The Beautiful Ambiguity of Blankets - Literature Essay Samples

The Beautiful Ambiguity of Blankets: Comics Representation and Religious Art, written by the University of Floridas Benjamin Stevens, provides a great deal of insight into Craig Thompsons 2003 autobiographical graphic novel Blankets. Stevens analysis focuses on characteristics of the novel such as style, the search for identity, the impact of Christianity, and the details within the actual illustrations. This provides the reader with a deeper understanding of the content and the significance behind Thompson’s work.Thompson’s combination of illustration and dialogue is notable. Stevens’ investigation of the work stresses this fact, noting â€Å"the visual and material sameness of image and text or word’† (Stevens 6). The ability to use both text and a direct form of visual aid is not typical for a novel, but they allow Thompson to go into greater detail regarding Craig’s home life, childhood, search for himself, and his inner conflict regardin g his faith. An interesting characteristic of this graphic novel is the fact that no two pages look alike. There is not a set number of panels or words assigned, allowing the author freedom to fully express himself through his work: â€Å"Even on the first page of the scene, then, our awareness of Craigs path, what we have seen him later call his movement, depends on the visual, representational, or spatial rather than on the textual, discursive, or temporal† (Stevens 8). The use of his drawings within his illustrations is also intriguing, permitting the reader to have an even greater understanding of his mindset. Craig’s quest for identity is another important component of the storyline: â€Å"An immediate complication of this reading is that the characters private meditation, in the form of his depicted thoughts, is not private but presented to the reader or viewer† (Stevens 2). A clear example of this self-exposure is the detailed comic illustrations of mastu rbation on pages 147 and 148. Craig is comfortable enough with his audience to be honest about even the most intimate of circumstances, granting the reader access to his innermost thoughts. Thompson connects the search for identity with the idea of â€Å"stretching† in both the mental and physical aspect: [CRAIG] Ive never seen shadows stretch so far. [RAINA] Theyre ambitious (Thompson 245.3). Thompson takes advantage of his ability to display thoughts and emotions in a more complex medium than simply words on a page. He privileges the reader with Craig’s thoughts and desires, particularly in light of his feelings for Raina and his struggle to accept the Biblical teachings he has grown up with. Craig’s devout Christian parents attempt to force their beliefs on him, yet are very hypocritical throughout the process. Likewise, all of Craig’s interactions within the church have been negative as â€Å"Christians† are very cruel to him for various reason s. One of his greatest passions is drawing, which leads to his idea of worshipping God through his art. However, his teachers, parents, and church members all condemn this, going so far as to say that art will lead to things such as homosexuality and Pygmalionism through the process of idolatry. This forces Craig into an internal struggle between accepting a faith that is not lived out amongst its â€Å"followers† and choosing to go down his own path of worshipping God in a way that he is the most comfortable with. As Stevens notes, â€Å"Blankets is at least art about religion if not religious art† (37). Craig is at a key point in his life as he is attempting to figure out who he is and what he believes, yet he is unfortunately being turned away from everything that he has ever known: â€Å"After a short walk in the snow, he wonders whether he might draw Christian cartoons – | – to win people to the faith (140.5). Upon returning to face the blank sheet, he is depicted as imagining himself drawing a cartoonish version of John 3:16 recited by an offensively jocular dog and featuring a Jesus who smiles brightly despite his crown of thorns and his being nailed, albeit bloodlessly, to the Cross. As Craig abandons that imagination, sighing and leaving the room, the blank sheet and unused pencil are foregrounded, thus emphasizing further how religious art may be unnecessary or impossible: if, per Craigs fifth-grade teacher, God has already drawn [creation] for us, then he has also already spoken it, or the crucial aspects of it, in the form of Scripture† (Stevens 41). Unfortunately, repetitive situations similar to this one eventually drive Craig out of the church completely. Craig Thompson’s autobiographical graphic novel is complex in content, yet simple in appearance. The beautiful mixture of human experience and divine understanding provides a thought-provoking story, suitable for a wide audience.The Beautiful Ambiguity of Blankets: Comics Representation and Religious Art. 2009. University of Florida Department of English. 12 March 2013. .Thompson, Craig. Blankets. Marietta: Top Shelf Productions, 2004.

Why I Chose My Major Business Administration Essay

One day in high school, I was called down to the office. The assistant principal called me into her personal office, and when I entered, my mother was sitting before her waiting for me. Mrs. Cimino, the assistant principal, informed me that I had been slacking and my GPA was down to a 1.9. That short meeting was a much needed wakeup call and in just a year and a half, I increased my GPA to a 3.8. This was just enough to earn The American Dream Scholarship for Miami Dade College and have my first sixty credits paid for in full. I aspire to become an efficacious businessman. The reasons behind why I chose my major, Business Administration, is because there are career opportunities in a variety of fields and a range of different workplaces to choose from. For instance, marketing for a corporation or being a financial manager at a bank. My major is perfect for someone like myself who comes into college undecided on what they would want to pursue. I’m looking to become a human resource manager for a company, where I would determine the staff needs, supervise the work place, and even deal with performance issues. To be hired in human resource management, I need at least eight years of management experience, which I would want to complete at a bank and learn the financial side of business after I earn my bachelor’s degree. I would love to start my own business one day. I have countless ideas on what I feel would make me a successful entrepreneur, like owning a movie theater, orShow MoreRelatedWhy I Am A Lawyer Essay1385 Words   |  6 PagesWhen I was growing up I spent most of my time in a lawyer’s office with my grandparents to try to free my father from the terrible crimes he committed. Every case we had we lost and I felt like I could set him free if I became a lawyer. While I continued to grow up I figured out why every case was lost and my father should stay in prison, but that did not change my mind about being a lawyer. I learned more about becoming a lawyer and the hard work I had to put into it; I was very excited. When IRead MoreThree Types of Jobs in which I Would Like to Work684 Words   |  3 Pagesjobs I would like to work: Soccer coach, business administration, and doctor. One of the three jobs I would like to work is soccer coach. I chose this because I love soccer. To be honest, since I was a child, I have wanted to be a soccer player. I had that dream on my mind, but unfortunately, I had a serious injury in my knee and I could not play anymore. The reason why I want to be a soccer coach is because I want to be involved in the soccer world, even if I have an injury in my knee. I wantRead MoreI Would Like For Introduce Myself1196 Words   |  5 PagesI would like to introduce myself. My name are Olufemi Temitope Johnson Adekoya, am 35years old, born and grown-up in Nigerian, now based and settled in United Kingdom. A graduate and major in Accounting, a registered member of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), London. Currently an employee of Avery Group Homes as a Fixed Assets / Management Accountant, in Birmingham, West Midland, United Kingdom. I have a brother who is only two years younger, he graduated from University ofRead M oreThe Decisions Behind My Career as an Advertising Manager Essays530 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"campaigns.† So why did I choose this career? I chose it because of several reasons. First off, I’ve always like the idea with being involved with advertising, but I wanted to be more that just the one to create the graphic designs. I wanted to do something bigger and then these tests came in and guided me to this career. The tests I took were the â€Å"COPS,† and the â€Å"strong interest inventory,† both had similar results. 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Learning ample amounts of wisdom from various honorable people. As a child I was always trying to help my mother, grandmother, aunts, my church take careRead MoreLetter : Letter From A Graduate Program1646 Words   |  7 PagesFriend in Australia: In this paper I will address my major, potential minor, rule of chemistry in my future endeavors. A year ago I started conducting a research when I started applying to colleges. I did this research to figure out what universities were my top choices and what majors I was interesting in. I looked up Spanish majors, Engineering, Business, and I found this cool major, Food Science and Technology. I have to tell you that this is one of the coolest majors I have heard of. Not many universities

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Moores Ford Lynching Essay - 1010 Words

Moores Ford Lynching On July 25, 1946, two young black couples- Roger and Dorothy Malcom, George and Mae Murray Dorsey-were killed by a lynch mob at the Moores Ford Bridge over the Appalachee River connecting Walton and Oconee Counties (Brooks, 1). The four victims were tied up and shot hundreds of times in broad daylight by a mob of unmasked men; murder weapons included rifles, shotguns, pistols, and a machine gun. Shooting a black person was like shooting a deer, George Dorseys nephew, George Washington Dorsey said (Suggs C1). It has been over fifty years and this case is still unsolved by police investigators. It is known that there were atleast a dozen men involved in these killings. Included in the four that were†¦show more content†¦On the morning before the lynchings, Harrison drove to the house of Dorothy Malcoms parents, who had begged with him to get Roger Malcom out of jail since the stabbing occurred. Harrison refused to pick him up at first, but suddenly changed his mind. Harri son took along with him Dorothy Malcom , who was pregnant at the time, and George Mae Murray Dorsey to Monroe. Their Harrison signed a $600 bond to bail Roger Malcom out of jail. Harrison, with the two black couples in his car, left the county jail at about 5:30 p.m. on July 25, 1946, and headed back along the Athens Highway toward his farm. Authorities said the route he chose was the longest way home, along a winding dirt road (Suggs,C4). According to Harrison, when he reached the bridge at Moores Ford, a car blocked his way (Rivers,1). A mob of twenty to twenty-five unmasked men stopped him at gunpoint (Suggs, C1). Then they took the two couples into the woods, tied them to the trees and shot them. They were so savagely beaten and overwhelmed with bullets that their bodies were ripped to shreds. The only way to tell the bodies apart was by their lips. Investigator Bobby Howard said. When questioning Harrison he told the local authorities and the FBI he could not identify any members of the mob or explain how they knew which way he was coming home. No one was ever prosecuted for the slayings of the African Americans and why it happened isShow MoreRelatedAfrican Americans in American Society 1920s2619 Words   |  11 Pagesracial tensions only grew during the 1920s. Starting from the 1910s, a phenomenon had been occurring known as the Great Migration – the movement of African Americans from Southern cities to Northern ones as a result of extreme racism, the threat of lynching and the general aggression from whites. The African American population grew from 44 000 in 1920 to 234 000 in 1930 in Chicago, and Black Chicagoans gained access to city jobs, expanded their professional class and even won elective office in localRead MoreEvolution of the Imperial Presidency from Fdr to Obama2895 Words   |  12 Pageshe still stuck to the Constitution when it clearly states, â€Å"All men are created equal†. Truman spoke out against lynching, became the first president to address representatives of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and took many of these cases to court. Truman’s advances to help African Americans, for instance, by putting an end to Southern lynching practices, changed the way society viewed blacks and changed the way that blacks viewed themselves. By allowing blacksRead MoreCase Analysis : The Last Innocent Year 2355 Words   |  10 Pagesorganized, grassroots style of protest would become the model for student protests across the country. For the first time young people began to become more political and demand a say in politics. The year also saw the introduction of a new car, the Ford Mustang. The Film 1964 explained the year in great detail. The film explains the biggest and controversial events of the year. Such as Berkeley, Freedom Summer and the missing men, the Feminine Mystique, and Civil Rights. Although the film coveredRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesthought of arming African American soldiers for combat rather than assigning them to labor duties aroused the fear and ire of Southern politicians because of its threat to the racist status quo, particularly in the South. Vicious race riots and lynchings dotted the wartime and postwar American landscape, as white Americans stymied with violence any aspirations that African Americans had toward equality as a result of their participation in the â€Å"war for democracy.† In this context of the rampant

Genesis We See God Is At Work, And We Learn How God

Genesis 1:1-2:3 In the book Genesis we see God is at work, and we learn how God intends us to work. Within the created universe, God is present in relationship with his creatures and especially with people. Laboring in God’s image, we work in creation, on creation, with creation and if we work as God’s intends for creation. When bringing this into the life of a nurse we see that all nurses learn to serve their patients to their best of their ability. They learned to created an environment in which the patients feel at peace and know that when we enter their room it is a sacred place for them and for the nurses. As a Catholic I have to say that the book of Genesis is my favorite book in the Old Testament because we are learning about how our Lord created the universe in a way that he thought was good. Although I may not be in the nursing program, yet I know that a life of a nurse has its ups and downs, but it always viewed as a good job I the fact that we are ale to care for patients. J ust the way God views creation at the end of each day. In Genesis 1:1-2:3 the influence of God s work is unquestionable. God speaks worlds into existence, and step by step we see the earliest example of the right use of power. It is in the first chapter genesis that we learn that GOD (the divine one) is the only one that created this universe. As Vern S. Poythress said â€Å"Genesis 1 proclaims that God is the only sovereign Lord and Creator of all† (Poythress 2015). God speaks and things comeShow MoreRelatedComparison of Genesis 1 21479 Words   |  6 PagesHONORS Section September 18, 2013 Comparison between Genesis 1 Genesis 2 The story of creation begins with Genesis 1 and 2, it explains how the world and it’s living inhabitants were created from God’s touch. From Genesis 1 we see how the sky, seas, land, animals, and mankind were created. However Genesis 2 focuses more on the first of mankind, known as Adam and Eve and how they are made to be. In this paper I will compare Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 and what the main idea for creation is in each oneRead MoreNotes On Genesis And The Days Of Creation Begin With Sunset ``1193 Words   |  5 PagesGenesis 1:1-11, are very important scriptures that demand that we take a look back at our history when we begin to discuss human origin, relationships and civilization. It is here that we find answers to what has been a debate for many. Author, Lim (2013) states that, â€Å"In Genesis the days of creation begin with sunset because God is not bound by and does not emanate from natural forces such as the sun†. This is shown true in the verses simply explaining the creation of everything including theRead MoreWhat Makes A Man And What The Lord Expects Of Us?893 Words   |  4 PagesSo where do we begin to learn what makes a man and what the Lord expects of us? We begin our lesson with the story of creation. It is here that we get a glimpse into the creative realms of our Heavenly Father. 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Indeed, the Bible reveals to man the answers to the questions in life, especially regarding the important ones that shape a person’s worldview. Within the Scriptures, notably in Genesis, one can find the explanation concerning the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and ci vilization. Chapter 1 to 11 of the Genesis described the way God created the world, and through these chapters we learnRead MoreEssay on Two Perspectives of Viewing the World around Us1412 Words   |  6 Pagesreviewing the works of St.Bonaventure, through Step one in the Ascent to God and the Consideration of Him through His Footsteps in the Universe, and from Step two, we learn of to opposing opinions that St. Bonaventure had about different perspectives of the world around us, for different purposes, and with different results. By reading these two pieces I am able to understand them, and how their opposing perspectives differ. I also chose Harmony with Nature by Matthew Arnold, and Gods Grandeur byRead MoreEssay on Four Functions of Myths in Genesis1440 Words   |  6 PagesFour Functions of Myths in Genesis The sin stories in the Book of Genesis address theological, cosmic, social, and ethical questions. These sin stories, The Fall of Man, Cain and Abel, and Noah and the Flood, and The Tower of Babel show the functions of myths and demonstrate mans likeliness to sin. These myths let the readers learn of the culture, beliefs, and foundation of the time. A myth is a symbolic way of expressing truths and beliefs that are accepted by society. Myths, whichRead MoreAnimals : Humans And Animals1724 Words   |  7 PagesAnimals play an important yet unique role in human culture. We use animals for our own benefit, and sometimes forget that they are also living things. Humans have established themselves as the greater species, therefore placing animals below them, causing us to lose sight of the fact that animals play a vital role in our society. We take advantage of animals and think nothing of it. Understanding this relationship between humans and animals comes from understanding the differences between humansRead MoreAbraham And The Early Journey Of The Formation Of Israel951 Words   |  4 Pagestoward God, involving commitment to His will for one’s life and that His plans are for our best and flow from His love for us. As we read through the Old and New Testament of the bible we see how the men of God are described living by their faith. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NKJV) ... 13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Body Though we could look at many of the Bible accounts from Adam to Noah, Noah to Abraham, Abraham to David or David to Jesus, we will primarily

Police Brutality Has Changed Over The Years - 1291 Words

Police Brutality Police brutality has a long history in which citizens and police have been victims and in recent years it has became a major issue. Many people claim that the citizens are the ones to blame and others claim that the police officers are the ones who should take the blame. The history of police brutality goes way back, even into the 1800’s. Back then it was said to be aimed at the poor labor workers. Workers would go on strike, such as the Great Railroad strike of 1877, the Pullman Strike of 1894, or the Lawrence Textile strike of 1912. Police would brutally beat the strikers to get them to stop. As a part of their revolt, labor workers that were participating in the strike would beat the police officers(â€Å"Law†). Many statistics show the way police brutality has changed over the years. Police claim that brutality has risen 35% since September 11th 2001. Statistics show the in 1982, out of twelve thousand randomly selected citizens 13% had been victims of police brutality. Approximately 422 people that were sixteen years old or older claimed to have had contact with police in which force or threat was used on either side in 1999. In the years 2002 and 2003, 90% of the citizens shot by police were either African American or of Hispanic background(â€Å"Law†). The number of police officers killed by brutality from citizens jumped up 13% from 2010 to 2011(Bond).Show MoreRelatedThe Invisible Man By Ellison862 Words   |  4 PagesIn response to police brutality, The Invisible Man was written by Ellison demonstrated that through his life racism was entirely present. Ellison, in fact, was faced with police brutality throughout the novel. Ellison wrote a scene in which his narrator dealt wit h police brutality after giving a speech at an eviction. The police threatened to shoot him and beat all of them. Ellison wrote that his character had known it was due to the racism during the time period. Even so, the rest of the novel involvedRead MorePolice brutality1678 Words   |  7 Pages Police Brutality, Have Times Really Changed The history of Police Brutality for minorities; especially people of color has left America wondering have times changed. Police brutality has deemed the opportunity for socioeconomic advancement or access to good and services for many Black/African Americans dating back as far as 1955. The system of Police brutality has affected many realms of society for minorities’ employment and family life. After some scholarly research, police brutality isRead MorePolice Brutality And Its Effect On Citizens1378 Words   |  6 PagesPolice brutality has always been an issue in American society; however recently police brutality as become a more prominent issue in the media as well as among concerned citizens. The current display of brutality towards citizens has changed the views of the current generation’s outlook towards the police’s misuse of authority. Citizens claim to feel less protected by the police department, I had a friend tell me that one of her best friends is terrified by the police and the authority they holdRead MoreAnalysis Of The Article Racism And Brutality By Cassandra Chaney1226 Words   |  5 PagesIn the article, Racism and Brutality in America, author Cassandra Chaney presented the case of Rodney King, a forty-seven year old African-American taxi driver, who was brutally attacked four LAPD police officers. According to her novel, the aim of her study was â€Å"to examine how the public generally perceive police and how race and racism shape this discourse.† Unfortunately, the public was left clueless. 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It all started year 2013, after a white/hispanic male, â€Å" George Zimmermanâ€Å" was found not guilty of the fatal murder of african american teenager Trayvon Martin. The movement grew even stronger after the brutal death of two unarmed African American victims Michael Brown (Ferguson), and Eric Garner (New York City) which captured social media s attention causing a media riot all over social web. Its unique empowerment impacted the world by bringingRead MoreThe Acts: Police Brutality Essay1690 Words   |  7 PagesRacism and police brutality goes hand in hand, and causes a major concern in todays society, in the United States. On March 3, 1991 in California, Rodney King an African American, was pulled over after a high-speed chase, and after stopping was beaten by four white police of ficers (Worsnop 635). Tracy Brock also an African American was arrested in Manhattan in November of 1986. 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On the other hand, a lot of Americans feel that the police are choosy, prejudice, and overall just unfair. Personally, I think it depends on the situation at hand. I have read up on some cases that I felt that the police took advantage of their powers. I have also read a couple of situations where I felt that their actionsRead MoreRion Amalcar Scotts The Etiquette Of Police Brutality1389 Words   |  6 Pagesonly use force in response to the situation they are in. Day to day Police men and women have to make difficult choices. The decisions they make often lead to controversy. Two sides are then created. On one side, there are people that believe police are bullies that do as they wish; the other side believes officers act as they see fit and do the best they can to keep the public out of harms way. â€Å"The Etiquette of Police Brutality† by Rion Amalcar Scott represents the first view and David G. Bolgian o’s

Essay on Singapore Airlines - Leaps and Bounds Briefly Explained

Question: Write an essay onSingapore Airlines. Answer: Singapore Airlines is the national airlines of the country Singapore. It also has international presence. Their main markets outside Singapore is Asia and Australia. This company was started in the year 1972, and since then the company has grown by leaps and bounds and have been successful in making a strong presence in the airline industry. It has proved to one of the worlds largest and one of the most successful airlines in the world. It is one of the first choice of the customers while choosing their airlines for any travel purposes. It has achieved so much because they follow a very clear mission statement: Singapore Airlines is a global company dedicated to providing air transportation services of the highest quality and to maximizing returns for the benefit of its shareholders and employees." (Singapore airlines, 2014). On the other in this paper, we will evaluate how effective are its human resource management and how do they manage their processes and their employees (Clarke, 2014). Are the processes followed by the company are robust and effective enough to sustain in the long run? For this analysis different model will be used such as PESTEL analysis, Porters five force model, strategic recommendation to the company, etc. PESTEL analysis for Singapore Airlines PESTEL analysis is basically used with the motive of understanding the political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal effects in the company and the market as a whole. It is also used to understand how the company should react to such situations (LIU, 2015). Political: We know that the Singapore Airlines operates in multiple countries and hence it is very important that the political system of different countries should support the company. It is known that every country has their own national airlines and those airlines as they are the national airlines and also carry the national flag along with them get the maximum support from the government. So in such situation, it is difficult for the company to mark its presence in different countries. Also, in the home country, it is very important for the airlines to get full support from the government otherwise it can have disastrous results (Dombrowski, 2014). Economic: Also, as we know that the Singapore Airlines operate in different countries and they have their resource team with people from different countries they are affected by the variation in the national and international economy. Another important economic aspect which the airlines has to take care about is the increase in the fuel prices. For example, the political instability in the Middle East, in 2011 also called as Arab Spring has resulted into unprecedented levels of fuel pricing. This has a direct impact on the airlines fuel cost (Prajapati, 2014). Social: Social customs and beliefs also has an impact on the airlines company. Earlier travelling to the exotic locations of tropical destinations were considered to be meant for only the rich and filthy people. But as the disposable income for people started increasing since 1980, people who earlier did not consider such trips also started engaging in planning such trips and make use of the airlines (Nguyen, 2014). These airlines trips became more affordable to the common people. Also, in some way it has also observed that the preferences of the people have changed. Earlier who only used to choose the premium packages and flights are not shifting towards the low cost airlines as and when the services for them are increasing and getting better (Whyte, 2012). Technological: In a market like airlines where the market is almost saturated, it has become very important for the companies to be on their forefront in terms of the advanced technology they use as this becomes the differentiating factor for them. The company spends a bomb over research and development to make sure that what they offer to the customer is of best quality and customer enjoy the new technology used by the airlines company (Shah, 2015). The Singapore airlines had used the technology to the best possible manner, they have the youngest crew in their company, they are the company who has proudly participated in new innovations, such as headsets, reclining sets, best entertainment systems. Environmental: This is one of the most important factors considered by the customers before making their travel plans. They always expect to have a very environment friendly behavior from the crew members and a comfortable experience with any airlines they choose. This expectation is also expected to increase in the coming future due to increase in energy prices and carbon reduction targets set by different countries (Schmidt, 2013). So it is very important that the company has a strong initiative to support the green initiatives and try to keep the environment as clean as possible (Kankaew, 2015). Legal: Any Company is most affected by the changes in the legal framework or with introduction to new legal laws. As the company operates in different countries so different countries will have different laws and the company has to follow all of them. For example, the terror attack on the WTC in US was a major setback and after that lot of regulatory changes were done which hampered the aviation industry as a whole (Chen, 2015). Porters five force model applied on Singapore Airlines Porters five force model was basically introduced by Michal Porter in 1985 to understand the impact of 5 different external factors which have a huge impact on any company. These factors as listed below: Threat of new entrants in the market Threat of substitutes in the market Bargaining power of the suppliers Bargaining power of the customers Competition level in the market. If these factor has an impact in the company then it is very obvious that any company has to consider all these factors before formulating their strategies and future planning (Roy, 2015). Same goes for the Singapore Airlines as they also have to react to these factors and take decisions accordingly. Threat of new entrants in the airlines industry: Here, it is needed to be understood that how new entrants in the airline industry will affect the revenue of the Singapore Airlines and how should they react to such situations. For Singapore airlines, threat of new entrants is really weak as it is very comfortably leading the choice of the long-haul passengers which is leading the Singapore Airlines market activity (Delbari, 2016). This is because the long-haul airline industry is pretty much saturated and there are only one or two dominant players in such market which includes the national carrier. There is ample amount of support from the government for such airlines. Competition level: There is of course serious competition available in the airline industry as well but it are dependent on the route by route basis. There are different route which there are different airlines operating very well and hence on such routes, the competition is fierce (Thomas, 2013). For example the route from London to New York or from Frankfurt to Paris. The only way to win such routes is to cut down the prices for the customers with better services. Also, there are several routes which are dominated by one or two airlines. For example the route between Southeast Asia, New Zealand and Australia have very few carriers and hence have low competition. Threat of Substitutes: This means what is the probability that any product of service in the market can be replace by any of its substitutes. Again, this analysis can be done by distinguishing between the long- haul and short-haul arms of the Singapore airlines operations. Singapore Airlines do face some moderate threat in the short- haul section as there are several substitutes present which may provide better services than Singapore Airlines and lower cost. As Globalization has been introduced in several sectors, there has been a lot of investment in the in the routes which have been served by Singapore Airlines (Clarke, 2014). Bargaining power of the customers: The bargaining power of the airline customers is average. The cost that the customer has to bear to switch from one airline to another airline is very low. These cost comprise of the emotions, cost, time, opportunity and cost to be borne by the customers. The passenger flights has to face this fear of switching cost as this has become very less over the last one or two decades. This is because of the increase in the internet presence and decrease of the travel agents and street airline offices where customers blindly trusted few airlines. Bargaining power of the suppliers. For the airline industry, the bargaining power of the suppliers are too high which is quite unusual as compared to other industries. The planes are being supplied to the airline companies by 2 major suppliers: Boeing and Airbus. So it is in the hands of the suppliers to set negotiation terms. Strategic recommendation to Singapore Airlines There are several recommendations which can be proposed to the Singapore Airlines for their betterment. Some of them are as follows: The Singapore airlines has to maintain its dominance over other airlines in their region and has to deal with the lows in the international economy. They have to fight the strategies formulated by their competitors. They have to study the strategies being followed by their competitors like British Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Virgin airlines if they want to be ahead in the race of competition. They has to develop new strategies after studying the strengths and weaknesses of its competitors and have to differentiate them from others in an effective way. By doing this, they will open the gates of opportunities for more investment, which will further help them to sustain their quality services and their efforts will be put to best use. They have to provide better services as compared to its competitors and better comfort to its customers. It is very clear that in the long term the market will grow and hence the company has to make efforts to capture the maximum part of the market growth. They should plan to install more space beds in 45 of their aircrafts which will cost them around $100 million but this will pay off very well and very soon. Singapore Airlines should also differentiate themselves by marketing themselves in a better way by improving the communication channels they use. They should include new communication feature to its Raffles class facilities. In addition, they should provide better facilities for their customers to connect their laptops. They should also include latest technology electronics to the customers so that they get delighted with the facilities provided. This basically means that the communication system has to improve, with more movies, better technology, access to the latest music, etc. They also need to get into more geographical locations and increase their global presence. For being in the competition they need to operate in more countries every year. They should focus more on developing their cargo area (Hammond, 2013). Conclusion The paper has very well analyzed the business environment of Singapore Airlines and how different factors affect the business of Singapore Airlines. Also, we have seen how the company plans to tackle these external factors. This analysis also shows that the company is in a very good situation in the marker and is expected to perform very well in the coming time as well. There are several threats available in the market which the company has to take care of but otherwise the companys performance is commendable. It is in a way leader in its segment and has proved to be constantly chosen as the best airlines by their customers. Also, at the same time, the company need to develop new market as well like they are doing right now in the markets of India and North America. 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