones, 2013). Actions are deemed wrong when they cause more harm, and right when they maximize happiness. There are two different schools of thought regarding Utilitarianism, that distinguish between individual actions and types of actions. Act utilitarianism is concerned with the effects of specific individual actions whereas rule utilitarianism focuses more on the effects of types of actions such as bribery or theft (Nathanson, n.d.). While different in focus, both agree on the basic tenants of utilitarianism. Most of the early teachings of Utilitarianism is owed to Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Their theory has had a major impact both on philosophical work in moral theory and on approaches to economic, political, and social policy (Nathanson, n.d.). Utilitarianism adopts a teleological approach to ethics, which argues that actions are judged by their consequences. Therefore, actions are not inherently good or bad. They are assigned a moral value by the result (Sheppard, 2011). The practical application of utilitarianist teachings is both widespread and controversial. One of the most fundamental aspects of Utilitarianism is how it applies to political groups and public policies as well as the behavior of organizations and corporate entities (Nathanson, n.d.). Bentham, one of the foremost utilitarianisms, thought that it was important to focus on discovering which actions and policies maximize the well-being of a specific group. And today, this is a common application of the theory. It allows us to view actions of countries, companies and individuals from a micro and macroeconomic level, and evaluate the morality of their decision and actions. One Nation Under Walmart A recognized brand by virtually everyone, Walmart has firmly established its place in the American zeitgeist. If Walmart were a country it would be one of the top thirty economies in the world (Snyder, 2015). On the surface, the story of Walmart as the embodiment of the American Dream and an example of the possibilities that capitalism can provide. It is a storybook fairytale; a family from Bentonville, Arkansas pulling themselves up by their bootstraps and creating one of the largest companies in the world. It is hard to not be fascinated and enthralled by this story. In a fascinating deep dive into the lore and impact of this success, One Nation Under Walmart exposes the high social costs that accompany Walmarts super low prices. The scale at which Walmart now operates is not going unnoticed, and journalist Terry McNarry shows that communities are starting to take notice and arent going to just roll-over and acquiesce to the Big Box Brand. The fact that Walmart offers such lower prices at an immense scale is not a result of sheer luck. Ultimately, there is a point at which what Walmart is doing to accomplish these feats must be critiqued and analyzed. While it may be argued that the overall impact of being able to offer low prices is the best thing for communities and people not only in the United States but around the world, the answer to this is not a simple yes or no. Is Walmarts path to market domination ethical? Through the lens of a utilitarianist, it is important to analyze the benefits and the costs of Walmarts domination. With a Utilitarian perspective in mind, by taking only the fact that Walmarts strategies allow consumers to purchase items a considerable discount, then the answer to Walmarts ethical dilemma may seem fairly clear: while its low-cost approach and aggressive growth strategy can put a strain on local communities, and have some negative effects, one must look at the end result; low prices for everyone that allow less-advantage families to purchase necessities. This is clearly a positive result, as a utilitarianist would view this as justification for deeming Walmarts approach as ethical. However, the multitude of social problems caused by Walmarts dominance bring to light a company with a strategy that a utilitarianist would consider unethical. The social costs of Walmarts low prices are ubiquitous and highlight that low prices wreak havoc for poorer communities and have notable labor and environmental sustainability problems. While low costs may help poorer communities purchase necessary items, doing so can further suppress the communities that the low prices are supposed to help. In turn, the benefit of low prices is only truly realized by those with moderate to high wealth. According to study by the Democratic Staff of the U.S. Committee on Education and the Workforce, Walmarts low-wage workers cost U.S. taxpayers an estimated $6.2 billion in public assistance including food stamps, Medicaid and subsidized housing (1) (OConner, 2014). It found that a single Walmart Supercenter cost taxpayers between $904,542 and $1.75 million per year, or between $3,015 and $5,815 on average for each of 300 workers. (1) (OConner, 2014). These statistics are immediately concerning. If being able to offer low prices causes a disproportionate amount of people to suffer, then what is the true benefit? The biggest issue is the sheer size of Walmart. To fully understand the impact of Walmart, consider that In the U.S. alone, a full tenth of the countrys retail workers are employed by Walmart, and they make an average of $8.81 an hour (2) (Smiley, 2014). This wage isnt enough to live a quality life. It is fair to point out that Walmart does provide an astronomical amount of jobs, with a current US workforce at about 1.5 million (14). But taking into account that Costco, one of Walmarts biggest rivals, pays its workers an average of $17 per hour, these statistics arent as impressive (Chandorkar, 2018). Walmart is a sprawling, unrivaled enterprise that wields considerable power. And this largely unchecked power isnt easy to challenge. Taking the benefits of super low prices at face value may seem like a done deal; everyone benefits. Therefore, Walmarts actions would be considered ethical since low prices help everybody. However, it is important to analyze all the consequences and not just the easily noticeable and positive consequences. Low prices are simply one result of Walmarts operations. However, assuming this is the only one that matters is not right. In addition to disenfranchising poorer communities, the hunt for the lowest prices around is having negative effects when it comes to labor and environmental sustainability (3). There is no arguing that Walmart offers the lowest prices around, and ones that are impossible for other competitors to compete with. This fosters the environment where there are incentives to cut corners, rather than establish high standards, in order to maintain a certain level of business (3). In addition, the company has been accused of unfair labor practices. Even though it publicl y touts its commitment to support more small and midsize operations, the truth says a different story; one whose operations foster corporate consolidation instead (3). At the end of the day, Walmart isnt concerned with employing practices that benefit as many people as possible. Utilitarianism permits actions that maximize happiness, and while Walmart can offer low prices, they do so at an enormous cost that only ends up hurting more. Therefore, Walmarts actions in their pursuit for the lowest prices is unethical. Nestle and Advertising The advertising industry is not without its fair share of concerns. One particular company of concern is Nestle and its promotion of baby formula as discussed in an ethical case study titled Nettle and Advertising by Chris Ragg. Ragg explores the cynical and exploitive nature of Nestles advertising prices to try and get customer, especially poorer women in developing countries, to purchase baby formula instead of breastfeeding. This analysis exposes a company acting not on behalf of what is good for the most people, but what is good for the company and only them. The Nestle corporation has been producing baby formula since 1866 and has therefore had a long-lasting impact on the market for baby formula. In the 1960s and 1970s, the aggressively marketed their baby formula products throughout the world. They conveniently shared only the benefits of the formula and neglected to mention any of the potential drawbacks of adopting formula over traditional breastfeeding methods. Their marketing campaign led many to believe that the formula is a one-for-one alternative and, as a result, had a decreased inclination to breastfeed. At face value, this may not seem like a problem at all. Nestle was simply marketing their product heavily to increase sales. However, the company did so out of greed to drive profits. They promoted formula as an almost equal replacement for breastmilk, which virtually all doctors advise against. In most cases, doctors will advise mothers to breastfeed. Evidence has shown that Babies that are breastfed dont need any additional food or drinks for the first six months of their life and have a reduced risk of diabetes (Allhoff Vaidya, 2008). And this is even more true for those in developing countries, where water is commonly contaminated. When baby formula is used instead, the contaminated water is mixed with the formula, which can cause diarrhea, dehydration and malnutrition and even death (Allhoff Vaidya, 2008). Armed with this knowledge, Nestle ignored these implications and chose to target those that were less-informed and more likely to believe Nestle and switch to formula. Although not uncommon, Nestles marketing promotions demonstrate a clear desire to put success ahead of anything else. They acted purely in their own self-interest, commonly referred to in philosophy as ethical egoism. Ethical egoism states that morality requires people to promote their own interest (Nathanson, n.d.). However, Utilitarianists reject this concept, as decisions that promote ethical egoism are a false morality of lack morality altogether. They acted purely out of self-interest, with no consideration to, as Jeremy Bentham famously said, the greatest happiness for the greatest number (Nathanson, n.d.). The maximization principle of Utilitarianism is entirely violated here. To benefit the companys top and bottom line, Nestle chose to disregard the negative consequences of having capable mothers switch to form ula, even when faced with the disproportionate impact it can have on mothers in developing countries. Nestles actions have real consequences. According to UNICEF and the World Health Organization, approximately 1. 5 million infants die each year from bottle-feeding (Allhoff Vaidya, 2008). Nestles actions make them complicit in this. In addition, Nestle has repeatedly violated the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, of which it promised to abide by. Clearly, doing whats best for mothers is not in the interest of Nestle, simply because it isnt in the best interest for their top and bottom line. As such, Nestles actions can be clearly labeled as unethical and immoral. Universal basic income Am emerging topic that has gained traction in the last few years is the idea of a giving every citizen a monetary grant without a means test or work requirement, commonly known as Universal basic. Every citizen will receive a fixed amount on a predetermined time frame, whether that be monthly, weekly or annually. The idea of giving free money to citizens is as radical proposition as it is attractive. The basis behind UBI is that it is a more cost-efficient replacement for current welfare systems as a method of alleviating poverty (Tse, 2016). Arguments for UBI stress that is especially benefits the poor working class, who may struggle daily to cover basic living expenses, and in doing so, helps redistribute wealth. The implications of Universal basic income are widespread, and to understand this concept from a utilitarian point of view it is important to analyze how such a policy maximizes happiness and promotes utility. A central tenant of basic income is its beneficial impact on the redistribution of wealth. While doing so may infringe on some individual rights such money, this infringement yields happiness for the majority (Tse, 2016). Poverty is not just a problem for those that experience it. It is a problem that affects everyone. According to the World Bank, close to half of the worlds population live on less than $5.50 a say (World Bank, 2011). This amount is not enough to sustain an adequate lifestyle. Even more staggering is that about 10% currently live on less than $1.90 a day, which the World bank constitutes extreme poverty (World Bank, 2018). Therefore, a program that attempts to tackle a problem that affects most of the population aligns with utilitarian ideals. In addition, Universal basic income also maximizes happiness by offering those that are displaced from a job a sense of security. Unemployment is distressful and a cause of significant unhappiness. Whether unemployed due to physical ailments, or lack of skills, the impact isnt any different. Those that dont have the ability to sustain themselves will be fundamentally unhappier. Therefore, not only can basic income help provide a sense of security for these people, in doing so it maximizes utility in the process. It also helps those that are above the poverty line, but by only a few dollars and as a result still essentially live in poverty but are ineligible for government benefits. As a result, universal basic income is morally permissible. Oracle versus PeopleSoft Oracle is one of the largest technology and software companies in the world, with immense power and leverage in the industry. In an article titled, Oracle versus PeopleSoft Barbarians in the Valley offers a glimpse into the world of big-tech companies vying for complete control of the market. In the early 2000s Oracle offered a bid to takeover Peoplesoft, one of its biggest competitors. This bid became instantly fraught with bad blood and divisive rhetoric. The media often described Oracles actions as a hostile takeover. Peoplesoft consistently turned down Oracles bid, arguing that Oracle intentions were to discontinue PeopleSofts products, which would damage the company and that Oracles price per share offer was too low. Oracle was, and still is, a dominant player in the business software market. At the time of the proposed takeover, the market was occupied by only a few major players, SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft and JDEdwards, which merged with PeopleSoft shortly before Oracle expressed intent to take over PeopleSoft. With an oligopolistic market structure, having the 4 big players reduced to two immediately brought antitrust concerns. When a market that is already characterized by only a few players setting the price for goods and services, the consumer and the market have much less control over price. With two main players, the industry is only one step of way from becoming a full monopolistic market. A Monopoly tends to not be beneficial for consumers, as prices are not set by any price mechanism. Prices are simply declared by the controlling entity. And the price that is declared is non-negotiable and there is nothing consumers can say or do; they simply have to pay it. And no one can compete agains t the monopoly. If they try, they are either told they are not allowed to or eliminated (Yang, 2018). Consumers are at the mercy of the organization in power, with little to no recourse over unfair prices or practices. This sets a dangerous precedent and tears down the mechanisms necessary for a free market to operate. A free market is one where prices are more fairly determined. Without the fairness, those that are most disadvantaged will be disproportionately affected. The benefit of a market controlled by one or two dominant players is extended only to those that are fortunate to be in power. For example, if Oracle and SAP are left as the last two, there is much less incentive for the two companies to diversify product offerings and offer the best deal for consumers. Competition is good for consumers as it forces companies to compete on price, which usually results in a reduction in price. Without this mechanism, prices can be artificially increased with little recourse. Customers will have no choice but to buy an SAP product or an Oracle product. In this instance, the maximization of the most people is nonexistent. It could be more aptly described as the minimization of happiness. In contrast to the ideals of utilitarianism, Oracles takeover is most appropriately considered unethical and should be disallowed under antitrust rules. Twitter has a women problem Sex discrimination in the workplace comes in all forms, some overt and some must less obvious. One particular area of concern is the lack of women occupying executive roles in many of the large technology companies. This issue is further explored in an interesting piece by Laura Bacon titled Twitter has a Women Problem. This piece examines the lack of equality between men and women in the workplace. The tech industry is heavily male dominated, and this comes as a surprise to nobody. Only about a quarter of Fortune 500 companies have even one woman on their executive teams, and women CEOs account for an even smaller percentage of these companies (Bacon, 2013). Things bring up an important point: Are technology companies like Twitter unethical in contributing to the lack of women in executive roles? The answer is not cut and dry. Instead, through the lens of a Utilitarian, and against the common thinking, such practices are in fact not unethical, even though it may be problematic. The goal of a business should be to hire the most qualified individuals to fill open positions, and not include gender as a qualifying factor. Focusing on hiring more women goes against this and creates a disadvantage, conflicting with the central theme of Utilitarianism of maximizing happiness and promoting utility for the greatest number of people. While more women should be encouraged to come forward and apply for these positions, hiring practices should be fair and inclusive of all genders, races and to not discriminate against any particular trait other than qualifications. Doing so creates a level playing field where both men and women have a equal chance. This doesnt disadvantage one particular group over another. It is important to note that if the cause of the lack of women in power in technology companies is purposeful, this goes against utilitarian ideals and is unethical. It is important to draw this line. If a company does not employ fair hiring practices, they are acting unethically.

Assignment Solution - 1544 Words

ECON112 Macroeconomics Problem Set 1 *Solution* By Yao Amber Li Fall 2010 (Instructor: Li, Yao; TA: Fok Pik Lin, Astor) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 40 marks total Part I: True/False/Uncertain Please justify your answer with a short argument. (10 marks, 2 marks each) One mark is for correct judgment. One mark is for correct argument. 1. GDP is the value of all goods and services produced in the economy during a given period. False. GDP = Value of * FINAL* goods services produced in the economy during a given period. 2. When disposable income equals zero, consumption equals zero. False. When disposable income equals†¦show more content†¦If we had used more decimals for the index of 2001, it would had been the same. (Note: the student could indicate that because there is only one good in this economy, the two ways eventually give the same answer. This is a bonus point (1 mark) if the student indicates that. However, the statement before the brackets is sufficient for this question.) Part III: The Goods Market (Chapter 3) (16 marks) 1. Answer the end-of-chapter Question 2 in Chapter 3. (4 marks) 2. Use the economy described in the end-of-chapter Question 2 in Chapter 3, answer the following: (6 marks) (a) What is the value of marginal propensity to consume (MPC)? (b) What is the value of marginal propensity to save (MPS)? (c) Find the multiplier and autonomous spending. (d) Solve for private saving and public saving. 3. Answer the end-of-chapter Question 3 in Chapter 3. (6 marks) [the textbook should be the 5th international edition updated. However, as for Problem Set1, if the student uses the 5th edition or other editions, as long as the student answers the questions using correct methods, it is fine. But in future, we only use the 5th international updated edition.] 5 Version 1: (5th edition updated version) C = 160+0.6 YD I = 150 G = 150 T = 100 1, Question 2 in Chapter 3: (a) 2 marks, (b) 1 mark, (c) 1 mark (a) equilibrium GDP (Y) = 160+0.6(Y-100)+150+150 Y=1000 (b) YD=Y-T=1000-100=900 (c)Show MoreRelatedWeek 5 Assignments New754 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿PT1420 - Unit 5 Homework and Lab Assignment Unit 5 Assignment 1: Homework 1.) Design an if-then statement that assigns 20 to the variable y and assigns 40 to the variable z if the variable x is greater than 100. (Simple if statement) If x 100 then Y=20 Z=40 End if 2.) Design an if-then statement that assigns 0 to the variable b and assigns 1 to the variable c if variable a is less than 10. (Simple if statement) 3.) Design an if-then-else statement that assigns 0 to variableRead MoreMat 222 week 2 paper750 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿ Two Variable Inequalities Kristine Heckman MAT 222 Intermediate Algebra Instructor Leah Murray November 4, 2013 TWO VARIABLE INEQUALITIES For this assignment, I am going to work with two-variable inequalities and demonstrate the practical application of these inequalities. I am going to use a graph that shows the number of TV’s on the left side and the number of refrigerators on the bottom. Of course this would mean that my x axis is the bottom, andRead MoreCt1 X Assignment Solutions3310 Words   |  14 PagesCT1 – P XS – 13 Series X Solutions ActEd Study Materials: 2013 Examinations Subject CT1 Contents Series X Solutions If you think that any pages are missing from this pack, please contact ActEd’s admin team by email at ActEd@bpp.com. How to use the Series X Solutions Guidance on how and when to use the Series X Solutions is set out in the Study Guide for the 2013 exams. 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William Shakespeare s Hamlet - 1016 Words

Robin Talukder Mr.Chalmers ENG4UO June 12th 2015 Hamlet s Downward Spiral to Insanity through Unique Soliloquies The true soliloquy is a speech that an actor delivers alone onstage to either himself or an audience.. In William Shakespeare Hamlet, Hamlets soliloquies appears to generally reveal that he is pure but that he has adapted impulsive behaviour and enters his downfall into mental instability. Nonetheless, the soliloquies and set speeches have a fulfillment of place revealing much about Hamlet and his overall development in character. The first soliloquy is on Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 92-112. It is right after the ghost of Hamlet’s father leaves having charged hamlet with the duty of taking the revenge upon the murderer of his†¦show more content†¦Hamlet now refers to his mother as the â€Å"most pernicious woman† and to his uncle as a villain, a â€Å"smiling damned villain†. The second soliloquy is located on Act 1, Scene 2, Lines 129-59. This is after Queen Gerturde and King Claudius recommends Hamlet in the open court to throw off the deep sorrow, a tragic consequence of grieving his father s death which has lead him to obsession as well. Queen Gerturde and King Claudius believe that hamlet has abundantly suffered enough from the loss of his father. Before the soliloquy, Queen Gertrude and King announce their marriage and they think the court couldn t handle any more extra grief which upset Hamlet even more. The soliloquy gives evidence of Hamlets strong love for his dearest father and how important he was in his life. Furthermore, it shifts it s focus on the character of the dead, giving the presumption that he was an affectionate husband and a very admirable father. This soliloquy also points out that Queen Gerturde decides to marry King Hamlet s brother rather quickly, not taking into account that it may be too soon and ignoring a respectable time frame. Hamlet blames his mother for her lack of delay and he is worried about her having fallen to incestuous sheets [1.2.159]. His view to his mother, his dead father and his new father are all made understandable to the audience at this point. However, readers may guess mythical characters. His referral to the

Globalisation and Changing Technology for Culture - myassignmenthelp

Question: Identify how globalisation and changing technology have impacted the way managers plan, organise, lead and control. Answer: Introduction One of the most salient features of new millennium is speedy globalization with fast advancement in information technology. Though the concept of globalization is interpreted differently by different researchers, the most significant affect it has is on the areas related to economy, culture and technology. Globalization has created a need for managers of the company to consider strategic processes by implementing technologies into their management in order to gain competitive advantage in local and global markets. Well trained and knowledgeable management is demanded to approach markets to impose a sophisticated density of the organizations association with multiple international markets. In order to maximize overall profits for the firm, managers irrespective of different cultures and countries have to mould together according to current trend of globalization(NYAKOA, 2013). Main body Impacts of Technology process Globalization and changing technology has immense impacts on managers of organizations. As compared to earlier, more diplomatic, skilled and affiliated managers are required those can make decisions by accommodating present organizational compositions. The market competition and uncertainty have increased considerably while demanding higher quality of products and services. The companys are becoming more diversified in nature and hence work load is increased. Thus makes necessary to adopt simpler ways of account maintenance that is possible only by implementing technologies. Basic managerial functions may get disturbed by increased responsibility through globalization and organizational workloads relating decision making, planning, control and synchronization(Golson, 1977). Technological change can provide positive changes by reducing physical stress of employees and give improved outcomes in long run. The strategic planning and organizing requires a technological change that can evaluate future assumptions so that force to face them becomes easier for the management of the firms. To increase the efficiency in the firm, changing technology can significantly contribute to organizational success. Managers must recognize the need for globalization and any failure in recognizing the customers need and trend can result in negative outcome. By implementing technology, the speed the work is increased and both productivity and performance gets enhanced. Faster service eliminates the customers to wait for any service and simultaneously reduces the cost of labor. Since the technology has a wider scope for maintaining accounts and book keeping in systematic manner without engaging lots of time, it is been adopted by many organizations. New softwares those are avai lable in the market performs various tasks like dispatching, scheduling, work order, maintenance schedules, maintaining book keeping, etc.(Capterra, 2017) Bar coding and QR coding are also one of the important technology widely used in organizations to maintain the records of staff attendance in big offices and products details in warehouses. All these technology not only provides an efficient way of record maintenance but also reduces the overall costs of managing. Improved Communication Process With globalization of organizations, the need to generate communicating techniques has increased to make the managers access its branches and clientele spread globally. E-Services plays a major role in providing a scope of globalised businesses as with the help of internet and telecommunications, the geographical barriers between organizations is eliminated through communication. Earlier meeting proved expensive for the firms as people associated had to make travels for the company. With the introduction of video conferencing, the crucial time is been saved and helps in improving relationships through responsive communications in cost reductive way(Wasielewski, 2014). Teleconference proves effective way of communication where virtual requirement is not necessary. Nowadays it has become an integrated part of all firms and cannot be eliminated as regular discussions and conversations within departments or consumer related services are made with teleconferences. New technologies are imp roved versions that can exchange messages with each entity in a greater amount of audiences. Researchers suggests that using new technologies like teleconferencing can provide faster communications as all and sundry gets same informations in price effectual method(Lane). E-Mail is also an effective way of technological communications in which records are created, deleted and saved. Most of the managers use this technology to keep a record of documents that can be retained and organized according to the designated folder or company specifications. Companys nowadays does not believe in storing informations in traditional clerk files as they are prone to damages and also requires space(Walton, 2017). Thus to record informations and datas electronically. Managers adopt various softwares which can be linked with e-mails and can enable them to file all relevant data in electronic filing process. Backed up data can be preserved and found out quickly at the time of emergencies. Many governmental policies also regulate companies to manage emails for operational security and ethical code of conducts(Rockefeller Archive Center, 2006).Thus managers require gaining adequate knowledge about new technologies or else may cost companies fines and wastage of time. The innovative technologies also help in increasing the work performance within the organization. By tracking tasks delegated and mange day to day work digitally, the cost of inspecting manually gets reduced. Since this is also an unbiased way of monitoring, the morale of employees is not hampered. Supervising and controlling workers make them obligated to work more and hence overall productivity is increased. On the other hand if technology is implemented, the work speed is increased along with giving perfect solutions for any calculations or accounts of the company. Thus work performance is also enhanced(Mouawad, 2015). Conclusion After studying different aspects of technological diversification in globalised organization, it can be rightfully said that todays business world cannot sustain without it as technology has become an important and integrated part of organizations. With the introduction of new technologies, the trend of their implementation will also continue in predictable future. Managers who follow traditional ways must understand technologys values and adopt it in positive and planned manner(Golson, 1977). Technology not only increases productivity or performance but also strengthens relationship with customers and among employees of organizations. While acquiring a new technology, it must align with the requirement of the firm and ensure its compatibility between expected technology and ultimate goal of the firm. Lastly it can be said that technology must be implemented with proper methodological support along with providing sufficient time to workers and managers initially to get better outcome s(NYAKOA, 2013). References Capterra. (2017). Maintenance Management Software. Retrieved from https://www.capterra.com/maintenance-management-software/ Golson, J. P. (1977). The impact of technological change on organization management. Retrieved from https://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1795437 Lane, C. (n.d.). The Distance Learning Technology Resource Guide: Teleconferencing. Retrieved from https://www.tecweb.org/eddevel/edtech/teleconf.html Mouawad, F. (2015). 5 Ways Technology Can Improve Productivity at Work. Retrieved from https://fredmouawad.com/5-ways-technology-can-improve-productivity-at-work/ NYAKOA, O. M. (2013). THE EFFECT OF GLOBALISATION ON STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT AT ERNST YOUNG (EY), KENYA. Retrieved from https://chss.uonbi.ac.ke/sites/default/files/chss/EFFECT_OF_GLOBALISATION_ON_STRATEGIC_MANAGEMENT.pdf Rockefeller Archive Center. (2006). E-MAIL GUIDELINES For Managers and Employees. Retrieved from https://rockarch.org/CERP/pdf/emailguidelines.pdf Walton, A. (2017). The Importance of Accounting Software. Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-accounting-software-71524.html Wasielewski, J. (2014). How Videoconferencing Helps Business Communication. Retrieved from https://blog.clickmeeting.com/videoconferencing-helps-business-communication

A Case Analysis and for United States Airline Industry

Question: Describe about the Strategy and Case Analysis for United States Airline Industry. Answer: Introduction According to the case study, the United States Airline Industry is one of the most renowned airlines that have gone through several ups and downs. The large carriers are facing significant competition from low cost carriers. The aim off this report is to study the competitive forces of the US airline industry. Firstly, an overview of the US airline industry is presented where the data is represented in the form of numerical figures. According to the case study, it is observed that the US airlines have gone through significant losses in the previous years. Therefore, the Michael Porters model of competitive forces is adopted for analysing the causes of low profitability in the airline industry. Further, according to the case study, the economic performance of the US airline industry is cyclical. The growth of the airline industry is cyclical as the business depends on the countrys economic growth. Therefore, a justification and thorough explanation regarding the same is provided. Furt her, after discussing the issues faced in US airlines, several strategies are identified that can be adopted to help make the airlines profitable. A justification for adopting the strategies is also provided. Last, but not the least, a critical discussion regarding the US airline industry scenario is made. The US Airline Industry: An Overview The US airline industry handles over 1,000,000 passengers annually (Statista.com 2016). It is ranked twelve among the thirty busiest airports in the world (Rita.dot.gov 2015). The US airline industry has faced significant ups and downs due to several consolidations and mergers. There are three major international carriers operating in US- American Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines. Apart from these, there are nine large carriers with both domestic as well as international destinations such as Virgin America, JetBlue, Hawaiian Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Allegiant Air. According to Statista.com (2016), Southwest Airlines hold the highest market share of 18.2% in 2015. Majority of the airlines have improved both in capacity as well as traffic. However, the pricing pressures and fall in oil prices and capacity growth has led to a decrease in passenger net revenues. Lorenzetti (2015) argues that the airlines are facing a lot of issues despite high profits. The US airlines have hit over $8 billion in the first six months of 2015, but the lower ticket prices have caused a decline in passenger unit revenue (Statista.com 2016). However, as soon as the labour cost and oil prices will increase, the airlines shall require the customers to spend more money that could be challenging job. The US airline industry has faced bankruptcies, technological advancements, presidential intervention and tumultuous attacks of 9/11 (Statista.com 2016). The airlines have downsized 160,000 jobs for cutting huge losses (Statista.com 2016). Services have been cut to multiple destinations. One of the significant mergers that changed the US airline industry scenario was the Southwest Airlines and AirTran thereby making Southwest the fourth largest airli ne in US. Majority of the airlines had to cut down prices due to low cost carriers. The overall travel experience of the customers also declined. The onboard conditions and cuts in food were also experienced. It is observed that the rising jet fuel and oil prices are making a heavy dent in the US airline industry (Statista.com 2016). Figure 1: Market Share Source: (Statista.com 2016) A Competitive Forces Analysis of the Industry A competitive analysis can be made using Porters five forces as it is a crucial methodology to analyse the external environment. The level of competition in the US airline industry is high. The US airline industry has been buffeted by strong headwinds from multiple external factors such as increasing operating expenses, greater landing and maintenance costs, declining passenger traffic, intense price competition from low cost carriers and various others. The US airline industry has also faced bankruptcy because of a global death spiral in the airline industry. The US airlines have also formed mergers to survive in the global landscape. The low profitability in the airline industry can be studied in greater detail due to the effects of following forces: Supplier power- There is a huge list of suppliers for the airline industry in US. The three main supplied are fuel, labour and aircraft which are directly influenced by the external environment. For example, the oil prices fluctuate according to the global price fluctuations. The geopolitical factors cause change in fuel prices. Further, labour is also affected by the power of unions who get costly concessions and unreasonable bargains from the US airlines. Lastly, the airlines depend on two aircrafts, Boeing and Airbus for the aircraft needs. Therefore, these three inputs- fuel, labour and aircraft make the bargaining power high and profitability low (Assaf and Josiassen 2012). Buyer power- The buyers have high bargaining power over the US airlines as it is not difficult for the customers to switch from one airline to another. The low switching cost, online ticketing and distribution systems makes the bargaining power of the customers high. Several low cost carriers have entered the US airline industry thereby causing price wars. The advancement of technology and internet has led to the creation of sites such as Orbitz, Expedia and Travelocity. Therefore, these websites allow comparison of prices thereby helping the airlines to keep the fares low. Further, the tight regulations are in favour of the customers. There are multiple airlines available from which the customers can choose from in the case of price discovery that again makes the buyer bargaining power high and low profitability in the US airline industry (Barros, Liang and Peypoch 2013). Entry and exit barriers- The entry and exit barriers in the US airline industry is high. This is because the airline requires huge capital investment for entering and exiting the sector. Not everyone can enter the airline industry as significant investment, knowledge, resources ad expertise is required. Moreover, the US airline regulators so not let the airlines exit the industry unless there is a strong and genuine business reason. Therefore, the airline industry leverages the synergies and efficiencies from the economies of scale. Such high government cost and operating cost are exceedingly complex. Therefore, the threat of new entrants is low while the exit barriers are high (Bilotkach and Lakew 2014). Intensity of Competitive Rivalry- The intensity of competitive rivalry in the US airline industry is high due to the entry of low cost carriers, tight regulations, high operating expenses and others. A few examples of large carriers are American Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines. These are directly hurt by low cost carriers such as Southwest Airlines, AirTran Airways, Jet Blue and Virgin America. These airlines keep very low airfares that intensify the US airline industry competition (Dai, Liu and Serfes 2014). Threat of Complementarities and Substitutes- There is low threat from complementarities and substitutes in the US airline industry. A few examples of substitutes are the customers travelling in cars, trains, or buses which are only possible in short distance journeys. For long distances, people would travel in airlines. Therefore, there is low threat of substitutes. A few examples of complementarities are ala carte meals, provision of Wi-Fi services, and multiple other amenities. However, it is argued that the passengers find lower fares more attractive than the provision of such amenities (Mallikarjun 2015). Economic Performance The economic performance of the airline industry seems to be very cyclical. The growth of the airline industry is cyclical as the business depends on the countrys economic growth. In the times of economic prosperity in US, the disposable income is high. Therefore, the people are willing to spend a greater amount on the booming economy especially on air travel. Therefore, the airline revenue is higher in times of economic growth and vice versa (Marketrealist.com 2016). Figure 2: Economic Growth and US Airlines Revenue Source: (Marketrealist.com 2016) According to the reports by The International Airline Transport Association (or IATA) the demand for airline services increased 5.9% by July, 2016 (Marketrealist.com 2016). Due to low airfares and expansion in routes, the low cost carriers experienced highest growth and aggressive expansion. The airline demand seems to be slowing down and the global economic growth has subdued in the year 2016 (Marketrealist.com 2016). The terror attacks have also affected the travel demand adversely. However, the low prices are attracting the customers. The consumer spending accounts for around 70% of the US economy (Marketrealist.com 2016). The consumers increasingly contribute to the economy up to 4.2% on an overall basis (Marketrealist.com 2016). The job growth declined to 150,000 jobs in August 2016 (Marketrealist.com 2016). The main question is about the consumer spending and its effect on traffic growth of airlines. The consumer spending is not at pre-recession levels after 2008-2009 (Marketre alist.com 2016). The spending has declined as the race is tightening and election was drawing closer. The other factors affecting airlines demand is capacity, travel demand, utilization and yield. There has been a decline in the airline yields in US after the second quarter 2014 coinciding with the capacity restraint (Marketrealist.com 2016). The passenger yield has declined 5.1% during second quarter 2015 in comparison with the previous year (Marketrealist.com 2016). The airlines in US are facing revenue challenges while sustaining profit margins. The airline capacity is growing faster than the economy. Identifying Strategies for Airline Profitability Based on the above analysis, certain strategies are identified for enhancing profitability in the US airlines. As the US airlines have high labour cost, there are situations of bankruptcy. To avoid any strikes, the US airlines must address the labour demands. US airlines perform heavy maintenance and must emphasize control over product. Significant cost savings can be achieved by outsourcing mechanical labour. Various options can be explored if the maintenance can be performed at a lower price. Fuel efficient practices can be implemented as the prices are escalating. Not only the fuel efficiency can be improved, but the environmental impact of operations. The sensitivity to price fluctuations can also be reduced by continuous fuel efficiency initiatives. As US airlines are merging with other companies, it can also partner with low cost carriers as they are in high demand. Seamless service to customers can be provided. The international offerings can be enhanced so that the connections to Asian markets are better. New routes and hubs can be addressed so that the future delivery can be improved. Frequencies of routes can be enhanced so that greater number of passengers can be served (Oum and Yu 2012). Hub-and-spoke airlines can lower the operating costs through onerous labour agreements for United Airlines, American Airlines and US Airways. It shall also help in negotiating better deals with intermediaries and eliminate discretionary costs. The hub operations can be smoothened out. Adding low-cost subsidiaries shall be helpful in enhancing US economy. The legacy carriers can make a case for an incentives-based program that will preserve the viability of the network service they provide. A successful lobby for tax credits could position the legacy carriers to compete with low-cost carriers and return to sustainable profitability. The airport and onboard services can be separated so that the complex processes and systems can be eliminated. The US airlines must provide best quality services at low operating cost. The key service advantages can include destination breadth, onboard amenities and superior loyalty programs (Ratliff and Gallego 2013). Discussion The above report focuses on the issues faced by the airlines. Based on the above analysis, it is evident that competitiveness is one of the critical issues. The change in GDP is reflected in the fuel costs and airline usage. It is necessary for the airlines to make alliances be it with high-speed rail or other airlines (Zou and Hansen 2012). As an example, British Airlines gains immense benefits from the merger despite the non-integration of operations. Another matter of concern is the fuel price. The airlines impose fuel surcharges on the customers thereby leading to high costs. It is argued that with increasing fuel prices, the airlines shall have an effect on the bottom line. As seen in the case of Singapore Airlines, fuel is the greatest challenge. It is further argued that US airlines mainly compete on prices and not on quality service (Baker 2013). The US airline is facing tough competition due to a combination of low prices on the same routes with limited competition. This can be challenging for both regulators and consumers. There has been less competition at USs major airports and the passengers are willing to pay higher fares as they have higher disposable income. There has been an increase in the domestic airfares at a pace greater than inflation which is challenging due to decline in competition (Assaf and Josiassen 2012). It is argued that the passengers had limited choices and paid a higher price back in 1978 (Zou and Hansen 2012). Currently, the airlines choices are high in number. The US government had control over the prices and routes before the competition got intensified in 1980s (Zou and Hansen 2012). The market fares reduced as new entrants entered the market. The US airlines also faced financial shambles after the attacks of 9/11 and recession. There was bankruptcy in the US airlines and a number of deals were restructured starting 2008 (Zou and Hansen 2012). Therefore, it is argued that there is less competition in the US airline industry than before. Conclusion Conclusively, US airlines have gone through significant losses in the previous years. There are three major international carriers operating in US- American Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines. The pricing pressures and fall in oil prices and capacity growth has led to a decrease in passenger net revenues. The US airline industry has faced bankruptcies, technological advancements, presidential intervention and tumultuous attacks of 9/11. The overall travel experience of the customers also declined. The US airline industry has been buffeted by strong headwinds from multiple external factors such as increasing operating expenses, greater landing and maintenance costs, declining passenger traffic, intense price competition from low cost carriers and various others. It is observed that the rising jet fuel and oil prices are making a heavy dent in the US airline industry. The low switching cost, online ticketing and distribution systems makes the bargaining power of the customers high. Further, the US airline regulators make the entry and exit barriers strong. The low cost carriers have grounded the larger carriers thereby making the competition in US airline industry intense. In the times of economic prosperity in US, the disposable income is high. main question is about the consumer spending and its effect on traffic growth of airlines. The consumer spending is not at pre-recession levels after 2008-2009. Significant cost savings can be achieved by outsourcing mechanical labour. 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