What the investigation does
The essay compares the potential benefits of combining Qantas and British Airways with the benefits already provided by their oneworld alliance. It draws on airline reports, industry organizations, academic industry material and contemporary news to explain the abandoned 2008 proposal and reconsider it in the conditions discussed in 2010.
Company profiles, compatible routes and systems, ownership restrictions, debt and management issues feed into two Lewin force-field analyses. The conclusion favours a merger but acknowledges that its rankings are subjective and that ownership and acceptance of a minority position remain unresolved. The essay is especially useful for examining how a strategic recommendation depends on the chosen comparison and time frame.
Why this example is worth reading
Compares merger with a concrete existing alliance, giving the strategic question an explicit baseline.
Links company-specific routes, operating systems and organizational structures to proposed integration benefits.
Uses paired force-field analyses to show how changed circumstances can alter a recommendation over time.
What the examiner highlights
The examiner praises the focused treatment of merger, the justified question and research extending beyond the textbook.
The review credits accurate business terminology, relevant application of Lewin's model and strong structure and referencing.
It also notes theoretical benefits, limited conflicting evidence and insufficient attention to company form and shareholders.
What to examine critically
The examiner finds some projected benefits too theoretical and asks for more conflicting sources and critical thinking.
The examiner identifies insufficient treatment of company form and shareholders; the subjective force scores should not be mistaken for measured financial value.
Apply it to your own work
Define the real alternative against which a proposed strategy will be judged.
Explain the evidence behind every model input or weighting and identify subjective judgments.
Link the conclusion to unresolved conditions that could change the recommended decision.
Essay & assessment material
Read the original material alongside the breakdown, or download it to keep.
A complete examiner review is supplied in the separate one-page commentary. Selection is verified by the IB's 2011 excellent-essay collection; no numerical mark or letter grade is stated. The business scenario is historical.
Source & assessment context
50 More Excellent Extended Essays (2011). The source PDFs retain their original attribution. The analysis on this page is AsterDraft’s independent teaching commentary.
Selected excellent exemplar. A complete examiner review is supplied in the separate one-page commentary. Selection is verified by the IB's 2011 excellent-essay collection; no numerical mark or letter grade is stated. The business scenario is historical.