Qantas: Australia's Oldest Airline

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Background and History of Qantas Qantas is the world's second oldest airline and it is Australia’s largest domestic and international airline. The company was founded in Queensland during 1920 and it began its business by transporting mail and passengers in biplanes (Qantas Fact File, 2010). The Qantas Group’s main business is the transportation of passengers using two airline brands, namely Qantas and Jetstar. In March 1979, Qantas operated its Boeing 707 flight from Auckland to Sydney, and became the only airline in the world to have a fleet that consisted of Boeing 747s. Besides, Qantas was also the first airline in the world to introduce business class during 1979. In August 1989, Qantas set a world distance record for flying the 18,001km …show more content…

In this case, Milton Friedman’s theory has to be taken into consideration when it comes to the responsibilities of Qantas. As Milton Friedman wrote in his classic book Capitalism and Freedom, “There is one and only one social responsibility of business — to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it … engages in open and free competition, without deception or fraud.” ( Gibney, 2009). Maximizing profits while engaging in an ‘open and free competition without deception or fraud’ is not the same as maximizing profits while obeying the laws and ethical customs of one’s society (Emeritus & Bowie, 2012). Therefore, although Qantas’s decision to shed 5000 jobs might seem unethical, this decision is truly reasonable and unavoidable as Qantas has to reduce the cost of business and to lay the foundations for sustainable growth in …show more content…

A range of Australian laws currently require corporations to comply with human rights standards. Examples include laws prohibiting discrimination and harassment in the workplace and laws requiring employers to provide equal employment opportunities. Such laws address the rights to equality and non-discrimination, which are set out in various international treaties including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. (Australian Human Right Commission,

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