Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Reconstruction And The Rights Of Former Slaves. In The

Reconstruction and the Rights of Former Slaves In the 1860s the United States was a nation that had been ripped apart by the Civil War and left in torn pieces. The war left many white southerners stripped of their slaves, land, and in destroyed towns with little to eat. The only people worse off than the white southerners at this point in history were the black southerners who had nothing to their names but the freedom they had recently been granted which left them penniless and searching for a place to go. In hopes of a resolution president Abraham Lincoln took charge in by announcing a reconstruction plan in hopes of bringing the country back together. President Lincoln believed the plans for reconstruction should be lenient on the†¦show more content†¦The act also gave the federal government the power to step in if any states attempted to intrude on the African Americans’ rights. By the 1870s the Civil rights Act in full force and the African American had gained th e right to vote, right to get married, equal protection under the law, the right to own land and a right to an education. The former slaves had come along way but things were not as great as they may seem. In many ways, the former slaves were still controlled by the white southerners. Many of the African Americans struggled to find work outside of working on plantations which left them with little money and without money life was difficult. The white southerners could go around the laws made by the Federal government and still for the most part control the African American southerners. A quote from our book, â€Å"We are sheep in the midst of wolves† stood out to me as a very accurate representation of what life would have been like for African Americans living in the South during this time. Overall though the African Americans had come a long way from slaves who worked the fields from dawn until dusk, but still needed to progress further. The Reconstruction and civil rights act would have been more of a successful if it was not for the North becoming less involved. The north became extremely involved with other factors and become less and less committed to the Civil Rights Act. Without the federal government aiding and protecting the FormerShow MoreRelatedThe Reconstruction Era ( 1865-1877 )1589 Words   |  7 PagesThe Reconstruction era (1865-1877) was a period of excitement for ex-slaves because they were declared free American citizens. However, all their expectations of freedom were not fulfilled as soon they expected because of the conflict their new freedom bore between them and their former masters. In this discussion, the focus of Eric Foner on the Reconstruction will be compared with that of P. Downs and Scott Nesbitt to get a clearer understanding of the occurrences of the period using their worksRead MoreThe Civil War: Reconstruction1156 Words   |  5 Pagesfarmers. The Reconstruction era was meant to be exactly how the name announces it to be. It was a time for the United States to fix the broken pieces the war had caused allowing the country to mend together and unite once again. The point of Reconstruction was to establish unity between the states and to also create and protect the civil rights of the former slaves. Although Reconstruction failed in many aspects such as the upraise in white supremacy and racism, the reconstruction era was a timeRead MoreThe During The Civil War966 Words   |  4 PagesWar, the period of reconstruction was filled with a similar sense of uncertainty; the Confederate states had to be assimilated back into the Union but there were many conflicting views on how this should be done. 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Not many African Americans knew how to read and write, because they were slaves and never had the opportunity to beRead MoreEssay on Success of Reconstruction777 Words   |  4 PagesSuccess of Reconstruction Reconstruction was the time period following the Civil War, which lasted from 1865 to 1877, in which the United States began to rebuild. The term can also refer to the process the federal government used to readmit the defeated Confederate states to the Union. While all aspects of Reconstruction were not successful, the main goal of the time period was carried out, making Reconstruction over all successful. During this time, the Confederate states were readmittedRead MoreReconstruction Dbq1448 Words   |  6 Pagesend of slavery in the United States. Although the former black slaves were now free, they had no land and very few rights, and most did not even have family. Though out reconstruction, blacks were able to gain rights, but were continuously repressed by the white Southerners. The only way to truly enfranchise the former slaves was by effectively disenfranchising their former masters. The reign the masters had over their former slaves disabled the slaves from trying to fu lfill their lives as equal AmericanRead MoreThe Legacy Of The Civil War Essay1593 Words   |  7 PagesGarrison describes few of many changes that occurred after the Civil War, including the abolishment of slavery and the African American being granted for the first time in history the right to vote. As the civil war came to an end, the United States began to establish an undivided nation. This era known as the reconstruction era is described as â€Å"meaning literally the rebuilding of a shattered nation. (verterans of the civil movment, n.d.) Reconstruction’s main goal was to reintroduce the South into theRead MoreAmerican Reconstruction after the Civil War Essay1228 Words   |  5 Pages Reconstruction was a period of time after the Civil War (1865-1877) that was supposed to be the rebuilding of America. It was also the process used to readmit all the Confederate states back into the Union. There was controversy, however, on how to go about rebuilding the nation. Abraham Lincoln proposed a lenient plan. After he was assassinated, Andrew Johnson proposed a very similar plan. The Radical Republicans, a group of legislators that were in favor of freedmen’s rights, were opposedRead MoreReconstruction : Johnson s Plans And His Battles With Congress1576 Words   |  7 Pages Reconstruction Johnson’s Plans and His Battles With Congress: Republican Abraham Lincoln chose Democratic Senator from Tennessee, in 1864, to be his vice presidential candidate. Abraham Lincoln was on the lookout for Southern support. He was hoping that choosing Johnson, would appeal the Southerners who never planned on leaving the union. Johnson also grew up in poverty. He hadn’t learned to write until he was around 20yrs old. He rose up to political power as a â€Å"backer† of a small farmer. InRead MoreEssay about Assignment 1 AMH2020639 Words   |  3 Pages During reconstruction, the meaning of freedom suited many different types of interpretation; the perception of freedom between former slaves and their slaves masters were very contradictory. To begin with, African-Americans had suffered severe abuse over those years of slavery, so to them, the meaning of freedom was basically a hope that in the future, they won’t experience all kind of punishment and exploration that they have been experienced so far. Besides that, formers slaves were demanding

Monday, December 16, 2019

Early Modern Period Free Essays

1450-1750 Early Modern Period Major Developments I. Questions of Periodization A. Major points 1. We will write a custom essay sample on Early Modern Period or any similar topic only for you Order Now Shift in power to the West a. Rise of the West with fall of China and India creates imbalance in power that favors Europeans for next 200 years 2. World becomes smaller – almost all civilizations touched by trade 3. New Empires – Spain, Portugal, England, France, Netherlands, Ottoman, Russian, Mughal, Ming 4. Age of Gunpowder B. Changes at end of Postclassical Era 1. Independent societies (Aztecs, Incas) falling apart 2. Arab power declining 3. New invasions – Mongols 4. Ottoman Empire gains power a. Europeans threatened by new force to East 5. Chinese flirt with trade, but Ming bureaucrats pull back 6. Europe enters age of exploration C. Western Europe 1. Unusual agricultural civilization 2. New view of family – nuclear a. Love toward spouse b. Affection toward children 3. Return to rational thought 4. Stable political structures a. Absolute monarchy b. Parliamentary monarchies 5. Religious reformers a. Reform the Church b. Protestant Reformation D. Effects of Global Economy 1. By 1750, almost everyone knows everyone 2. Food exchange – new staple crops to Africa (corn), Europe (potato) 3. Unequal relationships – master, slave, owners, workforce 4. Slaves and serfs 5. Diseases E. Themes 1. Declining emphasis of nomads 2. Direct relationships – ambassadors replace intermediaries (Nomads) 3. Gender relations remain patriarchal 4. Labor relations change – master/slave – abuse of indigenous peoples 5. A few commercial leaders get rich 6. Environmental changes a. ood, animal, disease exhange 7. Native vegetation a. Deforestation for staple crops b. Grazing land for newly introduced beasts of burden 8. Centralization of governments a. Modern government 1. bureaucracies 2. agencies 3. admiralties 4. treasuries 5. general staff 6. state banks 9. Nation-states began to emerge a. solid political units with fixed borders b. sense of national unity c. populations relatively homogenous – language/e thnicity F. Larger Trends 1. Americas overwhelmed by outsiders 2. Three trends a. Western expansion . Globalization of trade c. Gunpowder 3. Reactions a. Embrace by choice b. Embrace by force c. Choose to remain independent, involve in trade on own terms G. Why 1450 and 1750 1. 1450 a. End of the Middle Ages b. Beginning of the Northern Renaissance – away from Italian city-states c. English evicted from France d. Unified France began to exercise its power e. Globalization of trade begins f. Direct contact between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa/Americas g. End of the Byzantine Empire h. Ottoman Turks rise to power How to cite Early Modern Period, Papers

Sunday, December 8, 2019

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. The international offerings can be enhanced so that the connections to Asian markets are better. . The airport and onboard services can be separated so that the complex processes and systems can be eliminated. References Assaf, A. and Josiassen, A., 2012. European vs. U.S. airlines: Performance comparison in a dynamic market.Tourism Management, 33(2), pp.317-326. Baker, D., 2013. Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction in the Airline Industry: A Comparison between Legacy Airlines and Low-Cost Airlines.American Journal of Tourism Research, 2(1). Barros, C., Liang, Q. and Peypoch, N., 2013. The technical efficiency of US Airlines.Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 50, pp.139-148. Bilotkach, V. and Lakew, P., 2014. On sources of market power in the airline industry: Panel data evidence from the US airports.Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 59, pp.288-305. Dai, M., Liu, Q. and Serfes, K., 2014. Is the Effect of Competition on Price Dispersion Nonmonotonic? Evidence from the U.S. Airline Industry.Review of Economics and Statistics, 96(1), pp.161-170. Lorenzetti, L., 2015.Here's Why The Airline Industry Is In For A Rough Ride. [online] Fortune. Available at: https://fortune.com/2015/08/19/airline-industry-challenges-ahead/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2016]. Mallikarjun, S., 2015. Efficiency of US airlines: A strategic operating model.Journal of Air Transport Management, 43, pp.46-56. Marketrealist.com, 2016.Flying in the Face of Investor Concerns, Airlines Add to Capacity - Market Realist. [online] Marketrealist.com. Available at: https://marketrealist.com/2016/09/flying-in-the-face-of-investor-concerns-airlines-add-to-capacity/ [Accessed 17 Dec. 2016]. Oum, T. and Yu, C., 2012.Winning airlines. 1st ed. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Ratliff, R. and Gallego, G., 2013. Estimating sales and profitability impacts of airline branded-fares product design and pricing decisions using customer choice models.Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, 12(6), pp.509-523. Rita.dot.gov, 2015.2015 U.S.-Based Airline Traffic Data | Bureau of Transportation Statistics. [online] Rita.dot.gov. Available at: https://www.rita.dot.gov/bts/press_releases/bts018_16 [Accessed 15 Dec. 2016]. Statista.com, 2016.U.S. airline market share 2015 | Statista. [online] Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/250577/domestic-market-share-of-leading-us-airlines/ [Accessed 15 Dec. 2016]. Zou, B. and Hansen, M., 2012. Impact of operational performance on air carrier cost structure: Evidence from US airlines.Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 48(5), pp.1032-1048.