5 Top Tips on Travel Writing

5 Top Tips on Travel Writing 5 Top Tips on Travel Writing Travel composing is one of the most famous sorts of true to life. Also, if you’re somebody with an affection for both writing and globetrotting, travel composing offers a phenomenal chance to consolidate the two! Here, at that point, are a couple of top tips for maturing make a trip authors to help kick you off. 1. Peruse Other Travel Writing The best beginning stage if you’re new to head out composing is to peruse different creators. There are numerous sorts and styles of movement working out there. So we propose perusing a smidgen of everything, from blog entries to book-length travelogs, to discover motivation if you’re not effectively sure what to compose. 2. Picking a Subject To stand apart from the group, your movement composing needs to offer something extraordinary. Some portion of this will be your composed voice, yet what you are expounding on is similarly significant, so you’ll need to pick an extraordinary goal to concentrate on. Discovering some place fascinating that no one has expounded on before is the fantasy, so you should look past the acclaimed beaten track for bizarre or abnormal attractions. On the other hand, in the event that you are expounding on a natural spot, search for an edge that no one has utilized previously. It helps on the off chance that you accomplish something other than lie on the sea shore, as well. 3. Paint a Picture Your composing ought to invoke a picture of the spots you depict, so utilize tactile language at every possible opportunity. In the event that you can convey a portion of the perspectives, sounds and scents you’ve encountered, your peruser will feel progressively like they’ve been there. Rich, unmistakable composing is thusly significant. Obviously, an exacting picture can help too, so don’t neglect to pack a camera! 4. Recount to a Story Travel composing is about something beyond realities. It’s about your experience of a spot or excursion. Accordingly, you have to take your peruser on an excursion, as well! One tip in this regard is recollecting that the best travel composing is something other than distinct. It might likewise have: Characters (e.g., individuals you meet en route or travel buddies) Topics (e.g., issues or occasions that repeat all through your excursion) A plot (e.g., your objective, for example, visiting each historical center in Cumbria) Make a point not to miss the Derwent Pencil Museum, particularly on the off chance that you like enormous pencils.(Photo: Stinglehammer/wikimedia) Remember that movement composing is experimental writing, regardless of whether it is true to life. You may even need to contort the realities to recount to a superior story. Or then again go full Hunter S. Thompson and obscure the lines among certainty and fiction completely. We wouldnt recommend taking the same number of medications as he did, however. 5. The Benefits of Fact Checking Expecting you’re not fictionalizing your excursion to an extreme, you might need to do some reality keeping an eye on things you’ve realized when you return home. For example, before rehashing what that odd man in the square enlightened you concerning Piacenza being established by a hero chicken rancher as an extravagance resort for poultry, get on the web and do some perusing. You can at present incorporate the account in the event that it ends up being false. You just don’t need to introduce it as a reality. What's more, in the event that you handle the reality checking, we’ll be glad to help with the editing once you have a first draft prepared!

Moral Law vs. Political Law free essay sample

She asks her sister, Ismene, to assist her with covering Polynices. â€Å"You’ll before long show what you are, worth your rearing, Ismene? Or on the other hand a quitter for all your regal blood. † She rapidly finds she doesn't have full help from Ismene. We see that Ismene sides more with political law than ethics, â€Å"Think what a passing beyond words, most exceedingly terrible of all in the event that we disregard the laws and abrogate the fixed pronouncement of the seat, its capacity we should be reasonable. Recall that we are ladies, we are not destined to battle with men†¦. so we should submit to this. We can unmistakably observe here the distinction of political law versus moral law with the sisters contradiction When it comes to Creon’s assessments we should initially recall what he has experienced. His sibling has ruined his own face, his city has been assaulted without notice, and his two nephews have passed on in the fight. We will compose a custom exposition test on Moral Law versus Political Law or then again any comparable point explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page We as perusers can't help contradicting his restriction on Polynice’s internment, however attempt to comprehend that it his is encounters that drive him to agree with political law. Creon gives decree that the city of Thebes is illegal to cover Polynices, or even grieve him. He says, â€Å"He must be left unburied, his cadaver remains just plain silly and canines to tear, a profanity for the residents to view! † â€Å"These are my principals. Never at my hands will the double crosser be regarded over the nationalist. However, whoever demonstrates his dependability to the state-I’ll prize that man in death just as life. † By settling on this choice, we can see that he is observing his own ethical law, Creon trusts it is his obligation to his city to respect the saints and to disfavor the adversary; and that any individual who doesn’t concur will be treated as a similar foe they are regarding. It is in this battle we perceive how a distinction in ethics can make such a fight, for both Creon and Antigone. They feel that what they are doing is correct, both wish to respect their ethical standing, yet others, laws, or assessments disrupt everything. We can unmistakably observe that the fight among political and moral law isn't kept to simply the Ancient Greeks, today we battle with our own remaining in this. This reality is confirm in other writing we have perused in class, for example, Civil Disobedience. Like Antigone, Henry David Thoreau followed carefully to his own ethical law. He felt that the government’s laws and guidelines were corrupting and pointless. He stated, â€Å"This American government-what is it however a convention, however an ongoing one, trying to transmit itself healthy to children, yet every moment losing a portion of its uprightness? † Both Antigone and Thoreau adhered to their ethical gauges in any event, when tested by power. Thoreau was placed in prison for not keeping the government’s laws, and Antigone was given a capital punishment for protecting her ethics. The points of view of Antigone and Creon on the connection among law and equity are comparative and distinctive to the assessments of different creators. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. has comparative assessments to Antigone in his piece, â€Å"A Letter to a Birmingham Jail† where he clarifies how a few laws are essential for request, and a few laws, for example, the isolations between African Americans and whites are shameful. Also, Abraham Lincoln has comparative perspectives with Creon in his discourse, â€Å"The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions. † In this piece, he shares that despite the fact that you may not concur with certain laws; you should fit in with them or, more than likely hazard discipline. Lincoln’s see was, â€Å"We drudged not in the obtaining or foundation of them [laws] they are a heritage handed down us, by a once solid, courageous, and energetic, however now regretted and left race of predecessors. Antigone is a brilliant case of one’s internal battle to be â€Å"good. † These works of writing show the logical inconsistency of what being â€Å"good† is; one person’s â€Å"good† may contrast from another’s. Thoreau, Martin Luther King Jr. what's more, Lincoln additionally combat with the distinction between what they and others thought was simply. Political law and good law will consistently strife with one another as w e as a human race fight between what is correct, and what's going on.

Early Action and Regular Decision - The Directors Cut - UGA Undergraduate Admissions

Early Action and Regular Decision - The Directors Cut - UGA Undergraduate Admissions Early Action and Regular Decision The Directors Cut Since the deadline for Early Action is quickly approaching (and everyone seems to be asking the question should I apply Early Action (EA) or Regular Decision (RD), we thought we would re-post this information (it is not really a sequel, but more like a directors cut with additional footage). Sorry if you have read it before, but we thought this would help answer a few questions that are out there! In one scene in the movie Forrest Gump, the character Bubba Blue is sitting next to Forrest on a transport bus talking about shrimp. Anyway, like I was sayin, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Deys uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. Theres pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That Thats about it. Sometimes, the different college admissions plans sound just like that. Youve got your Early Action, your Early Decision, your Restrictive Early Action, your Single Choice Early Decision, your Rolling Decision, your Multiple Choice Early Rolling Action (okay, I made that one up), etc. While I can not say what plans other colleges have for their admission process or why they choose these plans, I can tell you how UGA does it. UGA has two decision plans, Early Action(EA) and Regular Decision(RD). UGAs Early Action program is non-restrictive and non-binding, meaning that we will not limit an applicant from applying in any way to another college, and if admitted, you do not need to let us know if you are coming or not until May 1. No matter how you apply, we want you to take as much time as you need (up to May 1!) to research your options and make a good decision on where to go to college. Our EA deadline is October 15, and we generally will have EA decisions out by mid-December. Please remember, it is not easier or harder to be admitted EA, it is just a different time line for applicants who want to hear something earlier. You may hear a yes (admit), a no (deny) or a defer (deferral to get more information on the applicant). If by mid-October, a prospective applicant feels comfortable with UGA making a decision on their current grades, curriculum, and test scores, then EA might be right for that individual. Just so you know, there are not any specific cut points for EA admissions, but more it is a combination of an applicants core academic grades, curriculum choice and test scores. If, on the other hand, a prospective applicant wants UGA to look at senior year first semester grades, new test scores, or make sure the students co-curricular activities and essays, then they should apply Regular Decision(RD). The RD deadline is January 15, and there are two decision dates for this option. If an RD applicant meets the EA criteria for admission, we will send out a decision in late February (this also applies for any EA deferred student who, for instance, sends in new and improved test scores which put them at or above the EA criteria). For all applicants who are not admitted based upon the EA criteria, a decision will go out in late March. This time line gives the office time to read, and read, and read, and read. As for which plan a student should choose, RD versus EA, it is generally based upon the applicant taking an honest look at their academic record and then comparing it to our First-Year Class Profile. Look at the academic mid-ranges for our freshman class an d see how you compare, especially when looking at grades and curriculum (on average, UGA freshman took 3-5 AP or IB classes along with a broad range of Honors/Accelerated courses, but this varies based upon what is offered at your school as well). Dont be intimidated by the numbers, but be realistic, and know that during the read process, we look at everything about an applicant. And for those of you who apply EA just because you do not have to complete part II of the application (with the short essays), even though you are not near the mid ranges in the profile, I would suggest you think again. Give yourself time to get your application together, and do not rush to complete it in the end just because you knew you would be deferred but did not want to do part II of the application yet. This is like pushing off writing a 10 page report until the last day, and wondering why it did not turn out as well as you thought it would. Just remember, Early Action at UGA is non-binding, it is neither easier or harder to be admitted EA or RD (it is just a response time issue), and the applicant needs to look the profile to see how they compare, at least in determining EA vs RD. And as Forrest says, Thats all I have to say about that. If this is your first time to this blog, please know that we welcome comments and/or questions about the UGA Admission process.

10X TAE Electrophoresis Buffer Protocol

This is the protocol or recipe for preparing 10X TAE electrophoresis buffer: 10X TAE Electrophoresis Buffer Materials 48.4 g of Tris base [tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane]11.4 mL of glacial acetic acid (17.4 M)3.7 g of EDTA, disodium saltdeionized water Prepare the 10X TAE Electrophoresis Buffer Dissolve the Tris, glacial acetic acid and EDTA in 800 ml of deionized water.Dilute the buffer to 1 L. You do not need to sterilize the solution. 10X TAE Electrophoresis Buffer Storage Store the bottle of 10X buffer solution at room temperature. Using 10X TAE Electrophoresis Buffer The solution is diluted before use. Dilute 100 mL of 10X stock to 1 L with deionized water.

Oedipus The King A Tragic Hero - 1541 Words

Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) defines a tragic hero as one who possesses the characteristics of hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis, and that the characters fate must be greater than deserved (Else). Since the main character in Sophocles’ classic tragedy Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King matches up to Aristotle’s definition, Oedipus certainly exemplifies what it is to be a â€Å"tragic hero.† The play’s protagonist Oedipus is revered as a good man and intelligent ruler who acts quickly to support Thebes- a city which is troubled by plague. This is demonstrated in the background notes that describe Oedipus saving the city from the curse of the sphinx and as a reward receiving the queen’s hand in marriage. The confrontation with the sphinx and the solving of the riddle is referred to multiple times throughout the play as a reminder of Oedipus’s intellect and ability to creatively solve problems. His people’s admiration is also suggested by the p riest in lines 37-39 â€Å"We judge you the first of men in what happens in this life and in our interactions with the gods† (Sophocles). Creon, the brother-in-law of Oedipus, regards him as a great king which is shown by their multiple exchanges throughout the play. Another indication of Oedipus’s goodness is the respect shown by his wife Jocasta. These examples reveal that Oedipus is a good and noble king who is virtuous and respected by his people and his family. Sophocles uses Aristotle’s trait of hamartia (flaw or error in judgment) to bring aShow MoreRelatedThe Tragic Hero Of Oedipus The King1528 Words   |  7 Pagesdescribes the tragic hero as having three components which should be present in order to influence the audience. The audience must become involved emotionally with the hero so they become fearful for his welfare or well-being. The concluding suffering of the hero draws pity from the audience. Aristotle describes this emotional transition a s â€Å"catharsis† which refers to the purging or releasing of emotions. This is what Aristotle believes entices audiences to watch tragedies. The hero must also beRead MoreThe Tragic Hero Of Oedipus The King987 Words   |  4 PagesWhile exemplifying the high estate, noble character, and flawed nature of Aristotle’s tragic hero, Oedipus fails to have a personal mistake become his undoing, hence denying him the status of Aristotle’s tragic hero. A key criteria of Aristotle’s tragic hero is that he or she comes from high estate, such as a royal family. Aristotle’s definition of the tragic hero is well thought out in this manner. High status is important as it gives the character a long way to fall (Kennedy Gioia, 2013). ThisRead MoreTragic Hero In Oedipus The King1502 Words   |  7 PagesThe idea of a tragic hero was first thought of by the philosopher Aristotle in his work, â€Å"Poetics†. In article discussing the philosopher’s ideology of a tragic hero, with emphasis on hamartia, the author states: The function of a tragedy is to arouse the emotions of pity and fear and Aristotle deduces the qualities of his hero from this function. He should be good, but not perfect, for the fall of a perfect man from happiness into misery, would be unfair and repellent and will not arouse pity. SimilarlyRead MoreOedipus The King : A Tragic Hero987 Words   |  4 PagesLike most greek tragedies, Oedipus the King had a tragic hero whose downfall was the result of a tragic flaw. Oedipus, like other greek characters, did not see his errors until his reign was coming to an end. Oedipus, the man who saved Thebes did not understand that every good thing must come to an end. A tragic hero defined by Aristotle has five characteristics that lead to their downfall and their understanding of why the situation happened. Oedipus is the ideal tragic hero because his downfall followedRead MoreThe Tragic Hero Of Oedipus The King1156 Words   |  5 Pages The topic I chose is the tragic hero topic. There exists a number of parameters that describe a tragic hero and thus it was my desire to get to understand these parameters. It was also my desire to be in position to give the difference between normal heroes and a tragic hero and give see the main dimensions of the two figures. I preferred to work with the book by Sophocles Oedipus, the king, in order to portray the attributes of a tragic hero. The book contains adequate information concerning theRead MoreThe Tragic Hero Of Oedipus And King1060 Words   |  5 Pageshowever, Oedipus and Dido lost much more than that. These were two great leaders that both, suffered by losing their reputations, their sanity, and their kingdoms. These are two great examples of what a tragic character displays, according to Aristotle’s conception. Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero is a distinguished person occupying a high position, living in prosperous circumstances and falling into misfortune because of an error in judgment. King Oedipus and Queen Dido are tragic charactersRead MoreOedipus the King a Tragic Hero936 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish 1302-6504 Mrs.Weatherford 21 November 2011 A Tragic Hero Indeed! In Sophocles tragedy Oedipus the King, King Oedipus swears to solve the murder of former King Laios in order to free the city from the plague. The plague taunts the city destroying crops and livestock and making the women unable to bear children. A seer, Teirsias tells Oedipus that he himself is Thebes’s pollution for killing his father and marrying his mother. Oedipus ignores his words and is blind to the truth until he discoversRead MoreOedipus The King : A Tragic Hero870 Words   |  4 Pagestragedies and his most famous being performed there. While only seven of his plays have survived, many, like Oedipus the King, are still prevalent today. It definitely meets the five main criteria for a tragedy: a tragic hero of noble birth, a tragic flaw, a fall from grace, a moment of remorse, and catharsis. Oedipus the King is seen as a perfect tragedy. It features a hero with a tragic flaw, Oedipus, and highlights many common themes in Greek tragedy such as fate or destiny, love, pride, loss, the abuseRead MoreOedipus : The King Of Thebes And Tragic Hero Essay728 Words   |  3 PagesOedipus: The King of Thebes and Tragic Hero Ancient Greek Literature encompasses an assortment of poetry and drama to include the great masterpieces of tragedy. In Classic Literature, tragedies were commonly known for their elaboration of a protagonist fitting the classification of a tragic hero. This type of a tragic hero often collectively described as a character of noble birth, facing an adversity of some nature and a fate of great suffering. The characteristics of what encompassed a tragic heroRead MoreThe Tragic Hero Of Sophocles Oedipus The King1518 Words   |  7 Pagesaudiences so well. A tragic hero plays the most essential role in this. Tragic heroes can be defined differently for whoever is trying to force a character into the tragic hero mold. However Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher, established an outline of the requirements a tragic hero has to meet in order to be considered one. These requirements include a downfall, a hamartia, and recognition of said tragic hero’s condition. Oedipus, the prot agonist of Sophocles’ play Oedipus The King fits the mold.

Seven Wonders of the World Free Essays

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World While the ancient world left little written record, the evidence that we do have depicts it as far more advanced and culturally rich than many would expect. From the Phoenicians in Mesopotamia to the Mayans in Central America, technological advancements and complex theories drove the ancient civilizations ahead. Great thinkers from that period like Socrates left huge marks on the literary world. We will write a custom essay sample on Seven Wonders of the World or any similar topic only for you Order Now Great scientists like Copernicus developed theories that provided the foundations for more modern thought. Juxtaposing their technology with our own, we find their accomplishments truly amazing. Their buildings, remarkably built without cranes, bulldozers, or assembly lines, rival our greatest and create great wonder among our culture. Chief among their architectural feats, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World remind us constantly of the ancient cultures’ splendors and advancements. These landmarks, the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria or the Walls of Babylon according to the list, left evidence of the magnificence of the ancient world. Understanding the history of the whole group as well as the history of the individual places creates a gratitude and reverence for our ancient ancestors. Herodotus created the first list of wonders in the fifth century BC but gained little notoriety for the feat and inspired few subsequent lists. His written record, a list mirroring that above with the exception of substituting the Pharos of Alexandria for the Lighthouse, was destroyed with the exception of references in the burning of the Library of Alexandria (History Reference Center). In following centuries, however, Herodotus’s ideas began to catch on. Conquering vast empires in the name of Macedonia, Alexander the Great led a strategic military campaign throughout the Balkans and much of the ancient world. Through these fourth century BC annexations, Alexander stimulated travel in the area, which in turn led to the Greeks gaining immense cultural knowledge about peoples like the Persians, Egyptians, and Babylonians. Alexander truly opened their world. With the influx of travel, the Greeks began and compile oral lists of ‘theamatas,’ a word translated to mean ‘the must-sees’. The lists, though they varied from person to person, lways contained a constant number of seven sites. Being neither a product nor factor of any number less than ten, seven is hard to separate into subdivisions and therefore provides an excellent number for indivisible things like the Seven Wonders, the Seven Deadly Sins, and the Seven Sages. After Herodotus, the next well-known list is that of Callimachus of Cyrene, a worker at the L ibrary of Alexandria. He wrote a work entitled ‘A Collection of Wonders in Lands throughout the World,’ but destroyed early on, the contents of the list remain unknown. De Septem Mundi Miraculous, or Of the Seven Wonders of the World, was written in 200 BC. Attributed to and supposedly written by Philo of Byzantium, many argue that it was actually written in the sixth century AD (Infoplease). Regardless, this work gives an excellent description of Seven Wonders, including the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Pyramids of Giza, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Colossus at Rhodes, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Temple of Artemis and Ephesus, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. While most lists agree on at least six of the seven wonders, some ancient and modern lists substitute the walls of Babylon for the Lighthouse of Alexandria. The most renowned ancient list, coming around 80 years later, belongs to Antipater of Sidon and does exactly this. A citizen of Alexandria, Egypt, Antipater compiled his list in a poem during the second century BC, saying   I have gazed on the walls of impregnable Babylon, along which chariots may race, and on the Zeus by the banks of Alpheus. I have seen the Hanging Gardens and the Colossus of Helios, the great man-made mountains of the lofty pyramids, and the gigantic tomb of Maussollos. But when I saw the sacred house of Artemis that towers to the clouds, the others were placed in the shade, for the sun himself has never looked upon its equal outside of Olympus (History Reference Center)   These lists inspired others to not only explore but to tell of their explorations. After the works of Herodotus, Callimachus, Philo, and Antipater, people strove to make their own lists of wonders, almost always including the eight documented by Philo and Antipater. The oldest and only remaining of these eight wonders, the Pyramids of Giza took ancient Egypt by storm in 2560 BC. A remarkable architectural feat, they remained the tallest structures in the world until the nineteenth century. They originally stood at 481 feet tall but have shrunk to around 450 feet. Khufu’s pyramid, also known as the Great Pyramid, contains 2,300,000 blocks weighing around two and a half tons each. Every side of that pyramid is 756 feet long (Infoplease). Fourth-Dynasty Pharaoh Khufu, also known as Cheops, ordered the pyramids built as tombs for Pharaohs Khufu, Khafra, and Menkaure. Their splendor begins with their location. Cheops chose a plateau made of white limestone located southwest of Cairo. Surrounded by the Nile River, spacious green plains, astounding palm groves, and the magnificent skyline of Memphis, the area itself is a wonder. Originator of the concept of Seven Wonders, Herodotus became the first to describe the Pyramids when he visited Egypt around 450 BC. His account of the pyramids begins with an insult of Cheops, saying claiming â€Å"Cheops, who reigned over them, plunged the country into deep calamities† (History Reference Center). In Herodotus’s books, he asserts that Cheops employed over 100,000 slaves at a time, switching the men out every three months, but ancient historian Diodorus Siculus alleged that the pyramids actually required 360,000 slaves. Recent discoveries, however, have pinned the number of workers between 5,500 and 8,000 and declared that they worked willingly, not as slaves. Herodotus goes on to describe a magnificent causeway used to transport stones and marvelous underground rooms that took approximately ten years to build. With information gathered from his Egyptian guide, Herodotus chronicled the process used to build the pyramids, writing   This pyramid was constructed on the following plan. They began by building it in the shape of steps, having first made it in this form, they drew up the stones for the rest of the work by means of machines, consisting of short pieces of wood, when they had lifted them from the ground to the first tier of the steps; as soon as stone had reached so far, it was laid on another machine, placed on the first range; from thence it was hauled up to the second [and from the second to the third,] by means of another machine, for as many as the tiers of the steps there were, there was the same amount of machines. This passage shows the technological advancements employed by the Egyptians. The architecture behind the underground rooms proved extremely innovative; Cheops used a canal from the Nile to create an insulation system (Books). Summing up his Egyptian encounter, he gives a brief account of the lesser two pyramids, built as tombs for Khafra and Menkaure, and moves on to new things. Though many people doubt its existence, the alleged regality of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon stupefies many. Herodotus, previously mentioned as the first big traveler of the era, gave a full description of the city of Babylon, making no mention of the Hanging Gardens. This causes speculation among many historians today (History Reference Center). For those who do believe, however, the Hanging Gardens stood in Mesopotamia, near the present location of Baghdad, Iraq. Berossus, a Babylonian priest, wrote the first account of the Gardens in 3rd century BC, but since then, the works have been lost. Strabo and Philo gave the next ancient descriptions. Philo wrote, The Hanging Garden has plants cultivated above ground level, and the roots of the trees are embedded in an upper terrace rather than in the earth. The whole mass is supported on stone columns. Streams of water emerging from elevated sources flow down sloping channels. These waters irrigate the whole garden saturating the roots of plants and keeping the whole area moist. Hence the grass is permanently green and the leaves of trees grow firmly attached to supple branches. This is a work of art of royal luxury and its most striking feature is that the labor of cultivation is suspended above the heads of the spectators. (Books)   While most of Mesopotamia lived up to its appellation the Fertile Crescent, Babylon differed, having a desert-like climate. According to ancient writers like Berossus, Philo of Byzantium, and Diodorus Siculus, King Nebuchadnezzar II ordered the Gardens built for his wife around sixth century BC (Infoplease). Amyitis, a native of the luscious green Persia, greatly missed the beautiful landscape of her home, and as any affectionate husband would do, Nebuchadnezzar built the Gardens to appease her. The King filled the Gardens with pears, plums, grapes, and many other colorful plants. Providing great shade among the sandy landscape, the Gardens served as a retreat for the royal family. For the scholars that believe that the Hanging Gardens actually existed, another argument arises over whether or not the Gardens actually â€Å"hang. † In their Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Michael and Mary B. Woods argue that the description of the Gardens as â€Å"hanging† comes from a translation issue. They assert that the original Greek word can be translated into â€Å"hanging† or â€Å"overhanging† and claim that the original authors meant â€Å"overhanging†. Because its very existence remains disputed, no evidence of the date or method of destruction endures. Built in 560 BC, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus paid homage to the Greek goddess Artemis, goddess of the hunt, childbirth, and virginity (History Reference Center). King Croesus of Lydia ordered the Temple built on a marshland in present-day Turkey, and one hundred and twenty years later it opened for worship. Towering above other structures in the land, the Temple, made of marble, stood 300 long by 150 wide and massive columns (Infoplease). Croesus chose the location in hopes of protecting it from volatile earthquakes. That natural disaster, however, would not cause the destruction of the Temple; instead, it would fall victim to arson committed by a power-hungry Herostratus in 356 BC, on the birthday of Alexander the Great. Greek legend holds that Artemis, busy assisting with Alexander’s childbirth, found herself too preoccupied to protect her Temple. Alexander, sympathetic to this story, offered to pay for the restoration of the Temple, but the Ephesian leaders rejected the request claiming it was â€Å"inappropriate for a god to dedicate offerings to the gods† (Books). Despite Alexander’s dismissal, the Ephesians, led by sculptor Scopas of Paros, rebuilt the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, beginning almost immediately after the original’s destruction. The new Temple, the first made purely of marble, laid the foundation for extravagant building. Bigger than the original, it had 27 columns stretching 60 feet into the sky, spanning 425 feet long and 225 feet wide. Athens’s pride and joy, the Parthenon is believed to have only been a quarter of the size of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. Pliny the Elder provided a base ancient description of the Temple, along with many other Grecian works, in his Natural History, written in the 1st century AD. Of the Temple, he wrote, â€Å"The most wonderful monument of Grecian magnificence, and one that merits our genuine admiration, is the Temple of Diana at Ephesus† (Books). Some, like Pliny, referred to the Temple as the Temple of Diana, Artemis’s Roman form. As Christianity spread through the ancient world, the Temple slowly became obsolete and eventually met its demise through raids from the Goths in 268 AD. Dedicated Ephesians made a final attempt to rebuild the Temple after its destruction, but Roman Emperor Theodosius the Great’s decision to outlaw Christianity, eradicating the Temple’s purpose. Site of the earliest Olympics, Olympia wished to honor its supreme god, also patron of their games, for their prosperity and success. To do this, they commissioned Phidias, chief sculptor behind the Parthenon, to build a statue paying homage to this god, Zeus. Using an innovative method designed by Phidias himself, he built a wooden skeleton in the intended shape of the statue and ordered workers to adorn it. Sheets of iron and gold were cut and fashioned to cover the wooden structure. Looming over the Temple of Zeus, the statue rose 40 feet into the air and was a massive 22 feet wide. Zeus’s Statue features him sitting on a magnificent throne, with his head brushing the ceiling. The ancient historian Strabo criticized the proportions of the statue, claiming that Phidias â€Å"depicted Zeus seated, but with the head almost touching the ceiling, so that we have the impression that if Zeus moved to stand up he would unroof the temple. (History Reference Center). Citation Page 1. Scarre, Chris. â€Å"The Seven Wonders Of The Ancient World. † (2004): 125-127. History Reference Center. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. 2. Infoplease. Infoplease, n. d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. http://www. infoplease. com/. 3. â€Å"Books. † Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. N. p. , n. d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. http://www. claytonpl. org/research/guides/guide. cfm? id=24. How to cite Seven Wonders of the World, Papers Seven Wonders of the World Free Essays Seven Wonders of the World Centuries ago one man dreamed, designed and constructed a breathtaking monument and then, it went on to become a wonder. Wonders of the world are so many. No list can comprehend everything. We will write a custom essay sample on Seven Wonders of the World or any similar topic only for you Order Now But why they are actually the wonders and what are the factors which make them to call a wonders? Every wonder has its own history and importance, and they have some interesting facts related with them. However, the original seven wonders of the world are the most worthy of our praise and appreciation as they were constructed in an era that was devoid of any building machinery and done mostly by hand. The true wonder we can say is artistic, mysterious, magnificent, stunning or in other words it is really a master piece, and due to these qualities it attracts everyone towards itself. The most remarkable or amazing creations by mankind are included in the list of Seven Wonders of the World. The number 7 is said to symbolize perfection and hence is used to list the wonders. There are number of different lists of the Seven Wonders of the World: the seven wonders of the ancient world, seven natural wonders of the world, the new Seven Wonders of the World and the modern wonders. A campaign to name the new Seven Wonders of the World, launched in 1999, has just reached to its climax. Originally, there were nearly 200 nominations which were shortlisted and finally, in the largest ever poll of its kind, 100 million people voted across the world for the final seven. Voting was done through the internet, as well as by phone and text. The popularity poll was led by Canadian-Swiss Bernard Weber and organized by the new seven wonders foundation based in Zurich, Switzerland, with winners announced on July 7, 2007 in Lisbon. The New seven wonders foundation is regulated by the Swiss Federal Foundation Authority. 1. Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: In the recent past, people across the world were asked to vote for their favorite seven wonders of the world. The ancient Greeks loved art and architecture. They were the first people to compile the seven wonders of the ancient world list. These wonders were built-in the marvels of the 4th century BC. The Greeks had conquered much of the world and traveled far and wide. As they were patrons of beauty, they took fancy to the landmarks and unique architecture of various lands. 1. 1 Great Pyramid of Giza: The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only surviving member of the seven wonders of the ancient world list, which was built in 2584 BC. It is located at Giza Necropolis, Egypt. This pyramid is about 800 feet long, 450 feet high and is build from 2 million blocks of stone. It is said to have been built as the tomb of the 4th dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu. (Baxamusa) 1. 2 Hanging Gardens of Babylon: Hanging Gardens of Babylon is built around 600BC. It was built by King Nebuchandnezzar. He built the garden for his wife Amytis of Media to enjoy a private, terrace garden without any disturbance. It was built in Al-Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq. These gardens were said to be about 400 feet wide, 400 feet long and were over 80 feet in height. The garden is supposed to have been destroyed by a massive earthquake. 1. 3 Temple of Artemesium: The temple of Artemesium, at Ephesus, was one of great temple built by Croesus, king of Lydia, about 550 BC and was rebuilt after being burned by a madman named Herostratus in 356 BC. The Artemesium was famous not only for its great size over 350 by 180 feet but also for the magnificent works of art that adorned it. The temple was destroyed by invading Goths in 262 AD and was never rebuilt. 1. 4 Statue of Zeus at Olympia: Statue of Zeus at Olympia was built in 435 BC. The Greeks completed this building. The statue of Zeus was built in the temple to honor the Greek Olympic Game. The statue was a gigantic structure that occupied the whole width of the aisle of the temple. It was about 40 feet tall and was destroyed in a fire during the 5th and 6th century AD. Baxamusa) 1. 5 Mausoleum of Halicarnassus: Mausoleum of Halicarnassus was built in 351 BC. King Mausolus ruled a small kingdom in Asia Minor. His queen Artemisia was a beautiful woman who loved the king a lot. After the death of King Mausolus, she got the most beautiful mausoleum built in the memory of her loving husband. It was known as the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and people from far and wide came to visit it. By the year 1494 AD, it was destroyed by a flood. It was rebuilt but was damaged by an earthquake. 1. 6 Collosus of Rhodes: Collosus of Rhodes was built in 290 BC. Collosus of Rhodes was the colossal statue of the sun god Helios that stood in the ancient Greek city of Rhodes and was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. After about 56 years it was built, the statue was destroyed by an earthquake. It fell into the harbor and just the thumb of the statue was visible over the water surface. The king of Egypt offered to rebuild the statue, but the people of Rhodes refused. This is because they believed Helios himself threw the statue in water in a fit of rage. 1. 7 Lighthouse of Alexandria: Lighthouse of Alexandria was built in 280 BC. The Island of Pharos was a harbor in Alexandria, Egypt. This lighthouse was built in this harbor and helped ships enter the harbor safely. This lighthouse is said to have survived for 1500 long years and finally destroyed by an earthquake in the 1300’s. During its era, it was the tallest man-made structure at about 380 to 440 feet high. So, these were some interesting facts about the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Just imagine, what an impact they may have created in the minds of the people of that age. Except the Pyramid of Giza, all the other wonders have long gone. We can just imagine more about these magnificent structures based on the writings by people of ancient Greece. These seven ancient wonders have something special thing in it, which creates curiosity between us to watch and study these wonders. Although, only one ancient wonder is left today, but still they have attraction and by this force of attraction these wonders attract everyone towards itself. We can just imagine more about these magnificent structures based on the writings by people of ancient Greece. 2. New Seven Wonders of the World: The list of New Seven Wonders consists of man-made monuments from all over the world. These Seven Wonders of the World are spread across continents and were selected by people throughout the world using a voting method. The organizers thought that this will promote global harmony, along with increasing people’s knowledge about these historical monuments some of which are not in their own continent. In 2001 an initiative was started by the Swiss corporation New Seven Wonders Foundation to choose the New Seven Wonders of the World from a selection of 200 existing monuments. Twenty-one finalists were announced January 1, 2006. Egyptians were not happy that the only surviving original wonder, the Great Pyramid of Giza, would have to compete with the likes of the Statue of Liberty, the Sydney Opera House, and other landmarks. In response, Giza was named an honorary Candidate. The results were announced on July 7, 2007, in Lisbon, Portugal. Figure [ 1 ]: New seven Wonders of the World, Source: New7Wonders of the World,en. wikipedia. org/wiki/New7Wonders_of_the_World. 2. 1 Chichen Itza: The name ‘Chichen Itza’ means ‘At the mouth of the well of Itza’. Here, Itza refers to a political clan of people, who were at their political and economical best in the northern peninsula (Saxena. Chaitra Suraj). Chichen Itza was the political focal point for a long time in the Mayan history. This winner of the seven wonders list is located in Yucatan, Mexico. The historical site consists of many stone buildings which are connected by a network of paved roads called Sacbeob. Most of these buildings have been restored and some are still under the process. These buildings have been grouped into sets of architectonic series (based on their architecture). And these sets are believed to be once separated by walls. The three famous sets out of them are, Great North Platform, the Osaario Group and the Central Group. These sets individually consist of various buildings, which are wonders in themselves. Chichen Itza consists of numerous temples, pyramids, and some interesting monuments like Steam Bath and the Great Ball Court. Each of the building had its own importance and was used for some specific purpose. One particular area of Chechen Itza is open to archeologists only, in a way it is still under observation and research. 2. 2 Christ the Redeemer: Christ the Redeemer is the statue of Jesus Christ, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is situated at a height of 700 meters on the Carcovado Mountain, in the Tijuca forest National Park. It weighs 635 tons and stands at a height of 39. 6 meters. It is built of reinforced concrete and soapstone and is the symbol of Christianity, as well as Rio de Janeiro. The construction of a historical monument on Corcovado was suggested first in 1850, then again in 1921. A lot many designs were considered for the religious monument, which included, the representation of the Christian cross and the tatue of Jesus with a globe in his hand. The Christ the Redeemer was finalized and the construction began in 1922 and continued till 1931. The cost of construction is estimated to be $250,000. The statue was opened to public on 12th of October, 1931 and in 2007 it became a part of the Seven Wonders of the World. In February 2008, the statue was struck by lightning, during a storm but was saved because of the o uter layer made of soapstone, which acted as an insulator. This particular storm is known to have caused a lot of damage in the city of Rio, but the statue stood unhurt. . 3 Colosseum: Colosseum, also known as the Roman Coliseum is situated in the city of Rome, Italy. Coming from such a strong background, it was a really strong contender for a position in Seven Wonders of the World list. It is an elliptical amphitheater and was originally known as Flavian Amphitheater. It is said to be one of the largest buildings of the Roman Empire. Construction of this amphitheater took around 10 years, starting from 70 AD and once ready the Colosseum was used for various public events and fights between gladiators. Gladiatorial fights were the major source of entertainment during those times and the public events consisted of mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, reenactments of famous battles, etc. The amphitheater was capable of seating a total of 50,000 spectators. It is estimated that some 500,000 people and over a million animals died in the events held at Colosseum. In the early medieval era, the building was stopped being used as a place of entertainment and then on, it is believed to have been used for various other purposes. The ancient building now stands partially ruined by earthquakes. . 4 Great Wall of China: The Great Wall of China was built between the 5th and 16th centuries BC. This wall was designed to protect the northern border from attacks. The Great Wall is over 4,000 miles long. The Great Wall of China also has the distinction of being one of the Wonders of the middle Ages as well. The Great Wall of China is a stone wall built from Shanhaiguan in the east to Lop Nur in the west of China and it stretches over a distance of 8,851. 8 kms. On land, the walls were made using earth or wood, but with the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the walls were made using bricks. Other materials like lime, tiles and stones were also widely used. With the use of bricks the construction is believed to have fastened and the brick walls were much stronger. The wall is now in ruins at most of the places and only a few parts remain in good condition. Parts of it have sustained years of erosion, human attacks, modern-day construction and even graffiti at a lot of places, in order to find a place in the 7 wonders of the world. (Saxena) 2. 5 Machu Picchu: Machu Picchu is a pre Columbian Inca site in Cuzco, Peru. It is located at a height of 8000 feet above the sea level on the crest of the mountain Machu Picchu. The name Machu Picchu means ‘Old Peak’ and is often referred to as ‘The Lost City of the Incas’. Its construction started in AD 1430 and the city was abandoned a hundred years later. It remained hidden from the outside world for hundreds of years, until it was discovered by Hiram Bingham, an American historian in the year 1911. Because of its location, Machu Picchu remained hidden from most of the world, including the Spanish conquerors. But now that it is in the seven wonders list, it is a famous tourist attraction and is visited by people from all across the world. Machu Picchu is believed to have been built at the peak of the Inca Empire and is the proof of their royalty and religious beliefs. Incas were basically sun worshipers. Inti in Peruvian means the Sun and hence, it can be easily understood that one of its primary buildings is â€Å"The Temple of the Sun†. The other main buildings are the Intihuatana and the Room of the Three Windows. Most of the buildings in Machu Picchu are in some or the other way related and dedicated to their God, ‘The Sun’. Machu Picchu is on the list of endangered ‘World Heritage Sites’. And that is why tourism in Machu Picchu is of great concern. Scientists believe that more the People, more will be the damage. 2. 6 Petra: Petra is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma’an that is famous for its rock cut architecture and water conduit system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited tourist attraction. It lies on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. The downfall of Petra began under the Roman Empire. The basic reason being was the change of trade routes. Most of the Petra was destroyed by earthquakes, which damaged buildings and fractured the lifeline of Petra; the water management system. 2. 7 Taj Mahal: Taj Mahal famously known as the ‘Symbol of Love’ is a mausoleum, built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is located in Agra, India. Taj Mahal’s construction began around 1632 and it took around 21 years to be completed. It was constructed according to the Mughal architecture, which is a combination of Persian, Indian and Islamic architectural styles. The mausoleum was built solely in marble, while other buildings in the complex were made of red stone. For the decoration purposes, 28 types of precious and semi precious stones were used and the raw material is believed to be ordered from as far as Afghanistan in the North and Sri Lanka in the South. It is said that nearly 20,000 workers were employed from all across the country for the construction work. These include skilled artisans, carvers, sculptors and stone cutters of excellent rapport. All in all, 37 people formed the creative unit of the project. Some of them were from foreign countries too. The approximate cost of construction is estimated to some 32 million rupees (Indian currency). It is considered as one of the master pieces of Mughal Empire and attracts tourism from all over the world. Statistics suggest that approximately 2 to 4 million people visit Taj Mahal annually. So, according to the above discussion we can say that every wonder has its own importance in the present world according to their historical background and their construction. People from all over the world visit these wonders to satiate their curiosity. Now a day’s architectures are in the constant struggle to make the new wonders which are better than the ancient and present wonders, but still the present wonders have great importance at the present time and architectures have to work very hard to defeat these wonders. Work Cited: 1. â€Å"Temple of Artemis. † Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. , 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. lt;britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/36816/Temple-of-Artemisgt; 2. â€Å"Colossus of Rhodes. † Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. , 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. lt;britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/501620/Colossus-of-Rhodes. gt; 3. Mish, Frederick C. , Editor in Chief. â€Å"Petra. † Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary. 9th ed. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster Inc. , 1985 4. Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval, The Message of the Sphinx, Pyramidology, 4 volume, 1957-1972, Web. 5. Nakate. Shashank. Seven Wonders of the World. Web 3/16/2010. Buzzle. com 6. Baxamusa. Batul Nafisa. 7 Wonders of the Ancient World List. Web. 2/25/2011. Buzzle. com 7. Marian K, Original Seven Wonders of the World. Web. 10/3/2011. Buzzle. com 8. Saxena. Chaitra Suraj, New 7 Wonders: What are the Seven Wonders of the World?. Web. 9/30/2011. Buzzle. com How to cite Seven Wonders of the World, Papers

Current Native American Issue free essay sample

A current issue involving the Native Americans and the federal government is the settling of Cobell vs. Salazar Lawsuit filed in 1996. The lawsuit alleged illegal conduct in the management of Native American money held in trust accounts and managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The trust was established to allow nontribal groups to use Native American lands. The trust contains money from oil and gas production, coal production, grazing leases, and timber sales. Elouise Cobell was the treasurer of the Blackfoot tribe in the 1980’s. During her time as treasurer she discovered many irregularities in the handling of funds held in trust by the United States. For over a decade Ms. Cobell worked with Washington to get resolution to the matter. After no response to her repeated request she filed her lawsuit. In her lawsuit Ms. Cobell asked the Department of the Interior to account for its management of individual accounts for Native Americans. We will write a custom essay sample on Current Native American Issue or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The monies in question are in a trust managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Beginning in 1928 and ending in 1996, there have been over thirty audits performed on the accounts. All thirty audits noted serious accounting and management problems. There are many missing documents and others are totally inaccurate. The United States government has lost, misappropriated, or stolen billions of dollars from the Native Americans in this trust. The settlement of $3. 4 billion dollars is the largest ever in the history of America. A major problem with the settlement is the amount awarded to a person is based on money generated by their account. The accounts were mismanaged and will show inaccurate amounts of money earned. It is an on going effort to determine how many Native Americans the settlement will effect and how much money they will each receive.

How to Change WordPress Login Page URL + How It Keeps You Safe

You’re no doubt aware how important security is to your WordPress site. In fact, you’ve probably heard plenty of advice on the subject – including that you should change your WordPress login page URL. However, you may not be sure why or how to do that.Changing your login page URL is a simple but effective security technique that can help keep hackers out. After all, a unique, difficult-to-guess URL is harder to locate. This means people are less likely to gain access to your site unless you want them to.In this post, we’ll briefly discuss why changing your WordPress login page URL is a smart idea. Then we’ll show you how to do so using a free plugin. Let’s take a look! you customize your login page, it looks something like thisBy default, WordPress sites all use identical URL structures for this page. If your website’s domain is www.mysite.com, for example, you can log in by visiting www.mysite.com/wp-login.php or www.mysite.com/wp-adm in.This makes it easy to remember how to access your site. However, the downside is that anyone who knows the first thing about WordPress can find your login page quickly. Once theyve located it, hackers can get busy trying to break in. If you change the URL to something hard to guess, on the other hand, you’ll slow those same hackers down by making your login page harder to find.Additionally, changing your login page URL has a secondary benefit in that it can eliminate a lot of resource-wasting bot traffic to your site.Why you shouldnt change your login page URL manuallyBelow, well walk you through the process of changing your login page URL using a plugin. However, in some cases you may be tempted to complete this task manually (for instance, if you want to limit the number of plugins you install on your site).While you can use File Transfer Protocol (FTP) or another method of accessing your sites files directly to  sort of make this change, this is  not a good idea   for a couple main reasons:Every time you update WordPress, it will recreate the login page file. This means youll need to change the URL all over again.Manually changing your login page URL can create errors with your logout screen, and cause other issues with important site functionality.In general, we recommend not altering your sites core files if you dont have to. Doing this can have unintended consequences. Fortunately, theres a better way of hiding your login page.How to change your WordPress login page URL using a pluginWe should emphasize that this technique won’t prevent hacking completely. However, it does provide an extra layer of security for your site. Changing your login page URL is best used in combination with other methods of protecting your admin area, such as implementing Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) and limiting the number of login attempts allowed.To change your WordPress login page URL, we recommend WPS Hide Login: WPS Hide Login Author(s): WPServe ur, NicolasKulka, tabrisrpCurrent Version: 1.5.4.2Last Updated: August 22, 2019wps-hide-login.1.5.4.2.zip 98%Ratings 3,615,198Downloads WP 4.1+Requires This is a lightweight solution that gets the job done simply and quickly. What’s more, its popular, has excellent reviews, and receives regular updates from the developer.You’ll want to start out by backing up your site, just to be safe.  Then, you’ll need to install and activate the plugin.After those tasks are done, navigate to Settings General in your WordPress dashboard.If you scroll to the very bottom of the page, you’ll find a new section labeled WPS Hide Login:This option will enable you to create a new URL for your login page by typing it into the field after your website’s domain name. Your best bet is to choose something random, as you would for a password (for example, a string of numbers and letters). Just make sure you record the new URL somewhere secure, so you don’t los e access to your site.When you’re happy with the new URL, click on the Save Changes button.From now on, you’ll be able to use this address to log into your site, and the default URL will be disabled. If for some reason you ever want to reverse this process, just deactivate WPS Hide Login, and the URL will return to normal.ConclusionWordPress is a very secure platform, but there are always steps you can take to further protect your website. Changing your login page URL is a small tweak that – when implemented as part of a comprehensive security plan – makes it more difficult for hackers and spammers to gain access.Furthermore, using this technique is surprisingly simple. In fact, it will only take you a few minutes if you use the right tool. By installing a  plugin like  WPS Hide Login, you can alter your login pages URL through your dashboard settings, and see the change take effect immediately.Do you have any questions about how to change your WordPr ess login page URL? Tell us in the comments section below! How to change your #WordPress login page URL. Plus how it helps keep your site secure! #tutorial

Malaysia Airlines Business Plan Essay Example

Malaysia Airlines Business Plan Essay Example Malaysia Airlines Business Plan Essay Malaysia Airlines Business Plan Essay Business Plan Our Way Forward December 2011 Confidential 5 December 2011 Malaysia Airlines is in crisis. Our combined losses in the first three quarters of 2011 have already exceeded RM1. 2 billion, and the final numbers for the year will not improve upon this. The core passenger airline business is chronically challenged. The new Board and Management team, in place for three months, has been hard at work on a plan, referred to as the Business Plan, for Malaysia Airlines. This Business Plan outlines our near-term recovery plan to move us to profitability by 2013, as well as a set of ‘game changers’ to sustain our performance and create a platform for continued growth for Malaysia Airlines’ future. Executing this plan is key to our recovery. It will require complete focus and commitment to make hard and difficult decisions in the next 24 months and the strongest determination to see these initiatives succeed. To the Malaysia Airlines Team, all our stakeholders and customers, I ask for your unwavering support, patience and continued patronage in this time of challenge and opportunity. Ahmad Jauhari Yahya Group Chief Executive Officer Confidential Page 2 Page 2 Executive Summary Current Situation Our Recovery Plan Game Changers: Sustaining Our Performance Foundations Our Commitment 4 13 21 31 38 42 DISCLAIMER This Business Plan document is issued to Malaysia Airlines staff and external stakeholders with the purpose of disclosing a balanced and objective management view of the current situation, as well as the plan for recovery and our future growth. In the spirit of transparent management practice, we share some financial information as part of the discussion. For all intents and purposes, the financial information and figures pertaining to the future should not be construed as forecasts, projections or estimates of future profitability or representations of the company’s future performance. These figures are merely a set of aspirational targets which are aligned to the Company’s strategy as outlined in this Business Plan. This document and its contents have been approved by Malaysia Airlines’ Board of Directors, but are not to be considered as estimates, forecasts nor projections reviewed by external auditors. Page 3 Executive Summary Page 4 CURRENT SITUATION Malaysia Airlines is in crisis. We have incurred a net loss of RM1. 2 billion in the first three quarters of 2011 alone. More than 40 percent of our routes are loss-making and our unit cost position is 10 – 15 percent above corresponding revenues. In fact, we are in a much more tenuous position than we were in 2006 when we were in a similar crisis. The aviation market has become even more competitive with the rapid increase of the low cost carrier (LCC) segment, continued growth of the Middle Eastern full service carriers and revival in the fortunes of Asian full service carriers such as Garuda, Japan Airlines (JAL) and Thai Airways. Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines has not focused adequately on the premium segment of the market, and our product quality has fallen. Our marketing efforts have been predominantly focused on tactical sales promotions rather than brand-building. With such adverse odds, our intensifying sales efforts could only generate low yields insufficient to cover an increasingly uncompetitive cost structure. Thankfully, we are still flying high in service standards, due to the valiant efforts of our superb Malaysia Airlines team. Yet the demand outlook for Asian aviation is strong. Across Asia, there is huge growth in disposable income, ramped-up access to credit cards and the Internet, and increased cross-border trade. Southeast Asia, in particular, with its combined population of over 500 million, myriad islands and underdeveloped road and rail infrastructure, is well-placed for aviation growth. Indeed, we expect ASEAN passenger demand to double by 2020. This is rightfully an exciting market for all participants in the aviation industry. This strong demand outlook is however clouded by both possible near-term shocks and certain longterm trends. Irrational exuberance in aircraft orders by Asian airlines is engendering a situation of capacity over-supply and excessive price competition. We expect the current Southeast Asian regional fleet to triple in the next decade. Increasing liberalisation also makes it easier for airlines to compete outside of their home markets. In the US and Europe, this combination of overcapacity and liberalisation has invariably yielded market consolidation, with only the strongest airlines surviving in their original form. Page 5 To make an already bad situation worse, there is the near-term possibility of a global recession emanating from Europe, and stubbornly high jet fuel prices conspiring to create the perfect storm of immediate turbulence. Without question, our current trajectory is unsustainable and nothing short of dramatic action will reverse our fortunes. Our weekly cash losses are in the millions of Ringgit. If we maintain our current business model, we will be out of cash by the middle of the second quarter of 2012. We will be bankrupt. Beyond the loss of 20,000 jobs, this would mean an indefinite end to connectivity with the many global hubs to which we are connected today. It is unthinkable and yet it is entirely possible. With new, expensive aircraft entering our fleet next year, our financing costs will increase markedly. While these new aircraft are larger and generally enable us to fly at a lower per-passenger cost, we must fill these aircraft to realise the savings. Indeed, if we do not fundamentally reengineer our commercial function, our losses in 2012 could easily top RM2 billion. To pay for our new aircraft and to cover our certain near-term losses, we must show investors that we are serious about changing our game. We have no other alternative. This is the greatest challenge we have ever faced as a business; a fundamental and radical overhaul is required to put us back on the path to sustained profitability. Here is our flight plan. Our vision is to become the preferred premium carrier, well-positioned for the coming consolidation of the Asian aviation marketplace. While Malaysia may be relatively small in the Asian arena, we will harness the country’s geo-economic centricity in ASEAN, emphasise our natural cost-competitiveness as a hub and utilise alliances and partnerships to significantly ‘punch above our weight’. Using a combination of tie-ups, we will achieve ‘virtual scale’, expand our network, coordinate our commercial functions and synchronise operations with similarly-minded airline partners. We will also exploit Malaysia’s competitive cost position to lower our costs. This will create the broadest array of network options for our customers and deliver an industry-leading cost position. We will follow a two-step approach in achieving this vision. In the near term, we are relentlessly focused on five initiatives to achieve a recovery to profitability for the 2013 financial year. We will then focus on a set of ‘game changers’ that will help us build a robust and sustainable business for the future. Page 6 OUR RECOVERY PLAN Enabling our ambition of becoming the preferred premium carrier must begin with a fundamental remodel of our core business. There is nothing revolutionary about this; it is the sheer simplicity of focus, and going back to basics. We will follow the playbook used by other airlines in their successful turnarounds but adapt it effectively to our unique context. The hard truth is, there will be some difficult decisions to be made to achieve a successful recovery. We will make these decisions in the best interests of our employees, shareholders, customers, business partners and Malaysians at large, and we count on the support of all stakeholders in this process. 1. Smaller yet profitable network. Going forward, our network shall include routes where our premium travellers will want to go, and where we can win in terms of competitive position and home advantage. We are shrinking to grow, and as we get back on firm financial footing, we shall expand our network to cover the world’s major economic regions and hubs. 2. Win back customers. We will take delivery of 23 aircraft in 2012, each with state-of-the-art passenger amenities. As we introduce these products, we must also reinvigorate our sales and marketing functions. We must win back the hard-earned loyalty of customers, especially those in Malaysia, and convince them of the superior value of our enhanced services. We also need to optimise our revenue management to enhance yields. 3. Relentless cost focus. As we take on new aircraft, we must quickly realise the savings from their improved efficiency. Lower fuel bills and maintenance expense reductions must be locked in early. We must also focus on keeping overhead and discretionary expenditure to a minimum. Finally, we will achieve savings in procurement through the collaboration with AirAsia and AirAsia X, subject to full compliance with global anti-trust legislation. 4. Keep it simple. We have become a very complex business with a number of different operating entities – core full service airline, MASholidays, MASkargo, MAS Aerospace Engineering (engineering and maintenance), training, catering, and ground handling. We need to de-clutter to ensure proper focus on our core business: flying our customers. We also need to give the ancillary businesses sufficient freedom to achieve their full potential. We therefore intend to commence the process of spinning-off our ancillary businesses starting with ground handling, training and engineering maintenance. Page 7 . Bridge the funding gap. Given the aircraft deliveries we are receiving in 2012, we acknowledge the funding gap that must be bridged. This bridge has five pillars of support: a. Achieve positive quarterly operating cash flow by the end of 2012. We shall ‘shrink to grow’ and consequently make resultant hard decisions to materialise reductions in costs and cash outflow b. Capital expenditure funding for our new planes through debt financing and leasing arrangements c. Working capital boost via the return of pre-delivery deposit payment (PDP) upon delivery of our new aircraft d. Proceeds from the potential spin-offs of our ancillary businesses e. Unwavering support from our major shareholders, whose support keeps our balance sheet robust despite a relatively high gearing Strong shareholder support is understandably conditional on Management undertaking all necessary measures including difficult and unpopular decisions to assure a positive operating cash flow performance. We shall indeed commit to do everything in our power to redeem the faith and support of our major shareholders. Page 8 GAME CHANGERS: SUSTAINING OUR PERFORMANCE Beyond the recovery, we will pursue a series of ‘game changers’ that will fundamentally overhaul our business model and sustain our performance. These strategic initiatives are sheer necessities to maintain relevance in a dynamic and ever-changing airline landscape. 1. Launch of a new regional premium airline. In the first half of 2012, we will launch our new shorthaul brand, flying an entirely new Boeing 737-800 fleet. Given a clean slate, a new business model can be designed from inception for sustainable commercial success without any inertial drag of legacy airline models. The relatively smaller size of the Boeing 737 means the airline can fly to more places where our customers want to travel, at times convenient to their schedules. We also intend to create a separate management structure to focus on the unique customer needs of regional premium travellers. This new airline shall set new standards for product and service quality, cost efficiency, and operational excellence. It will therefore set the template for airline success. 2. Alliances and partnerships. By the third quarter of 2012, we will be the newest member of the oneworld alliance. We are excited to join this extensive global network and look forward to increasing traffic via our combined networks and infrastructure. To augment our alliance membership, we intend to enter into material partnerships with major airlines to link our respective geographic strengths into a unified international presence. This will bring obvious mutual benefits to the parties involved as jointly, the whole will be in a much stronger competitive position than the sum of the parts. 3. Collaboration with AirAsia. On 9 August, we signed a Collaboration Agreement with AirAsia and AirAsia X. The Agreement provides all three airlines with a step-change improvement in operations through best practice sharing in select areas (such as fuel efficiency) and lower procurement costs (such as in fleet, ground handling and engineering maintenance services). Collaboration will also allow our customers to travel between more destinations than previously with an introduction of connecting services across the respective airlines’ networks. Without question, the collaboration is an essential element of Malaysia Airlines’ overall recovery and will further enable our sustainability going forward. Page 9 We recognise the vision and sacrifice of our principle shareholder, Khazanah, in making this collaboration possible. Importantly, the collaboration exercise is and will be done in full compliance with global antitrust and other regulatory requirements. 4. Ancillary business spin-off. With the successful spin-off of non-core businesses in our recovery plan, we can better focus on the core airline business and ensure a long-term competitive cost position for supporting services such as engineering maintenance, ground handling and training. In addition, we can ensure the full development of these ancillary businesses by attracting thirdparty specialists as strategic partners. Malaysia’s competitive cost position means we can build regionally competitive ancillary businesses with Malaysia as a hub. FOUNDATIONS To execute on our Recovery plan and achieve a sustainable performance, we will need to further develop three foundational elements. 1. Branded customer experience. Our customers are our top priority. In addition to the gradual rollout of our new product, we will improve customer satisfaction at every touch point – pre-flight, inflight and post-flight. Malaysia Airlines will deliver on its brand promise consistently, across all touch points, channels, national borders and at all times. In the months ahead, we will be making investments in a number of tools and processes, as well as mobilising the organisation across functions and layers to align and execute on the Malaysia Airlines brand promise. 2. Continuous operational improvement. In line with our vision to be the preferred premium carrier in the region, we will be making substantial changes to our operations to excel on three key dimensions: commercial effectiveness, flight operations and cost management. In terms of commercial effectiveness, we intend to seek continuous improvement in areas such as revenue management, direct sales and in the use of social networks for marketing. As we take delivery of our new fleet, we aim to set the new benchmark for excellence – for both aircraft and airport operations. Finally, while Malaysia Airlines has always had the potential to be the lowest cost player in the full service segment, we lag labour productivity benchmarks and are not best-in-class in areas such as procurement. We intend to bridge the gap with our peers in the region through continuous improvement programmes. Page 10 3. Winning organisation. Malaysia Airlines’ loyal and dedicated staff are a huge asset. However, we have to make a fundamental shift to a more performance-based culture. We wish to work collaboratively with our union and association partners to create a pay-for-performance compensation approach and culture. We have started to simplify our organisation structure to accelerate decision-making and create more accountability. We shall assemble the right people for the senior leadership of Malaysia Airlines and we shall not shy away from taking key decisions to effect this. And given the necessity ‘to shrink to grow’, we will have no choice but to right-size the organisation for the greater good of Malaysia Airlines’ survival. A leaner and meaner organisation will quickly become an agile, competitive and winning organisation. These actions will ultimately be the turning point on whether we can achieve and sustain acceptable financial performance. We expect to achieve a significantly reduced loss for 2012. Our ‘base case’ target for 2012 performance is a Group loss of approximately RM165 million. With an accelerated recovery, our ‘stretch target’ is for the Group to achieve a modest profit of up to RM238 million in 2012. We plan to sustain increasing levels of profitability and aspire to generate a profit after tax of over RM900 million by 2016. Page 11 OUR COMMITMENT A commercially sustainable flag carrier airline is vital to the broader eo-political and macroeconomic national objectives of global connectivity and trade linkages for Malaysia. However, our very existence is at stake given the internal and external factors combining to create the perfect storm. We must first take hard and potentially unpopular decisions – simply to survive, in order to then have the possibility to thrive. We therefore take a pledge of full commitment to undertake all necessary measures as outlined in this Busine ss Plan to first and foremost secure our survival, and ultimately to achieve our vision of being the preferred premium carrier. This radical flight plan will allow us to fly more satisfied customers to more places, build rewarding careers for our employees, and build a global brand that will make all Malaysians proud. We ask for your unwavering support, patience and continued patronage in this time of challenge and opportunity. The Preferred Premium Carrier 1 2 3 4 5 Smaller yet profitable network Win back customers Relentless cost focus Keep it simple Bridge the funding gap A Launch of new regional premium airline 1 Alliance and partnerships 2 Collaboration with AirAsia 3 Ancillary business spin-off 4 Branded customer experience B Continuous operational improvement C Winning organisation Page 12 Current Situation Page 13 Figure 1: Forecast demand growth Available Seat Kilometres (ASK) billions 1,068 ASEAN to/from mature markets 542 ASEAN to/from rest of Asia 2010 Source: OAG MARKET OUTLOOK The demand outlook for the Asian aviation sector is strong, fuelled by a burgeoning middle class and increased global and intra-regional trade. Long-term trends Based on forecasts of GDP growth, trade flows and other factors, we anticipate a doubling of demand over the coming decade (Figure 1). This presents a 2020 sizeable opportunity to all airlines in the region, and we are not alone in making sizeable aircraft Existing aircraft New narrowbody aircraft New widebody aircraft Figure 2: Planned capacity Aircraft ‘low cost’ 449 422 347 277 orders to fill the demand. By our count (Figure 2), 1,000 new narrow-body jet aircraft have been contracted for delivery over the next decade, an effective tripling of the commercial aviation fleet, likely outpacing the speed of demand growth. ‘full service’ ‘low cost’ 220 176 89 59 189 155 174 At the same time, aviation markets in the region are being liberalised, with most ASEAN countries 71 te Ca Gu s lf th ay A i r Pa ci fic Li o Ai n rA si In a di G Je o ts ta r Ti ge r C eb u M AS Et ih ad Em ira SI A targeting completely ‘open skies’ by 2015. This will allow carriers from any country to serve passengers in more overseas markets. Source: Press reports In other regions, this combination of overcapacity and deregulation has led to dramatic consolidation. In the US and Europe, the top three airlines account for 40 – 60 percent of the market. In Asia, they account for only 20 percent. Consolidation will inevitably come to Asia as well. Success in such challenging environments depends on the creation of a differentiated approach. This can be earned through building a leading cost position or by creating a unique value proposition to customers. We will do both. To thrive in this increasingly challenging market, we have to relentlessly pursue our vision of becoming the preferred premium carrier, well-positioned for the coming consolidation of the Asian aviation marketplace. We need to fundamentally remodel our core business and to put in place ‘game Page 14 hangers’ that will keep us ahead. Success of these efforts rests on the foundation of three elements: branded customer experience, a culture of continuous operational improvement and a winning organisation. We will fail if we do not deliver on all components of our flight plan. Perhaps more so than in other markets, we are also witnessing a rapid segmentation of the market, with carriers differentiati ng themselves along two dimensions: ‘low cost’ versus ‘full service,’ and ‘short haul’ versus ‘long haul. ’ Increasingly, airline owners are looking to place their chips in multiple segments (Figure 3). More than clarifying product tradeoffs to customers, this segmentation drives dramatic focus and simplification in airlines. The low cost carrier model (LCC) in particular has become immensely successful for those who can secure the absolute lowest unit cost in their relevant market. For those who cannot achieve rock-bottom costs, the challenge is to compete on service levels to customers more inclined to the ‘full service’ experience. Demand for ‘in between’ service levels (competing both on price and service) is disappearing, as customers largely target one particular product type. Recognising this, Malaysia Airlines is charting our future strongly in the full service, long-haul segment, with plans for extended participation in the full service, short-haul segment as well. Figure 3: Business model segmentation Short-haul Full-service Long-haul Low cost/value CCF* ASIA AUSTRALIA/INT’L Note: *CCF: Comprehensive Collaboration Framework between Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia and AirAsia X as announced on 9 August 2011 Page 15 Short-term shocks More so than other industries, airlines are vulnerable to macroeconomic events which create ‘demand shocks. In 2011 alone, there were two such shocks with the devastating earthquake/ tsunami in Japan and the floods in Thailand. Airlines must build business models able to withstand such external shocks. Figure 4: Profit/loss of Firefly business RM Turbopropbased business Jet-based business In 2012 , we must be prepared for the possibility of a global recession, brought on by Europe’s sovereign debt crisis, and a continued high cost of jet fuel. 2010 Source: Malaysia Airlines 2011 Figure 5: Skytrax annual ratings Ranking 1 2009 2010 2011 OUR RECENT PAST Over the past decade, Malaysia Airlines has lost its focus on the ‘full service’ portion of the market, which has historically been our bread-and-butter. 2 3 4 5 6 We launched our Firefly ‘low cost’ subsidiary in 2007. While the turboprop aircraft portion of the business has done well, the jet business launched last year has not yielded the returns we anticipated (Figure 4). 7 8 9 10 Source: Skytrax In an effort to fill aircraft, we priced seats well below our breakeven cost target. Though our cost situation would have improved with increased scale, it would have been insufficient for sustained profitability. We have since closed the Firefly jet business whilst focusing on growth of the profitable turboprop business for 2012 and beyond. With resources diverted to the ‘low cost’ segment of the market, we under-invested in the customer experience that is key for success in the ‘full service’ business. We are left with one of the oldest fleets in the region, which contributed to our removal from the Skytrax ‘top ten’ list of carriers. (Figure 5) Page 16 As product quality has fallen, we have lost the Figure 6: Unit revenues 2011 year-to date, Sen per ASK hard-earned loyalty of many Malaysia-based fliers. Last year, we lost more than 40 percent of KL-based passengers flying a ‘full service’ competitor airline to a city served by Malaysia Airlines. Our network, too, remains focused on the flows of a previous era, with a significant portion of our capacity concentrated on serving the highlySource: Company reports competed ‘kangaroo route’ connecting Australia to Europe. The declines in relative product quality and customer loyalty, combined with this overFigure 7: Unit costs 2011 year-to date, Sen per ASK 28. 5 25. 6 25. 0 29. 5 30. 5 representation of capacity on highly-competed routes have weakened our yields. Our unit revenue levels are now 15 25 percent below regional peers (Figure 6). 10. 4 11. 8 Our cost position is also not sufficiently lower than our competitors (Figure 7). As a result, our unit revenues have remained stubbornly below our unit costs. Source: Company reports Part of our poor cost position is due to the age of our aircraft. Just as the ageing fleet has driven down our pricing power, so too has it increased our costs. For every flight flown, we pay 15 20 percent more for fuel than does a competitor airline flying a more modern aircraft. Page 17 Unfortunately, the larger issue on the cost side is inadequate labour productivity (Figure 8). In Figure 8: Labour productivity 2010, No. of airline employees per aircraft seat the months ahead, there will be a need to overhaul our organisational structure. 0. 77 OUR STRENGTHS 0. 50 0. 43 Notwithstanding our internal challenges, there remains several assets in our arsenal. This includes strong technical capabilities and our well-trained cabin crew who continue to win awards (Figure 9) and is the hallmark of our Source: Company reports Malaysian hospitality. The crew’s dedication is to be credited for the strong brand equity we continue to enjoy. Both at home and overseas, the Malaysia Airlines Figure 9: Skytrax cabin crew ratings brand remains associated with our unique heritage and high-quality service. Rank 2008 2009 2010 2011 1 This positive predisposition to the Malaysia Airlines brand will receive a boost from our 2 new fleet additions and upgrades. Twentythree state-of-the-art aircraft will be delivered over the next 12 months, each with the latest 3 Source: Skytrax passenger amenities. Only through the foresight of previous management would we be in so fortunate a position to replenish more than half of our fleet of aircraft in a three-year period. These improvements will help reduce our fuel and repair bills, as well as convince our once loyal customers to return to our fold. Page 18 Signed in August 2011, our Collaboration Agreement with AirAsia and AirAsia X is a critical achievement. We are in discussions to coordinate our ground services, training and engineering maintenance functions, as well as to launch a joint procurement venture that will allow us to realise the combined benefits of scaled purchases. We estimate the cost savings to Malaysia Airlines alone will be more than RM100 million per year. 5,991 5,251 Figure 10: Malaysian competitive cost position 2011, Monthly wages, RM 11,856 In addition, we are close to finalising a connecting service that will enable passengers on either airline to seamlessly connect between carriers on nonoverlapping routes. Source: JETRO, Euromonitor Sydney Hong Kong 1,228 940 Beijing 846 Bangkok 588 Jakarta Singapore Kuala Lumpur Of course, any discussion and implementation of initiatives will be subject to full compliance with global anti-trust and other regulatory requirements. Our full entry into oneworld in the third quarter of 2012 will considerably enhance our network while providing baseload demand from our fellow oneworld members. In the months ahead, we will announce a series of additional partnerships that will drive increased commercial scale. These partnerships will be critical for us in the years ahead. Finally, our home remains Malaysia and that is our most defendable asset of all. Going forward, we must continue to realise all natural cost advantages (Figure 10) available to us to ensure we can profitably offer the best value in the sky. Page 19 STATUS QUO IS NOT AN OPTION A bold revision of our Group is necessary to avoid the failure of Malaysia Airlines as we know it. Weekly cash losses are in the millions of Ringgit. Without radical efforts now, we anticipate bankruptcy in the middle of the second quarter of 2012. Indeed, without action, our losses in 2012 could easily top RM2 billion. Preventing such an outcome requires a variety of efforts, but at the core must be a reversal of this loss-making. Securing funding for future operations requires evidence to new investors – be they through debt or equity – that a dramatic change in fortunes is possible in the very near term. The challenge is immense but, we believe, recovery is within our grasp. Firm and decisive actions will have to be taken now. Page 20 Our Recovery Plan Page 21 In approaching our recovery, we are focusing first and foremost on our primary, core business: the passenger airline. True sustainability means our passenger aircraft will be able to fly profitably whatever the broader economic and market conditions. To be clear, there are exciting opportunities for our ancillary businesses – engineering and maintenance, cargo, and training, to name a few – but success of the core business must be the cornerstone of the Group’s broader performance. There are five steps to our recovery. The first is to aggressively reduce capacity on routes that have generated losses over many years. As Figure 11 (page 23) shows, over 40 percent of our routes today lose money. Second is the effort to fill aircraft on our remaining network with loyal, satisfied customers. Next, we must relentlessly cut costs in all areas where it does not reduce the customer experience or our commitment to safety. Simplifying the business by spinning-off ancillary units is the fourth step. Fifth is to fund this recovery. This is by no means a small feat. Smaller yet profitable network 2 Win back customers We will suspend services on routes where we are substantially loss making. This will account for approximately 12% of our ASKs. It is our desire to return to the markets that we are exiting in the near future after we have stabilised our business. We will take delivery of 23 aircraft in 2012, each with state-of-the-art passenger amenities. As we introduce these products, we must also reinvigorate our sales and marketing functions. We must win back the hard-earned loyalty of customers, especially those in Malaysia. We also need to optimize yield through better revenue management and tactical sales programmes. 2012 profit impact: ~RM220 302 mil. 3 2012 profit impact: ~RM394 477 mil. 4 Relentless cost focus Keep it simple In a brutally competitive industry, we need to maintain focus on continually managing our costs down and achieving operational excellence. As we take on new aircraft, we must quickly realise the savings from their improved efficiency. Lower fuel bills and maintenance expense reductions must be locked in. Our overall business structure has become too complex with a number of ancillary activities becoming very large and complex. We therefore intend to ‘spin-off’ some ancillary businesses to ensure greater focus on the core airline business and give these ancillary businesses more freedom to grow and achieve their full potential. 2012 profit impact: ~RM309 392 mil. 2012 profit impact: ~RM255 337 mil. 1. Positive operating cash flow 2. New debt and leasing arrangements 3. Working capital boost via the return of pre-delivery payment deposits 4. Proceeds from potential spin-offs 5. Unwavering support of our shareholders 5 Bridge the funding gap Given the aircraft deliveries of 2012, we acknowledge the funding gap that must be bridged. This bridge has five pillars of support: Page 22 Figure 11: Profit before tax by route 2010, RM profitmaking lossmaking More than 40% of routes are loss-making 100 routes in network Source: Malaysia Airlines 1 SMALLER YET PROFITABLE NETWORK Our network is the heart of the Company and, while we want to serve our customers as well as we can, we recognise that we cannot generate profits on all the routes we are currently flying. Hence, we will, based on Malaysia Airlines’ own independent internal profitability and yield analysis, suspend services from select loss-making routes and will further focus on the core ASEAN region where we are the strongest. We plan to suspend Cape Town, Johannesburg, Buenos Aires, and other loss-making routes. On the other hand, we will increase our frequencies to key regional cities to benefit from the strong growth in regional demand. Successful turnarounds from other airlines, such as JAL (Figure 12) or Garuda, have been based on aggressive network cuts. We believe that, while we are cutting Available Seat Kilometres (ASK) by close to approximately 12 percent next year, we will be able to grow again profitably in the years ahead. Figure 12: Case example: Japan Airlines Capacity (ASK billions) and Net Income (RM millions) pre/post turnaround Profit impact: RM220 302 million Page 23 2 WIN BACK CUSTOMERS In 2012, we will take delivery of 23 new aircraft and phase out the A330-200 and B747-400 fleets. We will continue that effort over the next few years and, by 2015, we will have the youngest fleet in the region Figure 13: Aircraft age Years AirAsia Cathay Pacific Singapore Airlines Malaysia Airlines 13 12 10 9 10 (Figure 13). Our new aircraft will be equipped with best-in-class hardware and we will make significant investments next year to upgrade our meal services on all sectors (Figure 14). 2008 5 3 7 5 5 7 8 2011 2015 Building on our new fleet, we are revamping our approach to branding, distribution and customer loyalty. We are overhauling our commercial approach and revenue management systems to earn our fair share of corporate travel, drive front-end cabin revenue and fully leverage our oneworld membership to generate traffic (Figure 15). Source: Company reports Figure 14: Incoming fleet Figure 15: Sales marketing key business activities planned for 2012 Regional 1 Centralised New product roll-out Increase Frequent Individual Traveller (FIT) mix Connectivity improvement Direct channel push 11 Enrich (loyalty) Malaysia Airlines Corporate Travel (MCT) Programme enhancement Small Medium Enterprise (SME) push Business leisure campaign oneworld alignment 6 7 8 9 programme enhancement 12 Revenue management 13 Route suspension 2 3 4 10 Seasonality management impact 14 Malaysia Airlines 5 Enhanced Advertising Promotion deployment branding revamp Profit impact: RM394 477 million Page 24 Figure 16: Fuel efficiency savings Percent savings per ASK travelled 3 RELENTLESS COST FOCUS In a brutally competitive industry, we need to maintain focus on continually managing our costs down. In the short term, we will realise significant cost savings from our updated fleet deployment, with our state-of-the-art aircraft consuming less fuel. For example, as Figure 16 shows, flying the B737-800 Source: Aircraft manufacturers instead of the B737-400 will save us close to 23 percent of our fuel bill on a typical flight between Figure 17: Maintenance expense savings 2010, Expense per aircraft block hour, RM (Industry benchmark) Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. In addition, our maintenance costs will decrease as we operate a newer fleet with lower maintenance requirements (Figure 17). However, benefits from our new aircraft deployment will not be sufficient. We have undertaken a comprehensive cost review that has identified RM200 million in 2012 savings Source: Form 41 opportunities (Figure 18). Improvements will come from increased utilisation of assets, early return of Figure 18: Key cost initiatives planned for 2012 Target run rate savings, RM millions 1 Productivity enhancement 70 80 2 3 ircraft and improved cost control over key functions. Strategic procurement of fuel Fuel efficiency from CCF bestpractice sharing Additional procurement initiatives Maintenance cost cap increase Early return of Boeing 747 15 20 30 35 30 35 10 15 25 30 We will realise further savings from the closure of stations in markets where we are suspending services. 4 5 6 Source: Team analysis Profit impact: RM 309 392 million Page 25 Additional infrastructure savings will be achieved once existing operation bases are consolidated to fewer locations. We will further focus on a review of our procurement contracts to achieve critical rate decreases. Finally, we are expecting cost savings through joint procurement and sharing services such as training and ground handling with AirAsia, subject to compliance with global anti-trust legislation. Looking forward, we will conduct a broader efficiency review that will aim at improving our organisation effectiveness and bring our productivity level closer to that of our regional peers. 4 KEEP IT SIMPLE Our overall business structure has become too complex with a number of ancillary activities becoming very large. We need to de-clutter the business to ensure greater focus on the core airline. We therefore intend to ‘spin-off’ some ancillary businesses to give these units more freedom to grow and to achieve their full potential. We intend to start with joint ventures in training and ground handling with AirAsia that will result in capex avoidance and lower costs through enhanced asset utilisation, scale and sharing of best practices. We believe these businesses have the potential to attract more third-party customers and grow into attractive stand-alone companies. The new companies may also consider tie-ups with strategic partners to enhance capabilities, expand geographic reach and access new customers. We also intend to spin-off MAS Aerospace Engineering (MAE) with an intention to create a strong standalone engineering maintenance services provider. We believe these spin-offs will also enhance Malaysia’s competitiveness as a regional aviation hub. Spin-offs will commence in the near-term but the completion of this process will be influenced by the availability of strategic partners and the state of the capital markets. Profit impact: RM 255 337 million Page 26 Short term: Arrest chronic losss include: Drive front-end cabin revenues Ramp-up corporate revenues Implement dynamic and integrated sales marketing programmes Grow direct channels Improvement potential (RM mil. ) 220 302 Win back customers Commercial excellence 394 477 Relentless cost focus Operational excellence Close stations according to own network rationalization Continuous improvement, examples include: Conduct thorough review of procurement costs Implement productivity improvement programme Improvements in on-time performance, aircraft turnaround times and asset utilisation Reduce structural fixed costs; operations consolidation Spin-off training , ground-handling and other ancillary businesses, some with AirAsia, to generate additional third party business Spin off MAE Total 2012 potential profit impact 09 392 Keep it simple 255 337 1,178 1,508 Page 27 SUMMARY Our ‘base case’ target is for the core business (passenger airline without cargo, catering and other ancillary businesses) to generate a significantly reduced loss of approximately RM340 million in 2012. As Figure 19 illustrates, we are targeting further improvement still with a ‘stretch target’ whe re the core business would breakeven in 2012. With estimated core airline losses of approximately RM1. 32 billion in 2011, this represents a one-year recovery of between RM 1,178 – 1,508 million. This is ambitious, but we believe it is achievable. Figure 19: Impact of initiatives to core airline profit 2012, RM millions 255-337 309-392 394-477 (200)-(190) (340)-0 (340) 220-302 (1,318) One-year turnaround worth RM 1,178 – 1,508 million 1 2011 Core airline losses (analysts estimates)* Smaller yet profitable network 2 Win back customers; commercial excellence 3 Relentless cost focus; operations excellence 4 Keep it simple Finance charges 2012 Target Note: All scenarios presume US$130 jet fuel and do not include any potential restructuring costs. Interpolated to arrive at core airline losses from analysts’ estimates of Group performance; figure is purely for illustrative purposes and does not represent MAS’ view of FY2011 losses Source: Team analysis, analyst reports We will begin suspending unprofitable routes early in 2012, which will first limit our losses. Our aggressive fleet plan, with the entry in service of the A380 aircraft on our flagship London rou te, coupled with best-in-class product and key innovations in customer service will drive our yield and load improvements. We also expect significant cost savings from the deployment of this new fleet, both from maintenance and fuel consumption. While those improvements have a cost, we have managed to keep constant some of our key procurement costs. We will also leverage our new fleet to improve the utilisation of our superb crew while still delivering top-notch service and safety. Finally, we will decrease our other fixed costs through a comprehensive review of both external and internal drivers. Page 28 Figure 20: Sources of Group profit 2012, RM millions 978 1,318 (165) (165)-238 102-165 (1,245) 011 Group losses (analysts estimates)* Improvement in subsidiaries profits in 2012 Core airline improvement in 2012 2012 Group target Note: All scenarios presume US$130 jet fuel and do not include any potential restructuring costs *Excludes gains/losses from forex exposure and hedging instruments Source: Team analysis, analyst reports For the Group (core airline plus all ancillary businesses), our ‘base case’ target for 2012 performance is a loss of approximately RM165 million. With an accelerated recovery, our ‘stretch target’ is for the group to achieve a modest profit of up to RM238 million. This is shown in Figure 20. Figures 21 and 22 (page 30) depict the reversal of our targeted cash position. As the ‘business as usual’ scenario makes clear, our current trajectory would almost certainly leave us in bankruptcy. With the Recovery plan, however, we plan to end the year having generated RM 313 – 744 million in cash. Once this recovery is accomplished, we will make aggressive decisions to change the battleground and become a major player in the upcoming consolidation as the preferred premium carrier. Page 29 Figure 21: Operating cash generation 2012, RM millions Figure 22: Cash balance 2012, RM millions Source: Team analysis Source: Team analysis As noted earlier, 2012 will be a key transition year on our path to becoming the preferred premium carrier. While we are beginning our turnaround process, the investments required to update our fleet and generate additional revenues will be massive. We are confident that we have secured a funding plan that will enable us to achieve this vision. This plan rests on 5 pillars: 1. Achieving positive operating cash flow on a quarterly basis by the end of 2012 2. Successful debt financing and leasing arrangements for our new aircraft 3. Working capital boosts from the return of pre-delivery payment deposits upon delivery of our new aircraft 4. Proceeds from the potential spin-offs of our ancillary businesses 5. Unwavering support from our major shareholders, whose support keeps our balance sheet robust despite a relatively high gearing Page 30 Game Changers: Sustaining Our Performance Page 31 OUR VISION While much about the years ahead remains uncertain, the forces of overcapacity, market liberalisation and industry consolidation are certainties. In markets where the consolidation has played out, only the strongest airlines survive in their original form (Figure 23) and maintain profitability. In the US, for example, where liberation began over 20 years ago, a series of mergers has produced a market where the top three players control 60 percent of the market, and only the largest two (Delta and United) appear to have developed a sustainable business. Similar events have played out more recently in Europe and Latin America, with small airlines losing market share and generating significantly lower financial returns – if they are profitable at all. This same scenario will play out in Asia in the coming years. Figure 23: Capacity share of leading airlines in deregulated markets 2009, share of market based on RPKs Other Other Other Gol American Airlines/TWA United/ Continental British Airways/Iberia Lufthansa Group Delta/ Northwest TAM Air France/ KLM LAN AirAsia Other Malaysia Airlines Singapore Airlines Cathay Pacific China Southern Top 3 Top 3 Top 3 Top 3 N. America (liberalised in 1980s) Source: OAG Aviation Europe (liberalised in 1990s) L. America (liberalised in 2000s) Asia (liberalisation beginning) Our vision is to shape the future of the industry and be a leader in the consolidation in Asia by becoming the preferred premium carrier. We must achieve capacity leadership amongst ‘full service’ carriers where we can and partner elsewhere to realise the true commercial scale of our business. Page 32 Figure 24: Capacity share of ASEAN-connected markets 2010, Capacity share based on ASKs MAS-Wings Other Other Other Other MAS Other Other Turkish Airlines Singapore Airlines Garuda Indonesia Other Jetstar AirAsia MAS Emirates Thai Airways Qantas MAS Tiger China Southern Garuda Philippine Airlines Vietnam Airlines British Airways Lufthansa KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines Cebu Jetstar Silk Air MAS Thai Airways AirAsia Singapore Airlines Eva Airways Air China China Eastern Vietnam Airlines Air India Jet Airways MAS AirAsia Thai Airways Singapore Airlines ASEAN to/from S. Asia MAS Thai Airways China Airlines Singapore Airlines Asiana Thai Airways Japan Airlines Gulf Air Saudi Arabian Airlines Qantas Airways Etihad Airways Qatar Airways MAS AirAsia Singapore Airlines Thai Airways International AirAsia Emirates Cathay Pacific ASEAN to/from Greater China Korean Air ASEAN to/from N. Asia Singapore Airlines ASEANto/from ANZ Singapore Airlines ASEAN to/from Europe Domestic Malaysia Source: OAG Aviation Intra-ASEAN ASEANto/from Mid East Going forward, we will prioritise our growth in regions where we can offer truly leading connectivity and defendable leadership positions. As Figure 24 highlights, the markets in which Malaysia Airlines competes today are highly fragmented: many airlines operate similarly-sized businesses. Beyond domestic Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines does not have a top two position in any market. The result is a relatively small and fragmented network compared to our competitors, and insufficient frequencies to meet the demands of our sought-after customers. This must change. Leveraging on our game changers, we will use strategic partnerships and alliances to extend connectivity especially to regions where there is a smaller commercial opportunity for operating our own aircraft. This will ensure superior connectivity for our customers while managing financial risks for our shareholders. By ourselves where we can, and with our partners where we must, we will build an increasing number of leadership positions. Our customers and our shareholders alike will benefit. Page 33 1 LAUNCH OF NEW REGIONAL PREMIUM AIRLINE The separation of businesses by aircraft type and distance travelled is increasingly common globally. Airlines including United, Qantas, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines segment their businesses by aircraft type to some degree. The segmentation allows the airline with the smaller aircraft to focus on commuting and ‘feed’ services to the parent, while the airline with the larger aircraft can focus exclusively on serving long-haul passengers. Starting in the first half of 2012, we will launch our new regional premium airline, a short-haul airline connecting Malaysia to the rest of ASEAN and key cities in South Asia and Greater China. The new carrier will exclusively fly our incoming fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft with the latest in passenger amenities. While the early focus will be on key business routes less than four hours from Kuala Lumpur, the airline will eventually fly all domestic and regional routes flown by Malaysia Airlines today (Figure 25). Figure 25: Improved connectivity through regional premium airline To Tokyo To North Asia To Amsterdam To London To Paris New regional premium airline Malaysia Airlines mainline Page 34 Figure 26: oneworld benefits Enhance load factors through additional partner traffic and improved brand awareness Drive hub connectivity to facilitate international expansion and further destinations Leverage relationships to pursue joint purchasing Share equipment and resources for maintenance to reduce variable costs REVENUE EXPERTISE Leverage industry experience, management skills and expertise In the long run, potential advisors may come to Malaysia Airlines to share their international experience COST CAPITAL Alliance will offer us potential additional sources for capital Strengthens capital structure Supports / stabilises client’s valuation Long-term interest / investment in client Partner airlines (full members) 2 ALLIANCES PARTNERSHIPS In the second half of 2012, Malaysia Airli nes will become a full member of oneworld. The move toward an alliance will provide a broader network of international destinations, plus provide a basis for customers to increase their loyalty to our services (Figure 26). Beyond alliance membership, we are exploring the possibility of JVs with select partners in order to serve multiple markets together, while reducing the financial risks of participating individually. We look forward to sharing details of these initiatives in the months ahead. Page 35 3 COLLABORATION WITH AIRASIA The signing of the Collaboration Agreement with AirAsia and AirAsia X in August 2011 was a turning point for aviation in Malaysia. Working together will benefit all of our customers, improve our individual cost structures and grow Malaysia as a hub for tourism and aviation. For customers, collaboration offers opportunities to connect to more destinations seamlessly. In the coming months, the airlines will introduce a connecting service, allowing passengers on one airline to connect on select, non-overlapping routes served by the other carrier. At the same time, this move provides Malaysia Airlines with far broader reach, as passengers in more than two dozen cities around the region can be connected to Kuala Lumpur for their onward long-haul travel. Over the past few months, the three airlines have begun discussions about where joint procurement and consolidation of key activities could lead to greater efficiencies. Importantly, this is not about imposing one business model on the other. Rather, it is about looking for prudent opportunities where consolidated operations will deliver better service at lower costs for all. Fuel purchasing is one such area, where the combined scale of our global requirements can be used to negotiate better terms. For engineering , training and ground services, we can save capital costs by sharing common equipment and increasingly selling reserve capacity to other airlines. Already we have identified approximately RM100 million in annual savings for Malaysia Airlines alone. Ultimately, the collaboration must be about promoting the centrality of Malaysia as a hub for tourism and aviation in the region. With major hubs in Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong, we all have a role in ensuring the attractiveness of Malaysia to other airlines and potential travellers. Through collaboration, we have the opportunity to bring more scaled support services to Kuala Lumpur, and work with all government parties to create an environment hospitable to the growth of aviation. All collaboration negotiations and activities will, however, be carried out in full compliance with any regulatory or antitrust requirement. Page 36 4 ANCILLARY BUSINESS SPIN-OFF As documented earlier, we have significant opportunities to improve our productivity and simplify our core business. One element of addressing this will be to empower some of our scale support operations to spin-off and become separate companies in their own right. These new companies will be able to offer services to other airlines transiting in Malaysian cities. Their heightened scale will also benefit Malaysia Airlines, as cost efficiencies are passed back to the core airline. At the same time, separating management will drive more focused attention and will bring all businesses to globally best-in-class operational and profitability levels. Notably, this model has been used successfully by Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. Consistent with this plan, we will move to a new structure, where a holding company will become our primary listed vehicle. The core airline business and the scaled ancillary businesses will be held under this holding company structure. This will drive improved focus for each of the separate businesses and deliver truly leading cost positions to the airlines, as the spin-offs compete increasingly with their competitors for third party business. Proceeds from bringing on board strategic partners can be used to fund our recovery and broader strategic objectives. Figure 27: Corporate structure Holding Company 100% 100% In future lt; 100% 100% wide-body narrow-body including Firefly Turboprop 100% pilot training/ academy 100% round services Near-term priorities Identify strategic partners for divestment, and assure best-in-class airline support operations Page 37 Foundations Page 38 A BRANDED CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE The Malaysia Airlines of the future will strive to deliver superior customer experience at every touch point: when customers book flights, before, during or after the flights. In the months ahead, we will be making significant investments in tools and processes, from call centres and our website through to the layout of our aircraft to ensure that we are paying attention to all details that matter (Figure 28). Figure 28: Components of Branded Customer Experience Page 39 B CONTINUOUS OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENT After reaching breakeven in 2012, we will further increase our profitability by making bold moves to align operational efficiency with the highest standards in the world (Figure 29). Our goal is to achieve the highest customer satisfaction while improving our revenues and operating as efficiently as possible. This improvement will come in several steps and will be anchored around three pillars: commercial excellence, best-in-class flight operations and cost optimisation. We know it will take time but we have the core assets to build on. On the people side, our employees have a proven track record of providing industry leading service. On the ‘hardware’ side, we are getting brand new aircraft and ground equipment that will provide us a strong base for improved flight operations. Figure 29: Continuous operational improvement Our revenues per ASK have been lagging those of our competitors. While a major effort will be done in 2012, we need to keep improving our capabilities. We will first revamp our sales and marketing strategies and combine them with best-in-class revenue management systems. We will also target more direct sales through our website. Lastly, we aim at building strong social media capabilities to improve marketing effectiveness. Commercial excellence Best-in-class flight operations Our customers want to get to their destination safely and on time. As we take delivery of our new fleet, we will target an increase in utilisation for all aircraft types. We will also reduce turnaround times and have more efficient engineering services from our MRO JV. We will conduct a thorough review of our fuel cost and investigate innovative ways to improve fuel efficiency. Cost optimisation We will be acting on two key levers to reduce costs. First, we will re-negotiate our procurement costs in catering, ground handling and maintenance. Our second lever is labour productivity. We will undertake a systematic comparison of productivity levels by function and department versus our competitors and strive to close the productivity gap. Where necessary, we will ‘right size’ the organisation to achieve costs in line with our peers. Page 40 C WINNING ORGANISATION A critical requirement to the recovery of Malaysia Airlines and achievement of sustained and consistent performance is to transform ourselves into a high performance organisation. There are a number of areas we need to address to achieve this important goal. Our labour productivity is well below our relevant competitors and our compensation philosophy is not sufficiently performance-based. In addition, our decision-making approach is cumbersome with a lack of clear accountability on key decisions. Because of the reduction in the network, there is a need to review the manpower level. We would like our organisation to be leaner, more nimble, customer-oriented and meritocratic with a compensation approach that ‘pays for performance. As part of this, we will realistically need to make targeted resource reductions. We recognise that this organisational transformation will be quite profound. We therefore commit to undertake this exercise by responsibly engaging with our employees and the Government so as to minimise the adverse impact of these necessary changes. We believe that these changes will make Malaysia Airlines a better place to work thereby enabling u s to attract the best talent and provide greater career advancement opportunities for our employees. Page 41 Our Commitment Page 42 Malaysia Airlines well-being and strength is a major component to the countrys economy. We carry the aspirations and pride of the Nation. Both at home and abroad, the Malaysia Airlines brand remains associated with our unique heritage of giving customers that personal touch. The airline also carries the expectations of all our employees, without whom the airline would not still be flying today, given all the challenges the Company has faced over the years. We are in a crisis and the current situation of the Company is a serious concern for our people, stakeholders, customers and business partners. We recognize that hard and unpopular decisions will need to be made along the way for MAS’ survival and future success. We will treat these decisions with the gravity that they merit, and forge solutions in the best interest of our employees, shareholders, customers and strategic partners. As this journey of recovery has begun, we ask for your support, patience and understanding as we rebuild Malaysia Airlines as the preferred premium carrier. The Preferred Premium Carrier 1 2 3 4 5 Smaller yet profitable network Win back customers Relentless cost focus Keep it simple Bridge the funding gap A Launch of new regional premium airline 1 Alliance and partnerships 2 Collaboration with AirAsia 3 Ancillary business spin-off 4 Branded customer experience B Continuous operational improvement C Winning organisation Page 43 Five-year initiatives Produced by GCEO’s Office at Malaysian Airline System Berhad MAS Complex A, Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport 47200 Subang, Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia www. malaysiaairlines. com