Investment Report on Qantas Airlines

Investment Report on Qantas Airlines Introduction Qantas main international hubs are at Sydney and Melbourne airport, as well as operates a significant number of international flights. Qantas owns Jetstar Airways and when it became privatised in 1993, became one of the most profitable airlines in the world. Qantas has a total of 299 aircrafts and 29,350 employees as of 2015, and its closest competitor is Singapore Airlines (SIA). Qantas goal is to be the worlds best airline, providing travel experiences and putting safety first at all times. Since 2006, Qantas has saved over 2.5 million tonnes of carbon emission through its Qantas Future Planet Program. This is Qantass program for their sustainability, environmental and social initiatives. In 2008, Qantas ordered 20 A380s, and using Required Navigation Performance and air traffic management, helped to save thousands of kilograms of carbon emission. In 2012, Qantas won an award for setting the standard for large organisations and has won another 3 awards till date. Financial/Economic Performance Table 1.0 General Information on Qantas Financial Information and Analysis of Qantas This portion of the report aims to provide relevant financial information, analysis and the profitability of Qantas. This report also compares between Qantas and SIA to provide a more in depth evaluation on the profitability of Qantas. Profitability Analysis of Qantas As seen in Table 1.0, Qantas had a negative return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), as well as profit margin. According to Max Mason (2014), the statutory loss does not represent a cash loss to the company, rather it is a paper loss in the value of its assets. However, in 2015, Qantas made a comeback and made an increase of 26%. Moreover, Qantas made an 83% increase in return on equity (ROE) and their profit margin increased by 31%. This shows that Qantass negative ratios were most probably caused by lack of customers wanting to travel. ROA measures the return earned by management through operations as well as reflects the result of the entitys ability to convert sales revenue into profit. ROE measures the rate of return on the capital invested by shareholders. A sustained high ROE attracts new competitors to the industry and eventually erodes excess ROE. Profit margin is a measure of profitability. It is used to calculate the net profit as a percentage of the revenue. Liquidity Analysis Table 1.1 Liquidity Analysis of Qantas When calculating current ratio, it is best if the ratio is 1 or more than 1. Most people regard a current ratio that is less than 1, as a company that is facing insolvency. While Qantas in this case has a ratio of less than 1, it is still comforting to know that their assets still contain enough cash and receivables, and one of the non-current liabilities contains revenue received in advance. Although it is unearned, when the amount received is earned, it will be credited accordingly. 2.3 Profitability Ratios Between Qantas and SIA Table 1.3 Profitability Ratios between Qantas and SIA Table 1.4 Qantas and SIA Financial Statement 2015 2.3.1 ROA Comparison Between Qantas and SIA Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) shows the earnings generated by the company, ignoring tax and debt. A high EBIT would mean that the company is either earning a high revenue or have low expenses. As seen in Table 1.4, although the revenue earned is about the same, SIAs expenditure is higher, thus resulting in a lower EBIT. Adding on to that, SIAs asset is higher than Qantas, thus resulting in a lower ROA. The ROA shows that Qantas is able to convert sales revenue into profit better than SIA as well as better at generating income from its asset investments. Moreover, this translates into efficiency in using its resources so as to generate a good return for investors. 2.3.2 ROE Comparison Between Qantas and SIA As seen from Table 1.4, Qantas NPAT is higher than SIA, which translates into Qantas being better at earning a return on the equity provided to them. That can be seen from the amount of equity both companies have. For SIA, this is what we call a capital funded company. A capital funded company relies on investment from shareholders to operate and for SIA, it is shown that they are not making full use of their investments to enable a good return to their investors. 2.3.3 Profit Margin Comparison Between Qantas and SIA Profit margin is a ratio used to calculate a companys financial performance. Commonly, a low profit margin would indicate lower sales than other companies in the industry. As seen from Table 1.3 and 1.4, Qantas has almost the same revenue, but a higher profit margin than SIA, which could indicate that they are cost conscious, therefore have less expenditure. Social Performance of Qantas Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), is a form of self-regulation that companies engage in, to provide some social good, beyond the interests of the firm, regulators and environmental protection groups. By undertaking CSR, companies are able to reach out to consumers trust through positive public relations and encourage the company to make an impact on the environment and stakeholders. Qantas partners with organisations such as Make-A-Wish, e-motion21, Mardi Gras and UNICEF to promote a positive change. 3.1 Make-A-Wish Australia Qantas is the official airline of Make-A-Wish Australia, an organisation that grants wishes to children with life threatening illnesses. Since 1985, over 8000 wishes had been granted and since 2008, the Qantas Foundation has donated over $5.7 million for charitable causes in Australia. Qantas also helped fulfil the wish of a boy, with stage 4 Wilms tumour, who wanted to be a pilot by bringing him to a plane simulator as well as showed him around the workings of a plane. 3.2 E.motion21 E.motion21 is a non-profit organisation that aims to improve the lives of people with down syndrome through dance, fitness and performance. As a corporate partner, Qantas supported the organisation by sending 18 dancers and their families to South Africa for the World Down Syndrome Congress and even gave Lauren Potter a surprise serenade when she touched down in Australia. 3.3 Mardi Gras Also known as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Australia, its a parade to celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) pride. As a major partner of the parade, Qantas celebrates the spirit of diversity by having their own Gay 380 float. Qantas is also a Gay-Friendly airline, with non-stop flights to Australia and New Zealand, countries with a thriving LGBT community. 3.4 UNICEF Providing humanitarian assistance to children and mothers in developing countries, UNICEF is a non-profit organisation that relies on government and private funding. UNICEF partnered with Qantas to create the Change for Good program, where Qantas passengers unwanted spare change were collected and donated to UNICEF for the purpose of providing textbooks for education or protecting children from diseases. This concept has helped raise at least $28 million over the past 23 years. Environmental Performance of Qantas Qantas takes initiative in protecting the environment on both land and air, and has partnerships that promote sustainability and conservation. The most important initiative would be in the air, where planes are frequently releasing emissions that slowly harms the ozone layer. Since 2007, Qantas has been reducing harmful emissions, making them one of the industry leaders in environmental protection. As of 2014, Qantas managed to reduce electricity consumption by 9%, water consumption by 11% and landfill by 20%. To reach their 2020 target, Qantas has been using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), investing in fuel efficiency, flying carbon neutral, and recycling. On the ground, Qantas protects the environment indirectly by using natural gas for their headquarters as well as a reduction in utilities used. 4.1 In the Air 4.1.1 Sustainable Aviation Fuel SAF is now in its second generation and currently, 2% of global emissions come from aviation and is expected to rise to 3% by 2050. Although solar, electric and hydrogen aircrafts are being researched on now, it is still more feasible to use SAF due to aviations need for high power-to-weight ratio. In 2012, Qantas was the first Australian airline to use SAF to operate a commercial flight and have partnered with Shell Australia and the government to explore the production of SAF in Australia. In a study conducted with industry partners, findings have shown that SAF can result in the creation of 12,000 clean energy jobs, a 17% reduction in emissions and a $2 billion reduction in the reliance of oil imports. 4.1.2 Fuel Efficiency Program In recent years, Qantas has phased out old airplanes and purchased newer ones that are equipped with the latest technology and engines. Some of the airplanes include the Airbus A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A320 neo. Other methods of fuel efficiency would include weight reduction by investing in lighter equipment or adjusting the amount of portable water the plane carries based on passenger needs and sector length. 4.1.3 Flying Carbon Neutral Since the launch of the Fly Carbon Neutral program in 2007, Qantas has managed to offset over 1.8 million tonnes of carbon. Carbon offsetting in business terms, is the purchasing of carbon credits to enable businesses to compensate for their carbon emissions. For Qantas, not only do they offset their employees carbon footprint, but each time a customer flies on Qantas, they can choose to offset their share of carbon emissions. In other words, you contribute a sum of money equivalent to your carbon footprint and Qantas will use that contribution to fund carbon offset projects that provides genuine, lasting environmental and social benefits. Qantas does not earn from the contribution and Fly Carbon Neutral is the largest airline offset program in the world. Qantass carbon offset projects include, protecting the Tasmanias wilderness, empowering rainforest communities, improving Cambodian air quality and protectingallow the Peruvian amazon. 4.1.4 Recycling Qantas was the first Australian airline to introduce inflight recycling and has since recycled 390 tonnes of paper and 200 tonnes of bottle per year. Qantas takes recycling very seriously and pushes their suppliers to produce more sustainable products and less packaging. For example, currently, all the paper cups provided on board are made from 35% recycled paper. Qantas also tries to get their customers to join in to save the environment by assisting the cabin crew to separate the recyclable items for collection. 4.2 On the Ground 4.2.1 Tri Generation Projects and Campus Redevelopment Qantas reconstructed their headquarters by building Australias largest tri-generation project in Sydney. The system allows cooling, heating and electricity by using natural gas as the fuel so as to produce more efficient, lower carbon energy for the headquarters, catering centre, jet base and domestic terminal. The end result would be a reduction of 23,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year, an equivalent of taking 7,000 cars off the road. It will also raise the energy efficiency rating from a NABERS 1.5 star to NABERS 5 star. 4.2.2 Utilities Reduction In order to achieve their water and electricity targets, Qantas purchased LED lights to improve lighting efficiency as well as procuring energy efficient appliances. Rectification of water leaks and installing water efficient fixtures was done as well. Conclusion Although low current ratio was seen, I would recommend anyone to invest in Qantas as the profitability ratios show a more than significant improvement between 2014 and 2015. This is much more evident when compared to SIA, another top leading airline in the world. Moreover, Qantas engages in various environmental and social aspects to make sure they are a well-recognised company. Reference list

Antz Movie – Sociology

ANTZ 1. Define social class. Name at least two social classes depicted in the movie.  ·Social class: a defined set by social stratification where people are grouped into a set of hierarchical social categories  ·Social Classes in ANTZ i. Worker ants ii. Soldier ants iii. Royal ants 2. Who make up the underclass in the ant colony?  ·The underclass in the ant colony is considered to be the worker ants. 3. Give one example of social mobility in the movie. An example of social mobility in the movie is when â€Å"Z† and his friend, Weaver the soldier, switch jobs before the royal review. This change can be though of as vertical mobility since â€Å"Z’s† rank is considered to be upward and Weaver’s downward. 4. What does the term â€Å"life chances† mean? What are the life chances of the ants in the movie?  ·A life chance is the likeliness of obtaining and maintaining the material and nonmaterial things in life. According to the book, life chances decreased as social class level declines.In the movie, the royal ants appeared to eat the good of the land, while the worker ants moved the good of the land or earth. 5. Define class consciousness. Give one example of class consciousness depicted in the movie.  ·Class consciousness: Awareness of one's place in a system of social classes as it relates to the class struggle.  ·There are several instances where the ants become class conscious. The scene where â€Å"Z† is talking to Aztec shows that they understand what class they are in, but choose to take different outlooks on it.The fighting scene in the bar where the worker ants fight against the soldiers is also another instance. 6. Define false consciousness. Give one example of false consciousness depicted in the movie.  ·False consciousness is depicted in the movie when the worker ants accept what the General Mandible says when he break up the rallies that emerged after â€Å"Z† kidnaps the princess. Through out the movie a dominant ant gave orders to worker ants and they accepted them, which is what false consciousness is; the acceptance of the dominant ideology. . Define lifestyle. What are the lifestyle differences of the ants in the movie?  ·Lifestyle: the differences in the way people live among social classes  ·In the movie the perspective of what other ants did weren’t always correct. In the movie â€Å"Z† believed that the princess had no real labor to do while he had tons of earth to move daily. The biggest lifestyle difference in the movie is probably behavior and an understanding of who one is. 8. Is the ant colony a caste system? If yes, explain how. In the movie ANTZ there is a scene where the antlings are assigned worker or soldier. Because of that scene it is safe to say yes, the ant colony is caste system. 9. Use one of the sociological perspectives to explain the stratification as depicted in the movie.  ·The functionalist perspective seems to fit wi th the movie because each aspect of the ant’s colony is interdependent and contributes to their colony's functioning as a whole. 10. How does the movie ANTZ relate to social stratification? In the movie we were introduced to ants as workers, soldiers, and royalty. They all had a meaningful purpose, but were viewed differently among the social classes. No matter who was upper or lower the ants couldn’t survive if everyone wasn’t accounted for and active. It is their acting like a colony that they survive in this movie. This is the same with social stratification. Social Stratification can be viewed as functional for the social order because it motivates people to undertake all the jobs necessary for the society to survive.

What Is a Monarchy Form of Government

A monarchy is a form of government in which total sovereignty is invested in one person, a head of state called a monarch, who holds the position until death or abdication. Monarchs usually both hold and achieve their position through the right of hereditary succession (e.g., they were related, often the son or daughter, of the previous monarch), although there have been elective monarchies, where the monarch holds the position after being elected: the papacy is sometimes called an elective monarchy. There have also been hereditary rulers who weren’t considered monarchs, such as the stadtholders of Holland. Many monarchs have invoked religious reasons, such as being chosen by God, as a justification for their rule. Courts are often considered a key aspect of monarchies. These occur around the monarchs and provide a social meeting place for monarch and nobility. Titles of a Monarchy Male monarchs are often called kings, and females  queens, but principalities, where princes and princesses rule by hereditary right, are sometimes referred to as monarchies, as are empires led by emperors and empresses. Levels of Power The amount of power a monarch wields has varied across time and situation, with a good deal of European national history comprising a power struggle between the monarch and either their nobility and subjects. On the one hand, you have the absolute monarchies of the early modern period, the best example being French King Louis XIV, where the monarch (in theory at least) had total power over everything they wished. On the other, you have constitutional monarchies where the monarch is now little more than a figurehead, and the majority of power rests with other forms of government. There is traditionally only one monarch per monarchy at a time, although in Britain King William and Queen Mary ruled simultaneously between 1689 and 1694. When a monarch is either considered too young or too ill to take full control of their office  or is absent (perhaps on crusade), a regent (or group of regents) rules in their place. Monarchies in Europe Monarchies were often born out of unified military leadership, where successful commanders transformed their power into something hereditary. The Germanic tribes of the first few centuries CE are believed to have unified in this way, as peoples grouped under charismatic and successful war leaders, who solidified their power, possibly at first taking on Roman titles and then emerging as kings. Monarchies were the dominant form of government among European nations from the end of the Roman era until around the eighteenth century (although some people class the Roman emperors as monarchs). A distinction is often made between the older monarchies of Europe and the ‘New Monarchies’ of the sixteenth centuries and later (rulers such as King Henry VIII of England), where the organization of standing armies and overseas empires necessitated large bureaucracies for better tax collection and control, enabling projections of power much above those of the old monarchs. Absolutism was at its height in this era. The Modern Age After the absolute era, a period of republicanism took place, as secular and enlightenment thinking, including the concepts of individual rights and self-determination, undermined the claims of the monarchs. A new form of â€Å"nationalist monarchy† also emerged in the eighteenth century, whereby a single powerful and hereditary monarch ruled on behalf of the people to secure their independence, as opposed to expanding the power and possessions of the monarch themselves (the kingdom belonging to the monarch). In contrast was the development of the constitutional monarchy, where the powers of the monarch were slowly passed down to other, more democratic, bodies of government. More common was the replacement of monarchy by a republican government within the state, such as the French Revolution of 1789 in France. Remaining Monarchies of Europe As of this writing, only 11 or 12 European monarchies exist depending on whether you count the Vatican City: seven kingdoms, three principalities, a grand duchy and the elective monarchy of the Vatican. Kingdoms (Kings/Queens) BelgiumDenmarkThe NetherlandsNorwaySpainSwedenThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Principalities (Princes/Princess’) AndorraLiechtensteinMonaco Grand Duchy (Grand Dukes/Grand Duchess’) Luxembourg Elective City-State Vatican City (Pope)

The Bennett Surname, From Medieval Given Name Benedict

The Bennett surname derives from the medieval given name Benedict, originating from the Latin benedictus, meaning blessed. The name became popular due to St. Benedict in the Middle Ages. Bennett is the 78th most popular surname in the United States and its surname origin is English.  The meaning of the surname can change depending on ancestry and country of origin. Discover the following alternate spellings and genealogy resources for the surname Bennet. Alternate Surname Spellings BennetBenedictBenedickBendickBeneitBenoitBennitBenet Genealogy Resources 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their Meanings: Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census?Bennett DNA Surname Project: Join over 270 members of the Bennett DNA surname  project working to bring together genealogists who are researching the Bennett surname (primarily in America), with an emphasis on the use of DNA testing.Bennett  Family Crest - Its Not What You Think: Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Bennett  family crest or coat of arms for the Bennett surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.  Bennett Family Genealogy Forum: Search this popular genealogy forum for the Bennett surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Bennett query.FamilySearc h - Bennett Genealogy: Access over 6.7  million free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Bennett surname and its variations on this free genealogy website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Bennett Surname Family Mailing Lists: RootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Bennett  surname. In addition to joining a list, you can also browse or search the archives to explore over a decade of postings for the Bennett surname.DistantCousin.com - Bennett Genealogy Family History: Explore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Bennett.GeneaNet - Bennett Records: GeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Bennett surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries.The Bennett  Genealogy and Family Tree Page: Browse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with t he Bennett surname  from the website of Genealogy Today. References Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1967.Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2005.Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia.  Bergenfield, NJ:  Avotaynu, 2004.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.Hoffman, William F. Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings.  Chicago:  Polish Genealogical Society, 1993.Rymut, Kazimierz. Nazwiska Polakow.  Wroclaw: Zaklad Narodowy im. Ossolinskich - Wydawnictwo, 1991.Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.