The Continental Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

The Continental Airlines - Essay Example Last May and October, 2010, UAL created several mergers involving Continental Express JT Merger Sub Inc., and Continental, with Continental surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of UAL Corporation. At the last part of the Merger, the UAL became the parent company of both Continental and United and this was followed by change of name to United Continental Holding., Inc, its present name (Reuters, 2011b) UAL market share cannot be clearly determined but based on total of its ranking from the industry players in terms of sales for the past twelve trailing months, it shares a big part of the market. See Appendix C. UAL is part of those top ten in terms of revenues in the arilines industry. With almost 6,000 daily a day to more than 375 US domestic and international destinations from its hubs from various international airports that can be found in Guam, Denver, Houston Bush, Cleveland Hopkins, Los Angeles International Airport, San Francisco and Washington Dulles, one could imagine just how big the company is in reach of customers and related its market share. Its geographical locations can be determined by the extent of its domestic and international operations which can be described to be global. Continental flight destinations are throughout the US, Latin America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific Regions. Its major competitors are Delta Air, Southwest Airlines, and US Airways. A and Nip pon Airways (Reuters, 2011d). Although, this paper originally seeks to evaluate the Continental Airlines’ financial condition and strategies, analysis and discussion would now be on UAL or the holding company of which Continental and United are subsidiaries by looking at the how the company (UAL) has maximized value for its shareholders. The best way to determine whether the company has maximized value to its shareholders it estimates the company’s value in relation to what the market actually reflects. Valuation would be

How did the French support the Colonies during the American Revolution Research Paper

How did the French support the Colonies during the American Revolution - Research Paper Example The colonists probably would not have won the war without the aid of the country of France, who provided valuable support for the colonies. Fighting together against Great Britain, whom France considered a common enemy between the two countries, support was provided for the colonies at first only diplomatically. As the war progressed and the odds of winning shifted to favor the colonists, France provided direct aid in the form of officers, soldiers, and weapons to aid in battle, in addition providing ships and naval forces to help with battles at sea. The Founding Fathers of the nation considered an alliance with France largely because of the fact that they too disliked Great Britain, and with good reason. Wars were not unusual between the two countries, the most recent at that time being the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years War (Brinkley 96). At its conclusion, the French lost valuable territories to Great Britain in the land of what is now America, cementing a d islike that would not easily be forgotten (Brinkley 97). The Founding Fathers decided to use this dislike to their advantage, and approached France to form an alliance. French Assistance to the Colonies At first, while France provided aid, it was only by indirect means, with no overt assistance. From letters written by Benjamin Franklin in 1775, the French already had knowledge of the widening crisis between Great Britain and America, and were certainly not keen to support Great Britain (United States Office of the Historian). Through a delegation appointed to France in 1776 consisting of Silas Deane as well as Benjamin Franklin, King Louis XVI was persuaded through position papers of his advisors to give aid to the colonists (Dull 61). He provided the monetary means to equip the colonists with arms in the form of one million livres tournois (Dull 61). King Louis XVI also ordered two groups of ships from the French fleet to stand ready for prompt dispatch, should Great Britain move to blockade any French ports of sea (Dull 61). The money itself was not loaned directly to the American government, as this would have been seen as an overt act of war; Great Britain, at this time, was keeping close watch on French actions and France could not afford another war with them (Dull 61). Secrets piled on top of secrets to help America. Commerce became the solution. The French foreign minister Comte de Vergennes created a commercial company, which was then used as a go-between and given the million livres tournois (Dull 61). The money, through the company, purchased arms from the French government, including guns, gunpowder, and other military supplies, which it sold to the American Congress, to be exchanged for payment in American tobacco (Dull 61). Through means such as this, France was able to provide indirect aid to the American nation while remaining largely in the background of any conflict between Great Britain and the Americas. It also did not hurt the French to k now that, once again, their common enemy would be wounded one way or another by the French supplies. It was soon apparent that secret aid would not be enough for the American Revolution. While France was content to provide that aid and remain in the background, causing strife to the country of Great Britain by aiding the colonists, they were unsure of whether or not openly supporting the war would be a good decision.

Wisdom Tradition and how life is best lived Essay

Wisdom Tradition and how life is best lived - Essay Example They determine whether one lived his or her life the best way or not. This has always been the way of life for communities that have been guided by the teachings of their religious books. Besides, clergymen can be used to teach a number of people in the field to bring about the desired final effect. Plato and Augustine observed that all religions in the world did share number of specific truths. Among them are the wisdom books and teachings that are used to guide the respective folders. Through the perennialism theory, the various religious groups in the world have various truths that take care of their flock’s social, intellectual, and psychological needs of a given culture over a period. A number of people that include the founders of the various religions, prophets, and philosophers have further echoed this. Despite the fact that the scriptures might oppose each other superficially, one can distinguish a common doctrine for the final purpose of human life (Brown, 88). Through Socrates and Augustine, a number of philosophers have gained insight on what is meant by wisdom tradition that has been of the great contribution to the development of the field. Plato had a clear picture of what wisdom is. He defines it as the best thing in life. Essentially, he comes up with three platonic images of wisdom to make his wisdom perception clear. The icon of leaving the cave depicts wisdom as a factor that enlightens and illuminates the mind and the nation. With its possession, one is at the verge of having a new dimension of life. The second iconic point is wisdom as the tool that cares for the heart. Primarily, it does insist on ensuring that the knowledge is put into practice (Brown, 89). Most significantly, he professes that to mean that he is ever willing to learn. One must remain committed to learn and satisfy the intrinsic