What Words Come To Mind When You Think Of Continental Airlines Succes

What words come to mind when you think of Continental Airlines? Successful company, preferred airline, good service, on-time airline, top carrier, financially solvent, happy employees. These are all true; however, this was not always the case. Just six short years ago, probably not one of those descriptions would even be said in the same breath as Continental Airlines. In fact, in 1994, Continental was facing its third bankruptcy; that bankruptcy would have been the final blow to take this airline down for the last time. Employees were disgruntled about their work environment, their pay, and their airline; they had even taken pay-cut after pay-cut in an effort to keep the airline afloat. Customers did not think much more of the company, as Continental was considered simply the worst among the nation's ten biggest airlines. Continental Airlines is now recognized as one of Fortune Magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work for in America," even moving up from the 40th position to a very re spectable number 23 on the list in 1999 (a particularly satisfying award for a company of over 50,000 employees). Continental is also now considered to be a respected airline and company, not only in the airline industry but also across all industries both nationally and worldwide. This metamorphosis came about because of a team of individuals who took a hard look at the condition of the company. They considered where the company had been and where it could go. At that point in time, the possibilities were two; Continental could continue on the road it was on (and probably end up in its third bankruptcy and possibly the end of an airline) or undergo some major changes in the hopes of creating a really great airline. As the story goes, the Board of Directors of Continental Airlines went out on a limb and hired a gutsy, plain-speaking ex-Navy aircraft mechanic who was armed with a few commonsense notions about good management and who possessed the courage to look past the bottom line, managed to motivate his people to bold new heights of excellence and win back this company's long-lost customer base. This person, armed with a down-to-earth basic recipe for turning a company around, was and is Gordon Bethune. Change does not come about overnight, nor does it come easily. As stated by Merriam-Webster, change is "to make different in some particular fashion; to give a different position, course, or direction to; to replace with another; to make a shift from one to another; to exchange for an equivalent sum or comparable item; to undergo a modification of." Management is defined as the "act or art of managing; the conducting or supervising of something (as a business); judicious use of means to accomplish an end; the collective body of those who manage or direct an enterprise." (Merriam-Webster) These things all happened at Continental Airlines beginning in 1995 under the direction of Gordon Bethune. Gordon, as he is known to all of his employees from the second in command down to the newest ramp agent, is a leader who is about his people and his product. He is a feisty, plain-speaking man who fought for the position as Chief Executive Officer. After ten leaders in ten years, the Board of Co ntinental had only wanted someone to be a figurehead for the company. They were not looking for a "leader;" they had had ten of those already. The Board simply wanted someone to "take over." So, they let Gordon take over for the next ten days until the next board meeting; at that point, he would have a chance to address the Board and some decision would be made. What a timeline; what stress. Gordon knew the company needed dramatic change in every conceivable way. His first step was an easy one; he stuck a wedge under the once-locked, video camera monitored doors of the executive suite. This was the equivalent of hanging an "under new management" sign in the window of a restaurant. It was a start, as well as a testament to his style of management and to the culture he longed to see at Continental. Bethune spent the next ten days holed up with Greg Brenneman, then a consultant

Worksheet Essays

Worksheet Essays Worksheet Essay Worksheet Essay Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Worksheet NAME: DATE: Texts referenced: De, Bary W. T. â€Å"Source of Indian Tradition† Introduction to Oriental Civilizations. New York: Columbia University Press, 1964. Print. Robb, Peter. A History of India. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave, 2002. Print. Stein, Burton. â€Å"Ancient Days† A History of India. Oxford: England: Blackwell Publishers, 1998. Print. Time Period/Era Studied: 400,000-150,000 years ago 1. Of the following factors, explain WHICH ONE do you consider the most significant to the era we studied this week? WHY do you think so? WHICH historical events, circumstances, or phenomena support your choice? Economy Society Religion Politics Environment Economy: The economy was one of the most important factors towards the civilisation of India. This influenced other facets of the state such as the social structures, religion, politics and the environment. Economic conditions and activities determined the social structures, which were present in ancient India and up to date. The social structures included the division of people in terms of their social classes such as the rich or nobles and the dalits or socially inferior individuals (Stein 41). Economic activities such as pottery, agriculture and trade, defined the Indian society. The goods and products traded by the Indian communities gave definition of the community in terms of the cultural beliefs and practises. Such products included fabrics, pottery and other merchandise. This provided the communities with the ability to interact with other communities in terms of exchange of goods and other forms of trade. Additionally, this enabled the communities to exchange cultural aspects through intermarriages and other social interactions. Hence, this could explain the cultural similarities between the indicant communities and communities in the Asian region (Stein 46). 2. WHICH factor would you rate #2 in importance? In what ways does it relate to your #1 rated choice? Society: The society defined the Indian communities in terms of the cultural and social structures. It defined the Indian communities, in that the economic activities undertaken by the communities provided for classification of individuals in terms of their respective economic abilities. The rich engaged in higher levels of economic activities such as trade whereas the peasants were farmers and servants. The society was an essential aspect in the Indian communities in that it defined the social classifications based on economic and financial ability. Individuals were classified as royalty, nobles and dalits or commoners. This classification was based on cultural beliefs and practises in the Indian communities. Furthermore, the societal structures were a representation of the economic activities and religious beliefs. The religious beliefs provided for classification of individuals as a representation of the calling to serve the gods or supernatural beings in which the communities believed in (Stein 52). 3. How would these factors have impacted the daily lives of people living during that era? The economic activities undertaken by the Indian communities provided people with various means of survival. Activities such as agriculture and pottery influenced civilisation and growth of the Indian society. The trade and development of goods such as bronze and iron items was a crucial factor in the movement towards civilisation. This provided the Indian communities with the ability to engage in agriculture and increase productivity, in farming activities. Additionally, movement of goods provided the communities with the ability to interact with other communities and gain ideas such as architectural designs and trade ideas. The society was beneficial as it defined the Indian communities in the ancient period. In addition, this provided the religious beliefs, and an illustration of the basic activities such as agriculture, trade, social interactions and religious beliefs (Stein 33). 4. If you were writing a historical novel, what kind of character do you think would best represent this period in India’s history? What class status, religion, occupation, and gender would you give them, and why? In my novel, I would use a dalit as a main character. This would provide the reader with the ability to understand the basic beliefs and social structure of the Indian communities. This includes the social classifications, which were existent in the Indian community. The dalit would be a representation of the Buddhist beliefs that dalits are socially inferior individuals in the community. As a dalit, she would assume a character as a servant in royal or noble household. The dalit would be a woman to illustrate the role of women as caretakers of households, which is a traditional role. Additionally this would provide an express illustration of the existent inequality between individuals in the Indian community due to roles and classifications provided by cultural and religious beliefs. Work Cited De, Bary W. T. â€Å"Source of Indian Tradition† Introduction to Oriental Civilizations. New York: Columbia University Press, 1964. Print. Robb, Peter. A History of India. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave, 2002. Print. Stein, Burton. â€Å"Ancient Days† A History of India. Oxford: England: Blackwell Publishers, 1998. Print.