Education Sector Essay

In a globalized economy with a high degree of competition among countries, the success of a nation depends on the educational level of its workforce. Technology has rapidly transformed education by extending learning space beyond the four wall of a classroom. Even though school plays the main role of education, technology offers verities of opportunities to learn more. Such as, Distance learning, online learning communities and access to vast resources and databases, etc. with the help of Information and communications technology (ICT), it allows to improve quality of teaching and learning worldwide. (Bokova, 2013) There are both positive and negative impacts due to technological advancement in education sector. Affordability: Even though developed counties are able to afford this, most of the developing countries struggle to equip the basic ICT devices. However there are things which they can afford, such as mobile phone, it would help to connect teachers, students, parents and administrators. Capacities: National policy-makers sometimes may lack to formulate ICT in educational policies. In some developing counties teaching institutes frequently lack to trainer the teachers with ICT education practices. Which would lead to less ICT education in school levels. Inclusion: People who live in rural area, disabled people typically receives low quality educations, even though they have special educational needs. Introduction of ICT would favour inclusive education and reduce inequalities. Content: there are more teaching modules available by the help of ICT. Open Educational Resources (OERs) hold significant potential to accelerate free access to knowledge and facilitae the adaptation of content to local needs and languages. Quality Assurance: ICT can help the education system to be much easier, but some developing countries still haven’t been duly reformed to embrace these new learning outcomes. And issues such as quality of ICT-based learning and safety of children online needs to be addressed. (Bokova, 2013).

Secrets (Speech)

Right now there are over 7 billion people in the world who are lying and keeping secrets the average person has kept or is still keeping at least over 100 and in a world of over 7 billion people that is a lot of secrets and lies people are keeping or telling people often ask â€Å"why do people keep secrets? there are 3 main reasons people do; the first one is the fear of being rejected, people dont want to face the feeling of being rejected by the person it is just an awful feeling to have two is that people want to keep the peace they dont want to hurt each other by telling them something they dont want to hear. And the last one is that people don’t want to be confronted by whatever they did Secrets and lies are very closely linked to each other the person is keeping the secret because instead they lied.When you lie you are just creating problems for yourself because then you are going to have to remember what you said and the fact that you are telling a lie means you are k eeping a secret from someone When it comes to ‘lying’ there are different types like remember when your parents told you about ‘farther Christmas’ or the ‘tooth fairy’ they were telling white lies to let you have a child hood but they knew one day you were going to find out then your life would be crushed but only for a little while.But then you get people who lie about serious stuff like stealing something or not doing homework or telling your mom you feel violently ill just to miss something you don’t want to go to or even worse stealing her money to buy those cute shoes you saw at the shops.And this isn’t just that rare one person who lies and tells secrets it’s mainly all of us everyone has at least told a lie or kept a secret and it won’t just be one it will be quite a bit more than that But why can’t we all just be honest and tell the truth its less things to remember and less things to try forget? Simpl e you can’t everyone will lie society is a cruel place and there will never not be secrets or lies and if you say you haven’t ever kept a secret or told a lie†¦ stop lying to yourself†¦ because you probably have everyone has.

Answer the question from marketing point of view Essay

Answer the question from marketing point of view - Essay Example Faulty marketing strategy is what many consider as the core reason for its failure to draw the amount of customer it had targeted in the beginning. In such a situation the prowess of Apple's marketing strategy and the success of iPhone in getting a quantum hold over the market come into question. In marketing point of view, it can be conjectured that perhaps, Apple's strategy for iPhone in Europe and Asia has not been able to accomplish what it was supposed to. In my following statement I will discuss the merits and demerits of Apple's marketing strategy, where did they go wrong Their approach towards targeting Asian and European market is also a matter of concern now. The entire wireless industry awaited the advent of iPhone in the market. There was an unrestrained buzz concerning its grand arrival. Since Apple's iPhone is among the few other internet-connected multimedia phones it generated umpteen interests among the mobile users all over the world. One of the major reasons for such a craze about iPhone is its trendy, sleek and modish look. Adding to the outer appeal of the iPhone these smart phones are endowed with advanced features like 3rd generation wireless networking. Apple's iPhone has also been able get the attention of the gizmo geeks who are tempted by its ultra-modern features which include portable media player and visual voicemail. Those who love to flaunt advanced mobiles are easily attracted towards its multi-touch screen and a minimum hardware interface. Besides having an in-built memory of 8 GB the iPhones also have a large screen of 3.5 inches and a striking display. The mobile users and the lovers of modern gadgets were more inclined towards iPhones owing to their endless features that were not available in other mobile phones. There is no denial of the fact that Apple's iPhones were richly added with most advanced features and most of the mobile users were eagerly waiting for its advent. To many, iPhone is a wonderful innovation which offers internet services like, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity. People started to think of it's a wonder machine which is a major achievement by Apple Inc in revolutionizing wireless industry. Delicate look of the iPhones and their intelligent features combine to make them irresistible among the mobile phone users. Their craze is perhaps much because of the prospect of owning something stylish rather than the interest of using a complicated gadget. Merits and demerits of the strategies adopted by Apple in launching iPhone: The craze for Apple's iPhones is attributable to the excellent marketing strategies adopted by the company. It can also be inferred that since Apple Inc emphasizes on the significance of innovation people all over the world expected to see something unseen and use something which was not known before. The USP of the product was undoubtedly its unique features and endless number of convenient services within that smart phone. It is also to be accepted that the marketing team of Apple strove hard to market their product in a most plausible way. Apple Inc was prudent enough to adopt Price Skimming method in the initial stages of its marketing. This is a marketing strategy in which Apple deliberately overpriced its products without bringing it down. Its tactics has helped

Compare the role of voice-over narration in any two (or three) films Essay - 2

Compare the role of voice-over narration in any two (or three) films screened in this course (Dr. Strangelove, A Clockwork Orang - Essay Example One such device is the effective use of the voice-over narrative. This technique has been employed to varying degrees since film gained a foothold as an art form. The classical Hollywood film noir tradition relied significantly on voice-over narrations, as they were particularly popular with the audiences. The voice-over narrations in the classical tradition featured prominently where mysteries of murder were concerned. These voice-overs were also efficient in films that featured significantly high levels of tension. Directors of classical films on women also preferred to use the voice-overs to highlight certain themes that revolved around the element of women. These were classical films whose central characters were women protagonists. Some of the classical films that relied on voice-over narrations sought to bring out the plight of women within the domestic space. Before the voice-over narrative, silent film used similar mechanisms. The director, or a responsible entity, would use words flashed on the screen to allow the audience a brief glimpse into the action from an omniscient perspective. Such a film device is not in any way new or inventive; it is a story-telling technique used by directors to elaborate on a plot, based on the needs of the plot and the messages they wish to convey to the audience. This analysis will track and consider the ways in which directors of three distinct films—Dr. Strangelove (1964), A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001), and The Big Lebowski (1998)—employ this technique. The analysis will reveal the different nuanced levels of meaning that the individual directors hope to invoke using story-telling techniques, such as the voice-over narrative. Kubrick himself, when discussing how he would cast and direct a satire on the lunacy of the Cold War, noted that it should be presented to the audience in a form of dark humour. In this way, it could more readily convey the levels of truth and the different meanings that are p ortrayed (Bilandzic & Buselle, 2011, p. 30). To accomplish this end, Kubrick employed many techniques that sought to mirror elements of true life that the audience would readily identify with, and appreciate. One of the most powerful mechanisms that he employed, was presenting stories to the viewer in factual way, regardless of how utterly insane they might be in content. Kubrick further sought to provide a type of societal commentary that housed the work in a convenient, yet detached framework. Rather than allowing the individual characters to stand out, ultimately diminishing Kubrick’s message, the director used a central, omniscient or seemingly omniscient, narrator as a better mechanism. Kubrick was able to present serious and gripping subject matter in a satirical way, from a detached standpoint. The effect of the monotone voice-over narration, impressing an influential point of view on the viewer, further compounds the detachment. It was only necessary for the director to add elements of realism into a script already tinged by elements of absurdity, since the satire engaged the viewer with the preposterous nature of the Cold War and the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) (Kirshner 2001, p. 40). In this way, the voice-over narration provided the necessary ethos that Kubrick required to accomplish a sense of realism and authority. Iguarta (2009, p. 58) offers a

Case Briefing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Case Briefing - Essay Example Under the law, Congress delegates to the Comptroller General of the United States the power to restrict federal budget spending by making across-the-board cuts to it and upon the recommendation of the Directors of OMB and CBO whenever the maximum allowable deficit amounts are exceeded. The Comptroller General then presents this to the President who is required to release a â€Å"sequestration order† effecting the Comptroller’s reductions unless Congress enacts a law mandating a specific budget cut thus obviating the President’s â€Å"sequestration order†. Moreover, Congress is given the power to terminate the Comptroller General through a joint resolution for reasons of inefficiency, malfeasance or neglect of duty. The other method of removing the Comptroller is through impeachment. (2) Congressman Synar and 11 others immediately filed a declaratory relief complaint before the District Court which held that the delegation of power to the Comptroller Genera l violated the constitutionally imposed doctrine of separation of powers. III. THE LAW: The relevant law under scrutiny in this case is the Doctrine of Separation of Powers as entrenched in the US Constitution under Article I (legislative powers in a Congress), Article II (executive power in a President) and Article III (judicial power in one Supreme Court and in other inferior courts). IV. ISSUES: (1). Whether or not the assignment by Congress to the Comptroller General of the United

Philosophy of Human Conduct Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philosophy of Human Conduct - Essay Example I agree with Pojman's thoughts and see the fault with society's focus on only the end result and generalizing merit by not taking into account an individual's struggles and strengths I agree when Pojman points out that "nondeserved merit can be features that the natural lottery has distributed such as ones basic intelligence, personality type, skin color, good looks, and physical endowments" (86). I also think that merit comes more easily to those who are properly equipped to achieve it. For example I look at celebrities or wealthy aristocrats who have been granted merit for their large contributions to charity. These individuals may receive more praise and admiration than an everyday working class citizen who gives their last dollar to a homeless man on the street. I believe that the everyday citizen deserves just as much merit as the celebrity or wealthy aristocrat because the amount of money that one gives is not what warrants merit, but the generosity of the individual depending on their own personal income and what they can afford. Pojman points out that "Dessert then, is closely connected to effort and intention, whereas merit signifies positive qualities that call forth a positive response, including qualities that we do not deserve" (87). I think that Pojman used a great example out of Mickey Mantle discussing that just because he was a famous baseball player does not mean that he earned or deserved a liver transplant more than anyone else. I don't think that any human being can truly give merit to another because we can never know the inner workings of someone other than ourselves. Pojman says, "Whereas God, knowing our inner motivations, rewards purely on the basis of desert, we fallible beings, being far less certain as to how to measure effort and intentionality, tend to reward merit, the actual contribution or positive results produced" (87). The essay goes on to say that, " Another objection that underlines much of the suspicion of merit is the natural lottery, the idea that we do not deserve our genes, or natural talents, our families, our society, or even our determination to make an effort" (99). I agree that it would not be fair to give merit to someone for being successful in something that they were born to do. Just because someone is good at something doesn't mean they deserve any credit, credit should be given to the person who put in the most effort no matter the result of the effort. Someone could train everyday for a triathlon and still lose the race to someone who was born with more athletic ability than they have. Just because that person won the race does not mean that they put in as much effort or deserve to win. This belief that "effort is the decisive criterion of merit" (91), means that just because something comes easily for one person does not mean it is easy for everyone. Pojman says, "We are stewards of our talents and are judged on the basis of what we can do with them. Those who use their talents wisely and industriously deserve to be rewarded, whereas those who neglect their talents deserve reprobation" (90). I also think that if you acknowledge your ability, and push yourself in it, becoming the best that you possibly can, then merit is definitely deserved for your effort. I like the story Pojman told of the carpenter building the chair in the factory of the entrepreneur. The entrepreneur is talented in finding ways to make money

How significant was the production of goods in Roman London's economy Essay

How significant was the production of goods in Roman London's economy - Essay Example With the conquest, however, in AD 43, a series of developments occurred which helped to make London a central place for trade and the production of goods. Firstly, the building of roads was crucial to development as they gave access in and out of London, and secondly, the building of a bridge over the Thames ensured the effectiveness of the new roads. As ships were passing up and down the river, the bridge also became an important â€Å"terminus† for traffic.1 There has been much historical debate about the initial purpose of London for the Romans; some have argued that its origins were purely military, while others have argued that it was set up purely as a commercial centre of civilian origins. The available evidence does not make it entirely clear but a reference from Tacitus suggests that London was â€Å"teeming with merchants and a famous city of commerce.† Importantly, Merrifield highlights that Tactius use of the word negotiatores, instead of the commoner word mercatores, suggests that the merchants he referred to were engaged in financial and commercial transactions on a higher level.2 In these early years of the Roman occupation, Boudiccas revolt in AD 60 had important consequences for London. The rebels were brutal in the treatment of London and its inhabitants. According to Bedoyere, this was the first great fire of London, so fierce it even melted bronze coins. Archaeologists have uncovered a â€Å"thick burnt layer deep under the ground† as testament to its severity. After the revolt, the Romans heavily fortified London, building a huge wall, almost two miles long. It was in the two decades after Boudicca that the commercialisation began. Bedoyere states that the Romans turned London into a â€Å"full-scale miniature Rome†, perhaps to restore their pride after the revolt. They built a forum and a huge basilica in the heart of the

Screen Writing for Television Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Screen Writing for Television - Essay Example The positive aspect is that things would change for the better as soon as the boom period arrives for the screenwriters. The hiring companies will have to pay the price of cost-cutting later. The change in current trends in the TV industry for screenwriters can be seen in primarily three fields. First, the reward for writer’s job has got curtailed. Reputed writers can still command the desired price. They can still get their quote, but there’s a resistance to paying it, as companies are not as willing and eager to pay as they used to be before the slump. Negotiation has become tougher these days irrespective of the rank and esteem of the writer. Some of the writers’ quotes have become doubtful; it has become harder to negotiate (Mazin, 2009). A view of the bargaining with the writers’ team shows that the team members need to show bravery and selflessness to clinch a favorable deal to write the IPA. The meeting between the guild members and the writers’ team supported by WCG in Canada speaks of writers’ passion for their craft, enforced with the facts and numbers made available by WCG people that work in the interests of the screenwriters. The environment at the bargaining table is no less harsh, similar to as it can happen with some face-to-face meeting with the workers’ union. Things do not move for the better with each day passing in the bargaining process with some members of the writers’ team disappointing the team. Failure to reach a contract by all interest groups should not be random practice considering that the business volume touched the mark of $2.39 billion in production in 2010/2011 in the Canadian TV and films market (CDN Screenwriter, 2012). Secondly, the trend of one step deal with the writers is on the high. Some production studios do not provide any other choice for writers. Thirdly, the load of work has increased greatly to get a job as a screenwriter.  

Economics Aeropostale Essay Example for Free

Economics Aeropostale Essay In March 2007, AÃ ©ropostale was accused of infringing a patent owned by Card Activation Technologies, Inc. in a lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Illinois. However, in a separate lawsuit on the same patent, Card Activation received a ruling on claim construction which it interpreted as extremely favorable to its interpretation of the patent and its pursuit of infringers of the patent. In June 2007, AÃ ©ropostale was accused of infringing a patent owned by Picture Patents, LLC in a lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York. In July 2009, AÃ ©ropostale was accused of infringing a patent owned by Furnace Brook, LLC in a lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Illinois Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer Christopher Finazzo was terminated in November 2006 after an investigation by the Board of Directors revealed that he had concealed and failed to disclose personal and business interests with South Bay Apparel, a major vendor. The SEC issued an investigation on the Finazzo matter in January 2008. Aeropostale, also under the name Aero, is an American clothing retailer that was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in New York. There are a number of reasons Aeropostale started their own business. When you start a business its a good idea to have a business plan that outlines your goals and objectives for the short term and long term. A business plan serves as a blueprint designed to help you grow and develop your business, and ultimately helps shield it from failure. Kara, Postale started the company then Sara(aera) (Karas sister came along) thats how the company got started. So they put there last name and first name together and it turned out to be Sarah postale but they didn’t like that name in 1985 then they changed it to aeropostale because it sounded better and that started in 1987.

The Inspiration And Reliability of The Bible Essay Example for Free

The Inspiration And Reliability of The Bible Essay The Bible is not an ordinary book in circulation. In fact, because of its ordinary features, the Bible has been in question and had been greatly criticized for many years. It was not only the atheists and the liberals who were the greatest of its critics but the list also includes the religious non-Christian community. It is not however the responsibility of the Christian community to defend the Bible against its critics. This is because the Bible itself can prove its integrity and reliability. It is for this reason that the Bible is held extraordinary, inspired and reliable book. The Christians’ responsibility is to believe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this paper, this writer aims to provide several but essential points that will prove the integrity of the Bible. This writer also explored several writings by respected and reliable theologians, archeologists and writers who worked on finding the answers to the questions and criticisms which aimed to disprove the truth of the Bible’s reliability. TEXTUAL QUESTIONS ON THE BIBLE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Critics have been consistently claiming that there is a great possibility that the Bible passages have been copied and transmitted from generation to generation (C. Blomberg). Critics therefore point to the question whether the Bible has been accurately translated and transmitted. Craig Blomberg referred to this as the Bible’s textual question. The textual questions include the occurrence of textual variations and the claims that the Bible has lost some truths.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are several evidences available to us that prove these claims wrong. First, there are evidences that the Bible can be reconstructed from the original texts. Rabbi Glenn Harris, in his article entitled, Why the Bible is the Word of God: Can I Trust the Bible?† made a good comparison of Homer’s â€Å"Iliad† and the Bible’s New Testament in order to stress the textual integrity of the Bible. Of the 20,000 lines content of the New Testament, only 40 lines are said to be in question and that is about just a half percent. As with Iliad, which is said to be the second ancient Greek/Latin literature having the most number of manuscript testimony, have 764 lines in question out of its 15,600 lines. IN comparison, the lines in question account for five percent. It is still to be noted that the textual criticisms of the New Testament will sum up to a matter of missing letters and misspellings that are too insignificant to alter the essence of the texts involved. Another point of comparison is on the number of manuscript evidences relative to the two ancient writings. Relative to the New Testament, there are more than 24,000 manuscript copies existing to date, 10,000 of which were in Latin versions and the rest were in other early versions. The Iliad had only 643 surviving manuscripts (F. Kenyon). HISTORICAL QUESTIONS OF THE BIBLE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Bible, especially the Old Testament, is full of stories- narratives that place the Bible in question. However there are archeological evidences that prove these events, places and Bible characters to have been actually taken place and existed. Of the long list provided by archeologists and Bible scholars, Bryant Wood has provided some of them. King Solomon, for example, who was made famous for his great wealth have been proven to have actually existed. Archeological records have proven his wealth exactly as the Bible described. The land of Canaan was also in question as to its existence but writings on clay tablets recovered in Syria in 1970s in the Ebla archive proved it to be true. The Assyrian king â€Å"Sargon† mentioned by the prophet Isaiah was proven to have actually lived when the king’s palace was discovered in Khorsabah in Iraq. In the same discovery also the proved the occurrence of the capture of Ashdod by its records in the walls of the palace exactly as how Isaiah had recorded. Upon the discovery of the Hittite’s records and their capital at Bogazkoy in Turkey that proved the Bible’s records of their existence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By dating the manuscripts, the Bible can prove itself historically reliable. A well-known archeologist said that â€Å"the average gap between an original composition and the earliest available copy is over 1,000 years for other works of manuscript† (N. Geisler). The New Testament autographs, according to Harris dated 40 to 100 A.D. while its earliest copy was printed about 125 A.D. The gap of 250-300 years between the said dates therefore corroborates with the average gap. AS with the Old Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in 1947 must be sufficient enough to prove its integrity. Including a copy of Isaiah’s scroll, the Dead Sea Scrolls also revealed a 95 percent similarity to the said texts of our Modern Hebrew Bible. The remaining five percent of the text, according to Gleason Archer â€Å"accounts for the obvious slips of the pen and variations of spellings† (G. Archer, 1974). It is thus fair to conclude that â€Å"archeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of the Old Testament Tradition† (F. Albright). THEOLOGICAL QUESTIONS OF THE BIBLE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Bible is not merely a historical book that records the events relative to the foundation of Christianity. The Bible, more importantly, is a book that contains moral guidelines and ethical religious standards set for all mankind. Simple analysis will therefore answer the question why the Bible has been theologically criticized. Since the Bible by itself is authoritative, in the sense that there were not few rules and regulations contained therein, there are people who will be made morally guilty, and if not, uncomfortable. It is but a natural reaction of the concerned ones to object to the Biblical doctrines and by all means, to have it rendered as a myth. The Bible is therefore held in the situation where it has to prove itself true and reliable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Having the Bible in an acid test, let us first look into the reliability of the prophecies contained therein. The Bible has so far fulfilled 2,000 of its 2,500 prophecies to date (H. Ross). It is true that it is the fulfillment of his prophecies that distinguishes a genuine prophet with that of a mere fortuneteller. The Bible has been proven to have the genuine prophets as by the fulfillment of their prophecies with 100 percent accuracy. Hugh Ross in his article entitled â€Å"Prophecy: Evidence for the Reliability of the Bible† presented thirteen independent prophecies and their fulfillment. This writer, for the purpose of discussion, would like to have five of the well-known prophecies and the fulfillments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Prophet Daniel’s prophesied of the coming Messiah and the account of his death. After the restoration of Jerusalem in 458 B.C, Jesus Christ’s ministry began 483 years later, exactly as had been prophesied. His death, according to the prophecy, will occur before the destruction of the Jerusalem, which had actually happened in 70 A.D. The birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem is a historical fact which happened exactly how prophet Micah foretold. The Land of Edom, now part of Jordan, has been foretold by the prophet Jeremiah, to become a barren and uninhabited wasteland. Examining the area in our time, the prophet had it accurately described. The prophet Isaiah prophesied that Cyrus will destroy the mighty Babylon, including Egypt, and will make the Jews free without ransom. After 150 years, Cyrus was born, had conquered Babylon and won over Egypt after 30 years. The Jewish exile also occurred according to what the prophet predicted. Another prophecy that has been historically proven to have been fulfilled was the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot. As had been prophesied by Zechariah, Jesus was betrayed in exchanged for 30 pieces of silver, the sum of which were used to purchase a piece of land as place of burial for poor aliens. THE INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The evidences and proofs of the Bible’s integrity and historical authenticity as have been explained and mentioned in the above sections. These evidences are enough to prove itself worth as infallible and divinely inspired. However, there are still doubts that the Bible is just a compilation of the writings of ordinary human beings who lived before and after the birth of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. This claim can be disputed by mere presentation of the obvious facts about the Bible. The authors of the forty authors of the different books of the Bible were persons of different socio-economic and educational backgrounds. Those authors came from the different continents of Africa, Asia and Europe and who wrote in different languages-Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. The said authors were kings like Solomon, political and religious leaders like Paul, ordinary fishermen like Peter, physician like Luke and many others. The fact that their works were written in different styles and forms and were actually written with a thousand years time span, it is but hard to question how the views and events they have recorded came in harmony even if they have not personally met. If the Bible is not divinely inspired, it would be hard to imagine how the different books will come together in harmony, relative to its content. Here is one formidable foundation of establishing the reliability of the Bible:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jews preserved it as no other manuscript has ever been preserved. With their massora, they kept tabs on every letter, syllable, word and paragraph. They had special classes of men within their culture whose sole duty was to preserve and transmit these documents with practically perfect fidelity† (R. Bernard, 1949).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   J.C. Ryle, in his â€Å"The Inspiration of the Bible† has carefully explained few of the many reasons why one should have faith on the fact that the Bible has been divinely inspired. This writer adapted the five listed facts on the said article as follows:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The extraordinary depth, fullness and richness on the Bible’s contents- Ryle had specially mentioned the intangible spiritual things that were importantly discussed in the Bible. Since the Bible is not just a record book, it has special accounts of the soul, eternity, the Holy Spirit, the Heaven and the Hell, eternity and many more. These things are beyond man’s imagination and man’s capacity to explain and yet these things are true and existing. If the Bible has been man’s own ideas and feelings, it would have been a compilation of the things that he can comprehend. If the Bible is just a mere religious writing, then it should have included man’s own criticisms on the other religions that contradict to what it fosters as Christian doctrines. The Bible has also a complete account of the world’s beginning and end including its inhabitants and the other creatures and things in the universe. It has accounts of both good and bad conditions and the means of getting along with it. To sum it up, the Bible is complete in the sense that it has treated all the aspects of human existence and the things and events that affect the whole world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Bible has the extraordinary unity and harmony in its contents. This is despite the fact that the Bible has different authors in different walks of life, who lived in different periods and eras, who spoke different languages and written in different forms and styles. â€Å"They all write as if they were under one dictation† (C. Ryle).   In whatever way they have expressed the ideas, they all unified to one central thought: the relationship of man and God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is extraordinary wisdom and majesty in the style of the Bible that makes it unique among all writings that existed and still existing. The Bible cannot be compared to other readings in any aspect because it stands on its own: unique and proven reliable and true. The Bible speaks of wisdom and not just mere knowledge. Without using internal evidences, that is, by using its own words, the Bible has been proven its unquestionable integrity. As Ryle said, â€Å"there are no weak points, and motes, and flaws, and blemishes.† If we are to look into the laws, the rules and regulations it had set forth for man, we can clearly draw the fact that the Bible speaks with authority. It has truth and the Bible is determined to foster the truth and to reveal what God wants of the human race. The Bible speaks without doubt and sort of uncertainty as to its stand and views on every little thing. The Bible has the element of accuracy and preciseness in its presentation of facts. With God as the central figure in the Old Testament and His Son, Jesus Christ in the New Testament, the Bible had established and made shine the Majesty of God. What the Bible teaches cannot be bought and acquired anywhere and with any other means other than reading the Bible and with faith in God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Bible contains spiritual things that suit the need of mankind. Man is not a mere creature that can be compared to robots. Man is a moral creature, unique to other creatures for its feelings, reasoning ability, the spirit and his relationship with God. It is therefore vital for man to have his spiritual needs to be satisfied and that these cannot be given by even the writings of the most intelligent human being on earth. What I am trying to point out is that the Bible has the purpose of guiding man towards building and taking care of his personal relationship with God. The Bible distinguishes the food of the body from the food of the soul.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is also the extraordinary fact of the Bible’s effect on the nations where it was written, taught and read. As has been said earlier, the Bible does not only aim to educate and to inform. It has also the vital purpose of satisfying the spiritual needs of every human being that no other book can provide. The Bible is the only book that speaks accurately of the facts of the future, the present and the future of the world the human race. CONCLUSION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By discussing the different questions and criticisms about the Bible, we were able to establish the fact of its integrity and reliability. By using external evidences like archeological records and discoveries, we were able to prove that the Bible is historically reliable. By looking at the prophecies and comparing them to the fulfilled ones, we were able draw out the conclusion that the Bible has in fact ninety five percent textual reliability and has one hundred percent accuracy on its prophecies. Relative to its inspiration, we have proven that the Bible is divinely inspired as evidenced by its fair and complete presentation and treatment of ideas and things even those beyond what the human mind can comprehend. In is therefore but fair enough to conclude that even without defending the Bible, it can by itself stand firm enough to prove its integrity and reliability. WORKS CITED Archer, Gleason L. â€Å"Survey of Old Testament Introduction† . Chicago: Moody Press, 1974. Blomberg, Craig. â€Å"Can the Scriptures be Trusted?† Retrieved on May 29, 2007 from http://www.dtl.org/bible/article/trusted.htm Harris, Glenn. â€Å"Can I Trust the Bible?† Retrieved on May 29, 2007 from http://www.gospeloutreach.net/bible.html Kenyon, Frederick G. â€Å"The Bible and Archaeology†. Harper Row, New York, ,1940, p. 288. McDowell, Josh. â€Å"Evidence That Demands a Verdict†   San Bernadino, CA: Heres Life Publishers, 1979. Ramm, Bernard. â€Å"Can I Trust My Old Testament?† The Kings Business, Feb., 1949 pp. 230, 231. Ross, Hugh. â€Å"Fulfilled Prophecy: Evidence of the Reliability of the Bible† Retrieved on May 29, 2007 from http://www.gospeloutreach.net/bible4.html Ryle, J.C. â€Å"The Inspiration of the Bible† Retrieved on May 29, 2007 from http://www.biblebb.com/files/ryle/inspiration_of_the_bible.htm Wood, Bryant. â€Å"In what ways have the discoveries of archaeology verified the reliability of the Bible?† Retrieved on May 29, 2007 from http://christiananswers.net/q-abr/abr-a008.html    Zeolla, Gary F. â€Å"Science and the Bible† Retrieved on May 29, 2007 from http://www.dtl.org/bible/article/science.htm Zeolla, Gary F. â€Å"Have the Precious Truths Been Lost from the Bible?† Retrieved on May 29, 2007 from http://www.dtl.org/cults/article/precious.htm

History and Analysis of Singapore International Airlines

History and Analysis of Singapore International Airlines Introduction SIA traced its roots to an organization called Malayan Airways that offered its first commercial passenger service in May 1947. Today, SIA is Singapores best-known company, and rated consistently as Asias most admired company(Asian Business, 1997,p. 24). Its smiling, willowy cabin attendant, outfitted in tight batik sarong kebaya designed by renowned fashion house Pierre Balmain, and marketed as the Singapore Girl, is now a well-known international service icon. In 1994, the year she celebrated her 21st birthday, the Singapore Girl became the first commercial figure to be displayed at the famed Madame Tussauds Museum in London. Madame Tussauds had unveiled the waxwork of the SIAs global marketing icon that year to reflect the ever-growing popularity of international travel. SIA is widely reckoned by those in the airline industry, travellers as well as its competitors, as one of the very best airlines in the world, judging from the numerous industry awards it has won. According to the Business Traveller Asia Pacific, SIA has become the standard by which all other international airlines are judged (Business Traveller Asia Pacific, 1997a, p. 3). SIA also consistently leads the industry in profitability and rides through rough and turbulent times much better than most of its rivals. It has had an impressive and continuous profit streak since it took to the skies some 25 years ago; a track record almost unheard of in the brutally cyclical airline industry (Asian Business Review, 1996, p. 34). On 1 May 1997, SIA turned 50 and celebrated its Golden Jubilee Anniversary in grand style. It was a far cry from its humble beginnings in 1947 when it started life as part of Malayan Airways. The International Airline Industry The airline industry had traditionally remained fragmented primarily due to the limiting effects of national and international regulations. Enforced in the form of landing rights and associated competitive constraints, even large airline companies had only been able to develop dominance over their own regional markets at best. With the exception of the United States, dominant national flag carriers, typically owned by the national governments, had remained the only international representatives of their countries. However, the competitive dynamics in this industry had started to change dramatically in recent years. Deregulation, privatization, and the advent of new technologies have started to reshape the industry on a global level. The United States deregulated its airlines in 1978 and had since witnessed heightened competition and aggressive jockeying for market position. Europe entered the throes of a similar escalation of competition following the creation of the European Union a nd the disbanding of country-specific barriers to free market competition among air carriers. In Asia, deregulation occurred in fits and starts with some major regions allowing greater access to foreign carriers. For example, India, a regional market of some significance, announced that it would privatize its state-owned airline company. It had already allowed its traditionally domestic airline to compete against its international air carrier in many of the regional markets comprising neighboring countries. Japan made major strides in deregulation after selling off its shares in the then state-owned Japan Airlines and permitted All Nippon Airways to serve international markets. In Latin America, many of the smaller national flag carriers were privatized. Countries such as Mexico and Argentina infused significant levels of market competition in their airline industries by removing anti-competitive barriers and privatizing their national airlines Mexicana and Aerolineas Argentinas. The trend seemed certain to gain further momentum and open skies might be closer to reality than ever before. The major European nations were already in discussions with the United States to implement an open Trans-Atlantic market area where landing rights would be determined by free market forces rather than regulatory policy. Open skies agreements are bilateral agreements between countries that agree to provide landing and take-off facilities for air carriers originating in any of the partner countries. Such an agreement does not have the typical restrictions related to landing rights that are determined on a city-pair basis. For example, Singapore and the U.S. had signed an open skies agreement under which a Singapore carrier could travel to any destinati on city in the U.S. and vice versa. The twin trends of privatization and deregulation resulted in an increasingly global approach to strategic positioning in this industry. Although most large carriers still retained their regional dominance, many forged alliances with other leading carriers to offer seamless services across wider geographic areas. These alliances made most of the larger airline companies de facto global organizations. With increasing geographic reach and decreasing regulatory barriers, many of the regions were witnessing acute competition often in the form of fare wars. Consumers in general became much more price sensitive than ever before. In attempting to keep up with the competition, many carriers upgraded their service offerings contributing to declining yields in a price-conscious market. Chronic excess capacity worldwide only exacerbated this situation. Not surprisingly, there was a decline in passenger revenue yield in all geographic regions and the airlines were fighting an uphill battle to ex tract higher levels of efficiencies from their operating structures. For example, passenger yield dropped by 1.9% and 2.5% in 1998 and 1999, respectively, in Europe and 0.8% and 1.5% in North America during the same period. The drop was far more geographic region-wise summary of key trends in passenger traffic, growth potential, and major players follows. (Source: Annual Reports and HSBC Research.) Asia-Pacific Region By 1999, traffic in the Asian region had become quite important to the overall success of the air transportation industry. Collectively, this region represented 24% of worldwide revenue passenger kilometers. The ICAO estimated that the Asia-Pacific region had grown annually by 9.7% over the last ten years. This upward trend was expected to continue albeit at slightly lower levels, moderating between 6%-7% until 2001. Trans-Pacific traffic was expected to grow at 6.6% and intra-Asia-Pacific traffic by 5%. Some analysts predicted that Asia would play a key role in over half of the top twenty international markets ranked in terms of revenue passenger miles by 2002 The aviation market in Asia, while similar to Europe of the pre-EU era, did indeed have some dominant players. Japan Airlines and Singapore Airlines were the clear leaders and together accounted for 40% of the market share. The second tier included Cathay Pacific, Thai, and Korean Air, which comprised 33% of the market. Asian carriers in general had significantly lower operating costs compared to their American and European counterparts. For example, in 1998, according to Warburg, Dillon Read, personnel costs for North American carriers accounted for approximately 32% of total revenues. For European carriers, it was 21%. However, for the Asia-Pacific carriers, it was only 17%. Most of the Asian carriers also had much higher labor productivity levels and lower unit labor costs than airlines in North America or Europe. This location-specific advantage was a primary reason why carriers from other regions were setting up significant hub operations in the Asia-Pacific region. While the y ields for many carriers such as China Airlines, Korean Air, Thai, and Malaysian, the second and third tier competitors, were much lower than international levels, the top tier carriers such as Japan Airlines, and Singapore Airlines had yields consistent with their North American and European counterparts. The avenues for differentiating airline services in this region were shrinking. The elite carriers who had built a reputation for superlative service such as Singapore Airlines were now facing stiff competition from carriers such as Thai Airways and Cathay Pacific who had geared to deliver similar services. Thus, differentiation was becoming much more demanding and difficult to sustain Singapore International Airlines: Country and Company History and Culture of Singapore Singapore had witnessed bountiful growth and become the envy of many neighboring countries as it entered the new 21st century. Its per capita GNP increased by a phenomenal 75% between 1990 and 1999 and currently stood at S$39,724. This meteoric rise could be directly traced to Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, the most powerful Prime Minister in Singapores history. He was able to tap the patriotic spirit of his people when he announced his intent to develop Singapore to rival Switzerland in terms of standard of living. His emphasis on superior education standards, a controlled labor environment, significant outlays for training and development, all helped to enhance the quality of human capital. At the end of 1999, Singapore boasted a literacy rate of 93%, among the highest in the region. Singapores Confucian work ethic dovetailed very well with his ambitions. It emphasized responsibilities over rights and placed enormous value on attributes such as hospitality, caring and service. As a result of th ese efforts, Singapore, today ranked among the best countries in terms of human capital and was often rated among the worlds friendliest places to do business. Rising standards of living meant higher wages .Coupled with the small size of the local population and a very low unemployment rate (3.2% in 1998), the availability of labor was seen as a potential stumbling block in the drive toward further growth. Many of the larger companies already depended on a sizable number of expatriates from neighboring countries as well as the West to staff positions. A staunch believer in free trade and internally driven growth, Mr. Yew made it clear from the start that the world does not owe Singapore a living. For example, in the air transportation sector, Mr. Yews government declared that SIA, although the national carrier, would not receive any subsidies, protection, financial assistance, or economic benefits from the government. It would have to sink or swim based on its own resources and ingenuity. Singapore literally adopted a free skies approach whereby foreign flag carriers from other countries were welcome to serve the city-state without any restrictions. This meant heightened competition for SIA right from the start. However, the free market philosophy also resulted in sharper rates of market growth. For example, roughly 35% of the equity base of Singapore was foreign in origin, and foreign investors owned 17% of all companies in the country, both testaments to the successful programs that attracted foreign capital and commerce to the island nation. The tourism industry played a very significant role in the overall development of the country. Handicapped by the small size and the lack of natural resources, Singapore had to rely on service industries such as tourism and finance to generate growth. It had always enjoyed an enviable status as an important geographic hub dating back to the pre-British Colonization era. During its history as a British colony, Singapore provided an important stop-off point for travelers from Europe and Britain to the outlying colonies of Australia and New Zealand. Building on this historical reputation, Singapore evolved into an important Asian tourist hub The common origin and shared history of SIA and MAS In 1947, Malayan Airways was established and operated services between Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Ipoh and Penang, using its fleet of twin-engined Airspeed Consuls. In May that year, when Malayan Airways first took to the skies, there were only five passengers onboard its twin-engined Airspeed Consul. With the flight crew having to attend to the flying of the plane, passengers had to help themselves with the only refreshment available onboard then a flask of iced water. In 1963, it was renamed Malaysian Airways Limited. In 1966, both the Malaysian and Singapore Governments acquired joint majority control. The following year, it was renamed Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA) Limited. On 26 January 1971, both the Malaysian and Singapore Governments agreed to set up separate national airlines, and on 1 October 1972, Malaysia-Singapore Airlines ceased operations. In its place, Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Malaysian Airlines System (MAS) took to the skies. SIAs initial growth and expansion The split of MSA on 1 October 1972 saw MAS taking over all the domestic routes while SIA took over the international network and all the Boeing jets in the MSA fleet .SIA was government-owned, and the Singapore Government viewed the airline as an investment in a portfolio held by the republic. Although SIA was a state-owned enterprise, it paid taxes, like any other company in Singapore, and was expected to be competitive and profitable. Without any domestic routes to monopolise, SIA had to strategise to survive. Soon after the split, SIA embarked on an aggressive growth and aircraft and equipment acquisition programme. It acquired Boeing 747 Jumbo Jets, which went into service in 1973. In that same year, subsidiary Singapore Airport Terminal Services Ltd (SATS) was set up to provide ground services. In 1977, in conjunction with BA, it introduced the supersonic Concorde on the London- Bahrain-Singapore route. The maiden flight was on 10 December 1977. After three flights, however, disputes over airspace delayed regular Concorde service until early 1979. On 1 November 1980, the SIA/BA joint Concorde service between Singapore, Bahrain and London was, however, terminated. SIA began cargo service from Singapore to San Francisco via Hong Kong, Guam and Honolulu in 1978. Passenger service on the route commenced the following year. In 1979, SIA took the unprecedented action of trading in the B-747s purchased just a few years earlier for more advanced, fuel-efficient versions of the same aircraft while simultaneously expanding the fleet in a record-setting S$2.1 billion order with Boeing Aircraft. By 1979, it became the ninth largest airline in the world, up from the 57th position prior to the parting of ways with MAS, achieved on the back of a continuous average annual growth rate of 46 percent over its initial seven-year period (Harvard Business School, 1989b). SIA shares were listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange on 18 December 1985, and a new corporate identity was unveiled on 28 April 1987. On 14 December 1989, SIA concluded a major world-wide alliance with SwissAir and Delta Airlines, covering wide-ranging co-operation and eventual exchange of equity. An MOU with Cathay Pacific Airways and Malaysia Airlines was signed on 22 December 1992 to form a joint venture to develop and operate a frequent flyer programme. Passages,the frequent flyer programme, was officially launched on 1 July 1993. On 22 June 1994, SIA placed a US$10.3 billion order for 22 Megatop 747s and 30 Airbus 340-300E aircraft. The following year, on 14 November 1995, it ordered 77 B777 aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce Trent engines worth US$12.7 billion, including spares and spare engines. SIA turned 50 on 1 May 1997. It had by then grown into a diversified group, totally transformed from its humble beginnings 50 years ago. On 7 May 1997, less than a week following its 50th birthday, it took delivery of its first Jubilee B777-200, which touched down at Changi Airport. Symbolically, this ushered in another new and challenging era for SIA. The power of an idea: a most successful product/service differentiation strategy Within a year of the launch of SIA following the split of MSA on 1 October 1972, SIA began looking for new ways to differentiate itself. In 1973, SIA had in its service, some of the worlds most modern aircraft. Its maintenance operations were generally recognised to be on a par with those of the worlds major airlines. All its pilots and engineers were proficient and experienced, as there were no restraints from the unions on hiring Western crew members if SIA thought they were better. The product/service differentiation strategy that SIA finally decided upon was based on in-flight service. The strategy, as summarised by its then SIAs advertising manager, who later became its manager of in-flight services, was: What we needed was a unique selling proposition. Happily, we found it. Or perhaps I should say we found her, because the Singapore Girl has become synonymous with Singapore Airlines. SIA is an Asian airline, and Asia has a long tradition of gentle, courteous service. The Asian woman does not feel she is demeaning herself by fulfilling the role of the gracious, charming and helpful hostess. What we hope to do is translate that tradition of service into an in-flight reality (Harvard Business School, 1989b). SIA was thus strategically positioned in the premium service, quality and value market segment of the international airline industry. SIA capitalised on Oriental charm with stewardesses of Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Eurasian ethnic backgrounds. By 1997, this resource pool within Singapore had, however, expanded to include Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Taiwan, China, Japan and Korea. In 1997, a third of its 5,800-strong cabin crew were non- Singaporeans (The Sunday Times, 1997a, p. 3) SIA stewardesses were costumed in a specially designed version of the graceful Malay sarong kebaya, designed by renowned fashion house, Pierre Balmain. Passengers were treated to some of the best food on any airline, which is served with lots of warm smiles, warm towels, and attention to details. It provided first-class, business-class and economy-class passengers with cocktails, fine wines, and in-flight motion pictures at no extra charge. Since its inception, SIA has always subscribed to a policy that once a passenger pays for his or her ticket, there should be no more charges on the aeroplane. SIA now spend S$20 million a year on wines, with about 60 to 80 bottles of wine consumed per flight. International consultants who specialise in French, American and Australian wines are contracted to do wine-tasting twice a year for SIA, and they advise the airline on what to buy for its first, business and economy class passengers (Straits Times, 1997a, p. 22). According to SIA, the airlin e even receives letters from passengers asking for the names of wines that they took on SIA flights, with some asking where they can buy them (Straits Times, 1997a, p. 22). Service became the raison detre for SIA, and at the heart of its service reputation was the Singapore Girl. Slogans like A standard of service that even other airlines talk about and SIA: you are a great way to fly were used regularly in its marketing. SIA has always been of the view that the key to its success was its value or quality for the money. SIAs corporate philosophy of the airline industry since the late 1980s is best summed up by: The airline industry is, by its very nature, a service industry. In a free market, the success or failure of an individual airline is largely dictated by the quality of the service it provides (Joseph Pillay, Chairman SIA, Harvard Business School, 1989b). Most had to confront the apparent contradiction between cutting costs and prices, on the one hand, and maintaining customer focus and delivering customer service, on the other. It was a challenge many found most difficult. Into the 1990s SIA had developed a very strong market position. While keeping an eye on costs, its quality and service-enhancement strategy allowed it to command a relative market price premium position through premium service, value and quality. Its enviable position can be summed up as follows: If others resort to cutting fares, we can certainly do the same and we have a far better financial strength to cut fares and last longer than anyone else. But we ask ourselves first whether it is necessary to do that . . . So far, we have no need to do that (S. Dhanabalan, Chairman SIA, 1997, The Sunday Times, 1997b, p. 32). On competition, S. Dhanabalan reiterated SIAs long-standing strategy: Strong competition is not new to SIA. Every now and then, some airline, in an attempt to gain market share, will resort to senseless heavy discounting. It is a short term phenomenon. We take such competition in our stride (The Sunday Times, 1997b, p. 32) The Singapore Girl, the idealised version of the SIA cabin attendant, was the centrepiece in SIAs marketing strategy. Very high-quality photography was used in SIAs advertisements, and the Singapore Girl was always the central feature of the advertisements. The advertisements portrayed her in a number of settings and used a variety of themes to good effect. The Singapore Girl strategy proved to be a powerful idea and turned out to be a phenomenal success. International Research Associates (INRA), a firm which conducted surveys (covering the area of advertising recall) in the Asia Pacific area triennially, found that SIAs advertising enjoyed steady increases in unaided recall in the three successive INRA surveys in advertisement recall it conducted in 1973, 1976 and 1979. The SIA advertisement recall was 21 percent in 1973. It rose up to 32 percent in 1976, and shot up to 50 percent in.The average advertising recall of about 40 airlines studied over the same time period was only 9.6 percent (Harvard Business School, 1989b). SIAs market research up to 1997 continues to attest to this: Around the world the Singapore Girl remains a very positive marketing icon. She evokes the very best in Asian charm and hospitality (Director, Market Research, SIA, The Sunday Times, 1997a, p. 3). Although there were initial protests in some Western quarters in what was perceived to be sexist overtones in the advertisements, not everyone took offence at the advertising image. In a 1979 Fortune magazine article, Flying high with the Singapore Girls, it was noted that far from being repelled by the notion of becoming a `girl, about 7,000 young Singaporean women applied last year for 347 openings in the hostess ranks of SIA (Harvard Business School, 1989b). In the West, its acceptability in recent years had changed quite appreciably. In 1997, it was noted that: Her popularity in the West is such that it would be quite risky for SIA to attempt to change the image at a time when people there are getting used to her (Analyst, Goldman Sachs, The Sunday Times, 1997a, p. 3). Customer focus, innovation, creative service and service excellence On an SIA flight in 1996, a Chinese couple travelling in first-class with their children and nanny had refused the food served. When asked, the man of the family replied: We are just not used to these and would prefer a bowl of instant noodles. Since then, every SIA flight carries a supply of instant noodles for those customers who find in-flight cuisine not quite to their taste (Asian Business, 1996, p. 40). In addition, first-class and business-class passengers flying out of Singapore can now pre-order certain Singapore local fare prior to their flight to be served to them onboard. These are just some examples that illustrate the constant drive by SIA to introduce new ideas to improve customer service, in its customer focus to win customer satisfaction and even delight. There is of course nothing high-tech or sophisticated about instant noodles nor Singapore local fare, but these examples highlight the creative customer service even in simple things that has won SIA wide praise (Asian Business,1996, p. 40). This has become a hallmark of SIAs service excellence. In 1972, SIA was the first airline to introduce free food and alcoholic drinks on its flights. SIA has recognised that in this highly competitive market, any advantage gained by one airline over others will be short-lived, and ideas that are new will become commonplace in a matter of months. However, it noted that the important thing is to always stay in the forefront both in service and in technology (Asian Business, 1996, p. 40). This strategy of SIA focuses primarily not on reducing costs, but on enhancing quality or service and preventing customer problems from arising. SIA has succeeded most uniquely with this type of strategy in the airline industry, a strategy commonly employed in service businesses that command premium prices with high margins, businesses in which there is a high degree of repeat business, with word-of-mouth praise by customers as a most important marketing channel. It has been argued by some that an organisation should be conservative in its promises regarding service excellence to prevent customer expectations becoming too high. High expectations, so that argument goes, increase the potential for customer dissatisfaction. Such prescriptions, however, serve only companies with modest ambitions. In SIAs case, it was very different. It had a bold strategic vision and aspiration of being a top airline, not just any ordinary good airline. Through its careful market positioning and delivering its service promise, SIA could be said to be the very first airline in the international airline industry to have succeeded in developing such a powerful and enduring image of quality service that has resulted in its acquiring a sustainable competitive advantage. Its ability to sustain this advantage, even as its competitors seek to develop comparable service capability, had been buttressed by the fact that it was the first to earn and attain the quality-servic e position and image in the market and in customers minds. High service quality standards need to be developed systematically over time. Although sustaining a competitive advantage based on service quality is possible, this requires unrelenting effort on the part of an organisation to continually improve its service. This was achieved in SIAs case. As part of SIAs strategy to differentiate itself on the basis of superior customer service, it was able successfully to generate a vision of service excellence throughout the organisation. Such an organisation-wide energizing vision of service excellence is a powerful source of competitive advantage in top class service organisations. Such strength can be the bedrock of a quality and service-based sustainable competitive advantage. A service organisation that does not have such a shared vision and culture of service excellence will have a tough task acquiring it, as it cannot be bought. It must be built, as in SIAs case. In SIAs case, setting exceptionally high customer service standards generated a positive spirit and culture that had many follow-on results. Customer servicewent beyond the mechanics involved in efficiently providing a service onboard. Pride, zeal, and motivation were some of the positive service hallmarks that flowed from the shared vision and culture of service excellence, and the results were impressive. Unlike robots or machines, where differences in performance are largely rooted in technical specifications, human beings are subject to major performance variation. The SIAs vision and culture that hold exceptionally high customer service standards as a strategic objective to be attained were a most important factor accounting for its exceptional performance. To support this service excellence strategy, SIA adopts a most rigorous quality control system and process for staff recruitment and selection, as well as a rigorous training and service policy (Asian Business Review, 1996, p. 34). For example, SIA has one flight attendant for every 22 seats, the highest in the world and well above the industry average. Cabin crew must be under 26 and are employed on a five-year contract after making it through a very selective three-stage interview process that includes a social function Previously, all cabin crew would complete a six-month training course before they could be allowed to serve a customer. However, this has now been compressed into an intensive four-month course, which is still considered to be the longest and most comprehensive programme of any major airline. In comparison, Cathay Pacific, for instance, conducts only a seven-week intensive training programme on technical, safety and interpersonal skills. The aim of SIAs training is to provide gracious service reflecting warmth and friendliness, while maintaining an image of authority and confidence in the passengers minds. Each month, thousands of young ladies would apply for the airlines rigorous course that emphasizes safety training and encompasses beauty tips, discussions of gourmet food and fine wines, and the art of conversation. SIA is also at the forefront of service innovation through technology. For instance, it introduced Electronic Ticketing for flights from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and Penang (and vice versa) on 1 October 1997. About two weeks earlier, on a flight from Singapore to Tokyo on 15 September 1997, it had launched a revolutionary innovation in in-flight entertainment with the introduction of the WISEMEN system, offering passengers full control over their viewing and listening options. With WISEMEN, passengers will be able to choose from 15 movies, 20 short features and about 50 CDs. This is over and above the current SIAs in-flight entertainment system, Krisworld, which already had 22 video channels, 12 audio channels and ten games channels. Internet check-in for First Class, Raffles Class and PPS Club Members flying out of Singapore was introduced on 20 November 1996. SIAs profitability track record Just as well-known as its product/service differentiation strategy, as well as its creative service and service excellence, but certainly less familiar, is SIAs profitability track record. Since its inception in 1972 some 25 years ago, SIA has had an uninterrupted profit track record. Asian Business Review, in an article piece on Asias Great Companies, noted that its financial track record is almost unheard of in the brutally cyclical airline industry, and touted it as the Worlds most profitable airline (Asian Business Review, 1996, p. 34). Its profitability track record is even more astounding considering that it is the national airline of a small country that is essentially just a city, of only 647 square kilometres and 3.6 million populations, with no domestic routes to monopolise. Yet, despite this it has managed to consistently deliver profits in one of the worlds most cyclical industries. SIA has an established practice of keeping its fleet young and modern (Singapore Airlines, 1997b, p. 5). This, made possible by the airlines strong cash flow position, has allowed it to maintain a fuel-efficient fleet that averages just over five years of age without resorting to heavy borrowing or costly leasing deals. The fleets of most other international carriers are more than twice as old as SIAs. SIAs fleet is in fact the youngest in the world, not taking into account the couple of small regional airlines that have just started up. For SIA, this strategy which entails heavy capital costs, however, translates to significant savings through minimising aircraft downtime and minimizing maintenance costs. Newer aircraft are also faster and more fuel efficient, and are perceived by passengers to be safer. For instance, the B747-400 is 10 percent more fuel efficient than its predecessor. For SIA, this means a significant saving as about 15 percent of the companys expenditure is on fuel (Asian Business Review, 1996, p. 34). Most airlines use a combination of different financing schemes for their aircraft with the core fleet usually on long-term leases to minimise interest costs. SIA History and Analysis of Singapore International Airlines History and Analysis of Singapore International Airlines Introduction SIA traced its roots to an organization called Malayan Airways that offered its first commercial passenger service in May 1947. Today, SIA is Singapores best-known company, and rated consistently as Asias most admired company(Asian Business, 1997,p. 24). Its smiling, willowy cabin attendant, outfitted in tight batik sarong kebaya designed by renowned fashion house Pierre Balmain, and marketed as the Singapore Girl, is now a well-known international service icon. In 1994, the year she celebrated her 21st birthday, the Singapore Girl became the first commercial figure to be displayed at the famed Madame Tussauds Museum in London. Madame Tussauds had unveiled the waxwork of the SIAs global marketing icon that year to reflect the ever-growing popularity of international travel. SIA is widely reckoned by those in the airline industry, travellers as well as its competitors, as one of the very best airlines in the world, judging from the numerous industry awards it has won. According to the Business Traveller Asia Pacific, SIA has become the standard by which all other international airlines are judged (Business Traveller Asia Pacific, 1997a, p. 3). SIA also consistently leads the industry in profitability and rides through rough and turbulent times much better than most of its rivals. It has had an impressive and continuous profit streak since it took to the skies some 25 years ago; a track record almost unheard of in the brutally cyclical airline industry (Asian Business Review, 1996, p. 34). On 1 May 1997, SIA turned 50 and celebrated its Golden Jubilee Anniversary in grand style. It was a far cry from its humble beginnings in 1947 when it started life as part of Malayan Airways. The International Airline Industry The airline industry had traditionally remained fragmented primarily due to the limiting effects of national and international regulations. Enforced in the form of landing rights and associated competitive constraints, even large airline companies had only been able to develop dominance over their own regional markets at best. With the exception of the United States, dominant national flag carriers, typically owned by the national governments, had remained the only international representatives of their countries. However, the competitive dynamics in this industry had started to change dramatically in recent years. Deregulation, privatization, and the advent of new technologies have started to reshape the industry on a global level. The United States deregulated its airlines in 1978 and had since witnessed heightened competition and aggressive jockeying for market position. Europe entered the throes of a similar escalation of competition following the creation of the European Union a nd the disbanding of country-specific barriers to free market competition among air carriers. In Asia, deregulation occurred in fits and starts with some major regions allowing greater access to foreign carriers. For example, India, a regional market of some significance, announced that it would privatize its state-owned airline company. It had already allowed its traditionally domestic airline to compete against its international air carrier in many of the regional markets comprising neighboring countries. Japan made major strides in deregulation after selling off its shares in the then state-owned Japan Airlines and permitted All Nippon Airways to serve international markets. In Latin America, many of the smaller national flag carriers were privatized. Countries such as Mexico and Argentina infused significant levels of market competition in their airline industries by removing anti-competitive barriers and privatizing their national airlines Mexicana and Aerolineas Argentinas. The trend seemed certain to gain further momentum and open skies might be closer to reality than ever before. The major European nations were already in discussions with the United States to implement an open Trans-Atlantic market area where landing rights would be determined by free market forces rather than regulatory policy. Open skies agreements are bilateral agreements between countries that agree to provide landing and take-off facilities for air carriers originating in any of the partner countries. Such an agreement does not have the typical restrictions related to landing rights that are determined on a city-pair basis. For example, Singapore and the U.S. had signed an open skies agreement under which a Singapore carrier could travel to any destinati on city in the U.S. and vice versa. The twin trends of privatization and deregulation resulted in an increasingly global approach to strategic positioning in this industry. Although most large carriers still retained their regional dominance, many forged alliances with other leading carriers to offer seamless services across wider geographic areas. These alliances made most of the larger airline companies de facto global organizations. With increasing geographic reach and decreasing regulatory barriers, many of the regions were witnessing acute competition often in the form of fare wars. Consumers in general became much more price sensitive than ever before. In attempting to keep up with the competition, many carriers upgraded their service offerings contributing to declining yields in a price-conscious market. Chronic excess capacity worldwide only exacerbated this situation. Not surprisingly, there was a decline in passenger revenue yield in all geographic regions and the airlines were fighting an uphill battle to ex tract higher levels of efficiencies from their operating structures. For example, passenger yield dropped by 1.9% and 2.5% in 1998 and 1999, respectively, in Europe and 0.8% and 1.5% in North America during the same period. The drop was far more geographic region-wise summary of key trends in passenger traffic, growth potential, and major players follows. (Source: Annual Reports and HSBC Research.) Asia-Pacific Region By 1999, traffic in the Asian region had become quite important to the overall success of the air transportation industry. Collectively, this region represented 24% of worldwide revenue passenger kilometers. The ICAO estimated that the Asia-Pacific region had grown annually by 9.7% over the last ten years. This upward trend was expected to continue albeit at slightly lower levels, moderating between 6%-7% until 2001. Trans-Pacific traffic was expected to grow at 6.6% and intra-Asia-Pacific traffic by 5%. Some analysts predicted that Asia would play a key role in over half of the top twenty international markets ranked in terms of revenue passenger miles by 2002 The aviation market in Asia, while similar to Europe of the pre-EU era, did indeed have some dominant players. Japan Airlines and Singapore Airlines were the clear leaders and together accounted for 40% of the market share. The second tier included Cathay Pacific, Thai, and Korean Air, which comprised 33% of the market. Asian carriers in general had significantly lower operating costs compared to their American and European counterparts. For example, in 1998, according to Warburg, Dillon Read, personnel costs for North American carriers accounted for approximately 32% of total revenues. For European carriers, it was 21%. However, for the Asia-Pacific carriers, it was only 17%. Most of the Asian carriers also had much higher labor productivity levels and lower unit labor costs than airlines in North America or Europe. This location-specific advantage was a primary reason why carriers from other regions were setting up significant hub operations in the Asia-Pacific region. While the y ields for many carriers such as China Airlines, Korean Air, Thai, and Malaysian, the second and third tier competitors, were much lower than international levels, the top tier carriers such as Japan Airlines, and Singapore Airlines had yields consistent with their North American and European counterparts. The avenues for differentiating airline services in this region were shrinking. The elite carriers who had built a reputation for superlative service such as Singapore Airlines were now facing stiff competition from carriers such as Thai Airways and Cathay Pacific who had geared to deliver similar services. Thus, differentiation was becoming much more demanding and difficult to sustain Singapore International Airlines: Country and Company History and Culture of Singapore Singapore had witnessed bountiful growth and become the envy of many neighboring countries as it entered the new 21st century. Its per capita GNP increased by a phenomenal 75% between 1990 and 1999 and currently stood at S$39,724. This meteoric rise could be directly traced to Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, the most powerful Prime Minister in Singapores history. He was able to tap the patriotic spirit of his people when he announced his intent to develop Singapore to rival Switzerland in terms of standard of living. His emphasis on superior education standards, a controlled labor environment, significant outlays for training and development, all helped to enhance the quality of human capital. At the end of 1999, Singapore boasted a literacy rate of 93%, among the highest in the region. Singapores Confucian work ethic dovetailed very well with his ambitions. It emphasized responsibilities over rights and placed enormous value on attributes such as hospitality, caring and service. As a result of th ese efforts, Singapore, today ranked among the best countries in terms of human capital and was often rated among the worlds friendliest places to do business. Rising standards of living meant higher wages .Coupled with the small size of the local population and a very low unemployment rate (3.2% in 1998), the availability of labor was seen as a potential stumbling block in the drive toward further growth. Many of the larger companies already depended on a sizable number of expatriates from neighboring countries as well as the West to staff positions. A staunch believer in free trade and internally driven growth, Mr. Yew made it clear from the start that the world does not owe Singapore a living. For example, in the air transportation sector, Mr. Yews government declared that SIA, although the national carrier, would not receive any subsidies, protection, financial assistance, or economic benefits from the government. It would have to sink or swim based on its own resources and ingenuity. Singapore literally adopted a free skies approach whereby foreign flag carriers from other countries were welcome to serve the city-state without any restrictions. This meant heightened competition for SIA right from the start. However, the free market philosophy also resulted in sharper rates of market growth. For example, roughly 35% of the equity base of Singapore was foreign in origin, and foreign investors owned 17% of all companies in the country, both testaments to the successful programs that attracted foreign capital and commerce to the island nation. The tourism industry played a very significant role in the overall development of the country. Handicapped by the small size and the lack of natural resources, Singapore had to rely on service industries such as tourism and finance to generate growth. It had always enjoyed an enviable status as an important geographic hub dating back to the pre-British Colonization era. During its history as a British colony, Singapore provided an important stop-off point for travelers from Europe and Britain to the outlying colonies of Australia and New Zealand. Building on this historical reputation, Singapore evolved into an important Asian tourist hub The common origin and shared history of SIA and MAS In 1947, Malayan Airways was established and operated services between Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Ipoh and Penang, using its fleet of twin-engined Airspeed Consuls. In May that year, when Malayan Airways first took to the skies, there were only five passengers onboard its twin-engined Airspeed Consul. With the flight crew having to attend to the flying of the plane, passengers had to help themselves with the only refreshment available onboard then a flask of iced water. In 1963, it was renamed Malaysian Airways Limited. In 1966, both the Malaysian and Singapore Governments acquired joint majority control. The following year, it was renamed Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA) Limited. On 26 January 1971, both the Malaysian and Singapore Governments agreed to set up separate national airlines, and on 1 October 1972, Malaysia-Singapore Airlines ceased operations. In its place, Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Malaysian Airlines System (MAS) took to the skies. SIAs initial growth and expansion The split of MSA on 1 October 1972 saw MAS taking over all the domestic routes while SIA took over the international network and all the Boeing jets in the MSA fleet .SIA was government-owned, and the Singapore Government viewed the airline as an investment in a portfolio held by the republic. Although SIA was a state-owned enterprise, it paid taxes, like any other company in Singapore, and was expected to be competitive and profitable. Without any domestic routes to monopolise, SIA had to strategise to survive. Soon after the split, SIA embarked on an aggressive growth and aircraft and equipment acquisition programme. It acquired Boeing 747 Jumbo Jets, which went into service in 1973. In that same year, subsidiary Singapore Airport Terminal Services Ltd (SATS) was set up to provide ground services. In 1977, in conjunction with BA, it introduced the supersonic Concorde on the London- Bahrain-Singapore route. The maiden flight was on 10 December 1977. After three flights, however, disputes over airspace delayed regular Concorde service until early 1979. On 1 November 1980, the SIA/BA joint Concorde service between Singapore, Bahrain and London was, however, terminated. SIA began cargo service from Singapore to San Francisco via Hong Kong, Guam and Honolulu in 1978. Passenger service on the route commenced the following year. In 1979, SIA took the unprecedented action of trading in the B-747s purchased just a few years earlier for more advanced, fuel-efficient versions of the same aircraft while simultaneously expanding the fleet in a record-setting S$2.1 billion order with Boeing Aircraft. By 1979, it became the ninth largest airline in the world, up from the 57th position prior to the parting of ways with MAS, achieved on the back of a continuous average annual growth rate of 46 percent over its initial seven-year period (Harvard Business School, 1989b). SIA shares were listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange on 18 December 1985, and a new corporate identity was unveiled on 28 April 1987. On 14 December 1989, SIA concluded a major world-wide alliance with SwissAir and Delta Airlines, covering wide-ranging co-operation and eventual exchange of equity. An MOU with Cathay Pacific Airways and Malaysia Airlines was signed on 22 December 1992 to form a joint venture to develop and operate a frequent flyer programme. Passages,the frequent flyer programme, was officially launched on 1 July 1993. On 22 June 1994, SIA placed a US$10.3 billion order for 22 Megatop 747s and 30 Airbus 340-300E aircraft. The following year, on 14 November 1995, it ordered 77 B777 aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce Trent engines worth US$12.7 billion, including spares and spare engines. SIA turned 50 on 1 May 1997. It had by then grown into a diversified group, totally transformed from its humble beginnings 50 years ago. On 7 May 1997, less than a week following its 50th birthday, it took delivery of its first Jubilee B777-200, which touched down at Changi Airport. Symbolically, this ushered in another new and challenging era for SIA. The power of an idea: a most successful product/service differentiation strategy Within a year of the launch of SIA following the split of MSA on 1 October 1972, SIA began looking for new ways to differentiate itself. In 1973, SIA had in its service, some of the worlds most modern aircraft. Its maintenance operations were generally recognised to be on a par with those of the worlds major airlines. All its pilots and engineers were proficient and experienced, as there were no restraints from the unions on hiring Western crew members if SIA thought they were better. The product/service differentiation strategy that SIA finally decided upon was based on in-flight service. The strategy, as summarised by its then SIAs advertising manager, who later became its manager of in-flight services, was: What we needed was a unique selling proposition. Happily, we found it. Or perhaps I should say we found her, because the Singapore Girl has become synonymous with Singapore Airlines. SIA is an Asian airline, and Asia has a long tradition of gentle, courteous service. The Asian woman does not feel she is demeaning herself by fulfilling the role of the gracious, charming and helpful hostess. What we hope to do is translate that tradition of service into an in-flight reality (Harvard Business School, 1989b). SIA was thus strategically positioned in the premium service, quality and value market segment of the international airline industry. SIA capitalised on Oriental charm with stewardesses of Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Eurasian ethnic backgrounds. By 1997, this resource pool within Singapore had, however, expanded to include Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Taiwan, China, Japan and Korea. In 1997, a third of its 5,800-strong cabin crew were non- Singaporeans (The Sunday Times, 1997a, p. 3) SIA stewardesses were costumed in a specially designed version of the graceful Malay sarong kebaya, designed by renowned fashion house, Pierre Balmain. Passengers were treated to some of the best food on any airline, which is served with lots of warm smiles, warm towels, and attention to details. It provided first-class, business-class and economy-class passengers with cocktails, fine wines, and in-flight motion pictures at no extra charge. Since its inception, SIA has always subscribed to a policy that once a passenger pays for his or her ticket, there should be no more charges on the aeroplane. SIA now spend S$20 million a year on wines, with about 60 to 80 bottles of wine consumed per flight. International consultants who specialise in French, American and Australian wines are contracted to do wine-tasting twice a year for SIA, and they advise the airline on what to buy for its first, business and economy class passengers (Straits Times, 1997a, p. 22). According to SIA, the airlin e even receives letters from passengers asking for the names of wines that they took on SIA flights, with some asking where they can buy them (Straits Times, 1997a, p. 22). Service became the raison detre for SIA, and at the heart of its service reputation was the Singapore Girl. Slogans like A standard of service that even other airlines talk about and SIA: you are a great way to fly were used regularly in its marketing. SIA has always been of the view that the key to its success was its value or quality for the money. SIAs corporate philosophy of the airline industry since the late 1980s is best summed up by: The airline industry is, by its very nature, a service industry. In a free market, the success or failure of an individual airline is largely dictated by the quality of the service it provides (Joseph Pillay, Chairman SIA, Harvard Business School, 1989b). Most had to confront the apparent contradiction between cutting costs and prices, on the one hand, and maintaining customer focus and delivering customer service, on the other. It was a challenge many found most difficult. Into the 1990s SIA had developed a very strong market position. While keeping an eye on costs, its quality and service-enhancement strategy allowed it to command a relative market price premium position through premium service, value and quality. Its enviable position can be summed up as follows: If others resort to cutting fares, we can certainly do the same and we have a far better financial strength to cut fares and last longer than anyone else. But we ask ourselves first whether it is necessary to do that . . . So far, we have no need to do that (S. Dhanabalan, Chairman SIA, 1997, The Sunday Times, 1997b, p. 32). On competition, S. Dhanabalan reiterated SIAs long-standing strategy: Strong competition is not new to SIA. Every now and then, some airline, in an attempt to gain market share, will resort to senseless heavy discounting. It is a short term phenomenon. We take such competition in our stride (The Sunday Times, 1997b, p. 32) The Singapore Girl, the idealised version of the SIA cabin attendant, was the centrepiece in SIAs marketing strategy. Very high-quality photography was used in SIAs advertisements, and the Singapore Girl was always the central feature of the advertisements. The advertisements portrayed her in a number of settings and used a variety of themes to good effect. The Singapore Girl strategy proved to be a powerful idea and turned out to be a phenomenal success. International Research Associates (INRA), a firm which conducted surveys (covering the area of advertising recall) in the Asia Pacific area triennially, found that SIAs advertising enjoyed steady increases in unaided recall in the three successive INRA surveys in advertisement recall it conducted in 1973, 1976 and 1979. The SIA advertisement recall was 21 percent in 1973. It rose up to 32 percent in 1976, and shot up to 50 percent in.The average advertising recall of about 40 airlines studied over the same time period was only 9.6 percent (Harvard Business School, 1989b). SIAs market research up to 1997 continues to attest to this: Around the world the Singapore Girl remains a very positive marketing icon. She evokes the very best in Asian charm and hospitality (Director, Market Research, SIA, The Sunday Times, 1997a, p. 3). Although there were initial protests in some Western quarters in what was perceived to be sexist overtones in the advertisements, not everyone took offence at the advertising image. In a 1979 Fortune magazine article, Flying high with the Singapore Girls, it was noted that far from being repelled by the notion of becoming a `girl, about 7,000 young Singaporean women applied last year for 347 openings in the hostess ranks of SIA (Harvard Business School, 1989b). In the West, its acceptability in recent years had changed quite appreciably. In 1997, it was noted that: Her popularity in the West is such that it would be quite risky for SIA to attempt to change the image at a time when people there are getting used to her (Analyst, Goldman Sachs, The Sunday Times, 1997a, p. 3). Customer focus, innovation, creative service and service excellence On an SIA flight in 1996, a Chinese couple travelling in first-class with their children and nanny had refused the food served. When asked, the man of the family replied: We are just not used to these and would prefer a bowl of instant noodles. Since then, every SIA flight carries a supply of instant noodles for those customers who find in-flight cuisine not quite to their taste (Asian Business, 1996, p. 40). In addition, first-class and business-class passengers flying out of Singapore can now pre-order certain Singapore local fare prior to their flight to be served to them onboard. These are just some examples that illustrate the constant drive by SIA to introduce new ideas to improve customer service, in its customer focus to win customer satisfaction and even delight. There is of course nothing high-tech or sophisticated about instant noodles nor Singapore local fare, but these examples highlight the creative customer service even in simple things that has won SIA wide praise (Asian Business,1996, p. 40). This has become a hallmark of SIAs service excellence. In 1972, SIA was the first airline to introduce free food and alcoholic drinks on its flights. SIA has recognised that in this highly competitive market, any advantage gained by one airline over others will be short-lived, and ideas that are new will become commonplace in a matter of months. However, it noted that the important thing is to always stay in the forefront both in service and in technology (Asian Business, 1996, p. 40). This strategy of SIA focuses primarily not on reducing costs, but on enhancing quality or service and preventing customer problems from arising. SIA has succeeded most uniquely with this type of strategy in the airline industry, a strategy commonly employed in service businesses that command premium prices with high margins, businesses in which there is a high degree of repeat business, with word-of-mouth praise by customers as a most important marketing channel. It has been argued by some that an organisation should be conservative in its promises regarding service excellence to prevent customer expectations becoming too high. High expectations, so that argument goes, increase the potential for customer dissatisfaction. Such prescriptions, however, serve only companies with modest ambitions. In SIAs case, it was very different. It had a bold strategic vision and aspiration of being a top airline, not just any ordinary good airline. Through its careful market positioning and delivering its service promise, SIA could be said to be the very first airline in the international airline industry to have succeeded in developing such a powerful and enduring image of quality service that has resulted in its acquiring a sustainable competitive advantage. Its ability to sustain this advantage, even as its competitors seek to develop comparable service capability, had been buttressed by the fact that it was the first to earn and attain the quality-servic e position and image in the market and in customers minds. High service quality standards need to be developed systematically over time. Although sustaining a competitive advantage based on service quality is possible, this requires unrelenting effort on the part of an organisation to continually improve its service. This was achieved in SIAs case. As part of SIAs strategy to differentiate itself on the basis of superior customer service, it was able successfully to generate a vision of service excellence throughout the organisation. Such an organisation-wide energizing vision of service excellence is a powerful source of competitive advantage in top class service organisations. Such strength can be the bedrock of a quality and service-based sustainable competitive advantage. A service organisation that does not have such a shared vision and culture of service excellence will have a tough task acquiring it, as it cannot be bought. It must be built, as in SIAs case. In SIAs case, setting exceptionally high customer service standards generated a positive spirit and culture that had many follow-on results. Customer servicewent beyond the mechanics involved in efficiently providing a service onboard. Pride, zeal, and motivation were some of the positive service hallmarks that flowed from the shared vision and culture of service excellence, and the results were impressive. Unlike robots or machines, where differences in performance are largely rooted in technical specifications, human beings are subject to major performance variation. The SIAs vision and culture that hold exceptionally high customer service standards as a strategic objective to be attained were a most important factor accounting for its exceptional performance. To support this service excellence strategy, SIA adopts a most rigorous quality control system and process for staff recruitment and selection, as well as a rigorous training and service policy (Asian Business Review, 1996, p. 34). For example, SIA has one flight attendant for every 22 seats, the highest in the world and well above the industry average. Cabin crew must be under 26 and are employed on a five-year contract after making it through a very selective three-stage interview process that includes a social function Previously, all cabin crew would complete a six-month training course before they could be allowed to serve a customer. However, this has now been compressed into an intensive four-month course, which is still considered to be the longest and most comprehensive programme of any major airline. In comparison, Cathay Pacific, for instance, conducts only a seven-week intensive training programme on technical, safety and interpersonal skills. The aim of SIAs training is to provide gracious service reflecting warmth and friendliness, while maintaining an image of authority and confidence in the passengers minds. Each month, thousands of young ladies would apply for the airlines rigorous course that emphasizes safety training and encompasses beauty tips, discussions of gourmet food and fine wines, and the art of conversation. SIA is also at the forefront of service innovation through technology. For instance, it introduced Electronic Ticketing for flights from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and Penang (and vice versa) on 1 October 1997. About two weeks earlier, on a flight from Singapore to Tokyo on 15 September 1997, it had launched a revolutionary innovation in in-flight entertainment with the introduction of the WISEMEN system, offering passengers full control over their viewing and listening options. With WISEMEN, passengers will be able to choose from 15 movies, 20 short features and about 50 CDs. This is over and above the current SIAs in-flight entertainment system, Krisworld, which already had 22 video channels, 12 audio channels and ten games channels. Internet check-in for First Class, Raffles Class and PPS Club Members flying out of Singapore was introduced on 20 November 1996. SIAs profitability track record Just as well-known as its product/service differentiation strategy, as well as its creative service and service excellence, but certainly less familiar, is SIAs profitability track record. Since its inception in 1972 some 25 years ago, SIA has had an uninterrupted profit track record. Asian Business Review, in an article piece on Asias Great Companies, noted that its financial track record is almost unheard of in the brutally cyclical airline industry, and touted it as the Worlds most profitable airline (Asian Business Review, 1996, p. 34). Its profitability track record is even more astounding considering that it is the national airline of a small country that is essentially just a city, of only 647 square kilometres and 3.6 million populations, with no domestic routes to monopolise. Yet, despite this it has managed to consistently deliver profits in one of the worlds most cyclical industries. SIA has an established practice of keeping its fleet young and modern (Singapore Airlines, 1997b, p. 5). This, made possible by the airlines strong cash flow position, has allowed it to maintain a fuel-efficient fleet that averages just over five years of age without resorting to heavy borrowing or costly leasing deals. The fleets of most other international carriers are more than twice as old as SIAs. SIAs fleet is in fact the youngest in the world, not taking into account the couple of small regional airlines that have just started up. For SIA, this strategy which entails heavy capital costs, however, translates to significant savings through minimising aircraft downtime and minimizing maintenance costs. Newer aircraft are also faster and more fuel efficient, and are perceived by passengers to be safer. For instance, the B747-400 is 10 percent more fuel efficient than its predecessor. For SIA, this means a significant saving as about 15 percent of the companys expenditure is on fuel (Asian Business Review, 1996, p. 34). Most airlines use a combination of different financing schemes for their aircraft with the core fleet usually on long-term leases to minimise interest costs. SIA